Transferring positions prior to 1 year in first nursing job

[01.rn.10]

Hi everyone,

Is there anyone out there who has transferred or changed positions prior to their one year mark in their first rn position? I am currently in month 5 of my first nursing job and am seriously struggling with the schedule. I enjoy the job itself, my coworkers are awesome, and the leadership has been wonderful. I just can't seem to adjust to the rotating shifts. I knew going into it that I wouldn't be a fan of the required schedule (the past 10+ years of my life before I went into nursing, I worked Monday-Friday daylight, off weekends and holidays) but I wanted the experience of bedside nursing as a baseline or foundation. I was thinking that I'd be able to transfer after 6 months, but it seems a little more difficult to do that where I work as they really push for the full year. I really REALLY don't know if I have another 6 months of this in me. It's taking a toll on me emotionally. I'm exhausted. My sleep schedule is so messed up. I feel unhealthy. I'm having increased anxiety about it on top of the anxiety of being a new nurse. It's affecting my relationship since we struggle to align our schedules to see each other as much as we need to. I'm missing out on a lot of friends & family functions because most of them happen in evenings and on weekends which I work a lot of. And all of those things are extremely important to me. That's where most of my happiness comes from! I've been struggling with it since I started. I was hoping I'd adjust by now, but I'm not. I'm desperate to go back to a normal daylight schedule with weekends & holidays off (at least for the most part). I have already spoken with my clinician & unit director about my struggles twice, and they are willing to try to help with the schedule. But at the end of the day, the shifts that don't work for me are the requirements of the floor schedule, and I still have to work them. I'd feel so much better if I was working somewhere that doesn't require these rotating shifts. I'm also struggling with guilt feelings for trying to leave before a full year, like it's wrong of me to do so. But I feel like I'm not the only one in this boat, so I'm hoping for someone else who can relate or who has switched positions early! If anyone out there has, your story would really help me! Thanks in advance.

[ataymil8]

Rotating shifts are not for everyone, just as days vs nights are not for everyone. If you interview for other positions in the system, tell the interviewer just what you said in your OP. You love your job but the rotating shifts are wreaking havoc with your health and you need....(fill in the blank.) Most hiring managers will work with you. Good luck!

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

My only word of advice is to have your company’s name removed from your posts. You’d be surprise to find out how small the nursing world is and how quickly things get around.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Even if you get out of this floor, you do know that you will most likely still work some holidays, some weekends, miss out on celebrations, etc? This is part of nursing. Usually only management or high seniority employees get those off and have better schedules. It stinks, but someone has to be there to care for the patients...I've never really understood the reasoning for rotating shifts, and wouldn't have accepted a position as such, but I also understand that some markets are tighter and require that you take what you can get to get your foot in the door

[01.rn.10]

2 hours ago, JadedCPN said:

My only word of advice is to have your company’s name removed from your posts. You’d be surprise to find out how small the nursing world is and how quickly things get around.

Thanks, you're right ?. How do you edit your posts?

[01.rn.10]

15 hours ago, ataymil8 said:

Rotating shifts are not for everyone, just as days vs nights are not for everyone. If you interview for other positions in the system, tell the interviewer just what you said in your OP. You love your job but the rotating shifts are wreaking havoc with your health and you need....(fill in the blank.) Most hiring managers will work with you. Good luck!

Thank you!! This is exactly what I'm going to do. In another month, I will be at 6 months in this position and plan to work on getting some interviews. I hate to leave the floor, but you put it perfectly - the schedule is wreaking havoc on my life & I need something regular 8 hour daylight M-F.

[Swellz]

I think the battle you have is that they've just paid for an inpatient orientation for you. I would not be surprised if the powers that be make you stay the year before letting you go outpatient. I thought you were just transferring to another floor that didn't require rotating, which I think would have been an easier sell. Inpatient isn't for everybody, and unfortunately the contract has you in a bind. Good luck.

[dennis8, ADN, BSN, CNA, RN]

6 hours ago, 01.newrn.10 said:

I hate to leave the floor, but you put it perfectly - the schedule is wreaking havoc on my life & I need something regular 8 hour daylight M-F.

The only thing I can think of that you can get into as a new RN that would offer M-F is a clinic job or public health. Working weekends and holidays are synonymous with hospital nursing for the most part.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I do sympathize with you for not wanting to work crazy rotating shifts. I believe they're still the norm in most Canadian hospitals (someone correct me if this has changed) and something I don't miss one bit.

However, you lose me with "I need daylight hours M-F so I can see my friends and family". To that I say "Welcome to nursing". You will have to claw your way a bit farther up the food chain or be extremely lucky.

I do wish you success in getting out of the schedule you have now. I know it's a killer.

[Dani1951, ASN, RN]

I found your post because I was searching for the same opinion of leaving a position before your first year.

My situation is very similar but also different in ways. I was hired days and then asked to do nights because of staffing changes. I’ve never worked them full time but figured anything is possible and I really wanted the job as it’s a specialty unit that I was grateful to be hired onto. I started in January and had 6 weeks of dayshift orientation and then 2 weeks on nights - so I’m just finishing my fourth month of nights. I don’t have to work days but I do have children so staying on a night shift schedule is just not possible for me.... which makes it feel like I’m on a rotation anyway. I have tried everything there is to try short of RX drugs and I just cannot sleep during the day. I get maybe 2 hours during the day on nights I work and then on days off I’ll sleep a few hours at night and then be up at 11pm and unable to sleep the rest of the night. Rinse and repeat. I live in a constant state of jet lag and sleep deprivation and it’s recently felt as if I’m slipping into depression. My anxiety is through the roof. I fight every single day with pep talking myself into keeping it together.

I spoke with management who didn’t seem concerned. Days are not an option anytime soon due to being so short staffed at night and full on days. Transfers are not an option for the same reason.

As much as it’s not what I want to do I’ve made the decision to start looking elsewhere. You have to do what is best for your health and family at the end of the day.

[Forest2]

On 6/28/2019 at 6:13 PM, 01.newrn.10 said:

Rotating as in 12+ hour shifts rotating between daylight and night shift. It evens out to be 40-50 hrs per week with 4 days off, but that’s not always how it feels. It’s very sporadic. In a few weeks I’m scheduled to do six 12+ hour night shifts in 8 days. The end of one week going into the next

UGH!!! How awful.

[TriciaJ, RN]

10 hours ago, Dani1951 said:

I was hired days and then asked to do nights because of staffing changes.

I spoke with management who didn’t seem concerned. Days are not an option anytime soon due to being so short staffed at night and full on days. Transfers are not an option for the same reason.

I suspect they pulled a bait-and-switch. They were having trouble filling night spots so they advertised days. I wouldn't feel guilty jumping ship.

[L-ICURN, BSN, RN]

11 hours ago, Dani1951 said:

I found your post because I was searching for the same opinion of leaving a position before your first year.

My situation is very similar but also different in ways. I was hired days and then asked to do nights because of staffing changes.

My former boss did this to me. Told me daylight, then moved me to nights. And then moved 3 new grads to daylight after my move to nights.

There are places that sometimes hire for days. It's just a chore trying to find them.