I'll start off with saying: I know this is ultimately my decision, I am just looking to hear others opinions :)
I currently work in a neonatal ICU, I have been here two years. I worked on a neuro intermediate care unit for two years prior. I have been a nurse for 4 years. I am not interested in med/surg/ICU nursing. I have been on nights these past four years and it is really starting to get to me. I am feeling depressed and anxious and I really believe it is related to working nights. Every day I have to go into work I think about looking for another job. In addition to not liking nights, I am not crazy about how the unit is run (we have 3 clinical managers and two of them just put in their two week notices. A lot of people aren't very happy). There are a couple other things that just make me not feel like NICU is the right fit for me.
I have applied to an endoscopy unit in our hospital, and I found out today I am shadowing and interviewing next week. It is 72 hours a pay, day shift, no weekends, 4 days a week 9 hour days, no holidays (but we are on call occasionally evenings/nights/weekends/holidays). I really feel like this schedule would be so much better for me.
The pay cut is the one thing worrying me. Going to days would be about $450 pay cut a month. That's a big deal! It already is kind of tight sometimes with finances, and adding that to it makes me nervous. My daughter would have to go to the sitter four days a week instead of the two that she goes now (she is 14 months) which kind of makes me feel guilty and selfish, I want to do what's best for her. But for my mental sanity, I finally feel like I have an 'out' from nights and that makes me so excited.
Anyone have personal experience from this? I am torn...and rambling :)
I'll start off with saying: I know this is ultimately my decision, I am just looking to hear others opinions :)
I currently work in a neonatal ICU, I have been here two years. I worked on a neuro intermediate care unit for two years prior. I have been a nurse for 4 years. I am not interested in med/surg/ICU nursing. I have been on nights these past four years and it is really starting to get to me. I am feeling depressed and anxious and I really believe it is related to working nights. Every day I have to go into work I think about looking for another job. In addition to not liking nights, I am not crazy about how the unit is run (we have 3 clinical managers and two of them just put in their two week notices. A lot of people aren't very happy). There are a couple other things that just make me not feel like NICU is the right fit for me.
I have applied to an endoscopy unit in our hospital, and I found out today I am shadowing and interviewing next week. It is 72 hours a pay, day shift, no weekends, 4 days a week 9 hour days, no holidays (but we are on call occasionally evenings/nights/weekends/holidays). I really feel like this schedule would be so much better for me.
The pay cut is the one thing worrying me. Going to days would be about $450 pay cut a month. That's a big deal! It already is kind of tight sometimes with finances, and adding that to it makes me nervous. My daughter would have to go to the sitter four days a week instead of the two that she goes now (she is 14 months) which kind of makes me feel guilty and selfish, I want to do what's best for her. But for my mental sanity, I finally feel like I have an 'out' from nights and that makes me so excited.
Anyone have personal experience from this? I am torn...and rambling :)
I understand how that might feel. When I switched to days, i really felt the difference financially. However, my physical and mental health was better. Tha pay cut sucked but you will eventually get used to it. You will learn to adjust and innately know that you won't spending much for luxurious things anymore.
I do understand, however, about your child care issue. I do not have a child so I cannot comment on that. Most nurses who had kids loved dayshift because they can tuck their child in bed... And on the days they are off, they are less grumpy and have energy to play with their child.
"But for my mental sanity, I finally feel like I have an 'out' from nights and that makes me so excited. "
To me, this trumps it all. You really want days! And it's a better quality of life. Yes your daughter will go to day care more, but actually she will see you more, since you will be there for holidays and weekends. WEEKENDS!! I know $450 is nothing to sneeze at, but in my experience something always comes up. Can you cut back anywhere? Take serious stock of your finances. It sounds like this new job is what you really want. Try not to be a slave to the money. Do without to gain a better life. IMHO.
I did it with zero regrets. I am not a night person. Even when I was a teenager/young adult, I liked to be in bed by 10, and get up with the roosters. Night shift was torture for me, and I cringe when I think about how sleepy I was on my drive home in the am. Not a safe situation.
Some people love night shift and would never go back to days, but you don't sound like one of them. Do what's best for your health, and sanity. Your family can make it, and perhaps you could volunteer to work in your old unit on a few holidays (day shift of course ) to make up the difference now and then.
You have to be realistic about $$$. You are taking about a $500 pay cut, plus you will have to pay for more days at daycare. You want to make sure you aren't giving up the stress at your job for the stress of paying your bills. If you know you can make it all work out go for it. It's awful going to a job you hate going to. If this isn't the job do not despair, they're other jobs out there. I agree with another poster about asking to have a higher base pay since you are a loyal employee already.
When I made the switch to days, along with losing the pay, I gained more energy and had a better outlook. As I remember, when I worked nights I tended to make many, many "convenience" purchases such as take out food and those sorts of things. When I gained the time and energy to start doing for myself and family on day shift, it all worked out. Really look at your food budget, that's where I found I could spend a whole lot less to make up some of the difference. I also swapped child care with another nurse mom for about a year and a half and that was a real budget saver!
It's pretty sad if an RN cannot afford daycare on day shift wages. Daycare is definitely an intangible expense like insurance premiums that no ones likes to pay but RN wages should cover basic living expenses including daycare. I'm not sure where OP lives but in California anyway there was never a time that my income didn't pay the rent, car payment and daycare.
I agree that it is worth it for my mental sake. Nights really is getting to me and I just cannot continue on doing it. I would be happier at home, and not so tired and sluggish all the time.
i live in Ohio. Unfortunately, my husbands and my school loans total as much as our mortgage is- which is the root of our financial problems. i am thankful to have found a childcare provider that is very 'cheap' but also what I am looking for in a daycare provider, I feel very lucky. Also it is my friends daycare provider who she has been going to for years so I know I can trust her. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be able to make the money stretch to cover full time daycare to make the switch to days.
If you can somehow make it work financially, I would say go for it! I switched from med-surg nights to endoscopy days about a year ago and I am so much happier. On top of being on days now, having weekends off is amazing and something I never thought I would have in my nursing career. I am still in touch with my old night shift coworkers and most of them love their jobs--but they could see how miserable I was when I worked with them. I didn't exactly love med-surg and our pt population either. Everybody's different. For me, on nights, I was unhappy and felt sick all the time and missed my spouse so much. And I brought that sadness to work with me even though I tried not to. Also, endo is great! I've always wanted to specialize and now I have. Good luck to you. Sometimes it is worth feeling a little poor in order to have mental richness.
It's not selfish to want to work shifts that are compatible for you mentally and physically. That being said you need to figure out how to deal with having $450.00, plus the increased cost of your daughter's care fewer dollars each month to make ends meet. I would suggest a second job for 2 days a month. Would it be possible to work PRN or float pool at you current employer to get those hours? This would be the easiest way to deal with it because you wouldn't be learning two new jobs at the same time.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
One thing I don't see being mentioned here -- but has the child's father been a part of the discussion? If you're a family, his input should weigh greatly on your decision. If you're not together, then perhaps his child support can reflect the increased child care costs.
) to make up the difference now and then.
CocoaLoverFNP
238 Posts
I understand how that might feel. When I switched to days, i really felt the difference financially. However, my physical and mental health was better. Tha pay cut sucked but you will eventually get used to it. You will learn to adjust and innately know that you won't spending much for luxurious things anymore.
I do understand, however, about your child care issue. I do not have a child so I cannot comment on that. Most nurses who had kids loved dayshift because they can tuck their child in bed... And on the days they are off, they are less grumpy and have energy to play with their child.
Good luck with the switch!