Transferring positions prior to 1 year in first nursing job

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 1, 2019

On 6/27/2019 at 9:43 PM, 01.newrn.10 said:
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.

Rotating is pretty common in some areas of the country -- I've worked east coast, west coast and midwest. It really isn't that bad if you go into it with a great attitude.

Did you know what the schedule would be when you took the job? Suck it up and work out your two years. Did they spring it on you as a big surprise? Maybe there are some things that would help. I worked one place where they had two nurses working a fixed schedule, opposite one another. My partner hated flipping back and forth every two weeks, so we had an agreement that when the new schedule was posted, we'd "trade" shifts so that she worked six weeks of days while I worked six weeks of nights and then we'd switch. Another hospital had no non-rotating positions, and I found someone who would sign up for her 50% nights and I'd work them for her while she worked my days. In both cases, management and the schedulers were aware and looked the other way. If your contract says 50% D/N rotation, can you work days in one schedule, nights in the next?

I have to say, though, that you seem to be convinced that you shouldn't have to work nights, weekends and holidays. Who, then, should work them for you? Or should the patients just be discharged over the weekend until next Monday? You went into the job certain you weren't going to like the schedule. And guess what? You don't like the schedule. It looks like an attitude problem rather than a schedule problem. If you want to work in the hospital, you have to be willing to work the hours needed.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Jul 4, 2019

Rotating schedules are the norm around here, and frankly that's a big part of the reason I was never interested in acute care. Finding an acute care position within your hospital that doesn't require rotating is likely not going to be possible. While each floor might do it's own scheduling the rotating is probably standard across all units.

I sympathized with your plight though until I started reading about the schedule you do think would work for you. What job as a new nurse did you think you would find that is Monday through Friday 8 hours days, no holidays? That job simply doesn't exist in acute care as a bedside nurse. Unless and until you gain the experience to start moving into management a position with that kind of a schedule just isn't happening. No way around that. Unless your hospital system also owns some clinic's or home care that kind of schedule just isn't happening for you with your current employer. Even if those positions are available within the same health care system they are probably not easy to get as you are not the only nurse that would like a M-F gig and applicants with seniority are most likely favored. Definitely they will be if you are in a union.

01.rn.10 · Jul 15, 2019

I know that getting the M-F no weekends, few holidays, and no nights isn’t really possible on any bedside nursing floor in the hospital. I’m thinking of something like a cancer center or infusion clinic, etc. There are actually several positions posted in my organization for these types of positions. Most of them are M-F 8a-4:30p supporting the cancer clinics. They all say that minimum 6 months RN experience is required. All other qualifications are preferred. They may be harder to get, but I’m still going for it. I just need permission from my supervisor which I doubt I’ll get right away since we’re recently short about 3 nurses. But hey, I don’t think it would do much harm to try.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Jul 15, 2019

19 hours ago, 01.newrn.10 said:
I know that getting the M-F no weekends, few holidays, and no nights isn’t really possible on any bedside nursing floor in the hospital. I’m thinking of something like a cancer center or infusion clinic, etc. There are actually several positions posted in my organization for these types of positions. Most of them are M-F 8a-4:30p supporting the cancer clinics. They all say that minimum 6 months RN experience is required. All other qualifications are preferred. They may be harder to get, but I’m still going for it. I just need permission from my supervisor which I doubt I’ll get right away since we’re recently short about 3 nurses. But hey, I don’t think it would do much harm to try.

You are absolutely right, no harm in trying. For sure you won't get one of those positions if you don't even apply. Don't be surprised if you don't get offered one of those posted positions but you never know. Good luck!