Unemployed and feel like whining?!

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Sooo.... we moved out to Alberta for my husband's career. I really didn't think it would be this hard to find a job as an LPN. I do admit I was a little nervous when I heard of all the layoffs last year. But now it has been 4 months, I don't even know how many applications (130+ at least), and a few interviews. The last interview I went to I finally decided to ask how many people they'd be interviewing and all they could tell me was they had over 50 applicants.

Anyone else out here having a hard time? I imagine there must be, as that was for a casual position. I've been applying for everything on AHS - and everything else I can find.

Relocation isn't an option for us... I think it may just be a matter of waiting it out and hoping that things pick up soon? I was debating doing the IV therapy course, but I have read on here there was no real point as it is included in orientation? Plus I couldn't decide between the courses at MacEwan Vs the course at Norquest.....

I have also been trying to think of different career paths, but I don't think I am ready to give up yet. I do enjoy nursing.... but was thinking of starting the pathway towards a paramedic.... but then I wonder if they have the same working fluctuations?

Ah well, anyone want to whine with me? Or have any advice? lol

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

And please don't say you'll do any shift, complete all the buddy shifts and then say days only please. My unit has huge issues with this and are constantly short of evening and night staff.

We don't expect our casuals to pick up all the undesirable shifts, just play fair.

THIS!! ^^

I've lost count of the number of new staff on my unit who have done exactly that in the last two years. (Maybe because I've lost count of the number of new staff... it's probably pretty close.) Acute care, long term care and rehab are at 24/7/52 deals. SOMEbody has to work those nights - I've been doing it for 19 years and I'm at the point where I might like to work a few less but can't shift the ratio because all the NEW nurses are working the days.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Considering that you're senior on that unit Jan, can't you ask the manager to switch your rotation to reflect more day shifts? The new nurses should be working more nights.

We actually had a new hire inform me that he wanted my night shifts within the first hour of meeting. He fully expected that I would trade. I enjoy my nights, so I told him no, absolutely not. Well he was insulted!

Too bad, I said. You just started, you have no seniority, your rotation is what it is. He learned to live with it.

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Joanna, the issue for some of us (well those with evenings and nights in our rotations) is that we can't catch a break. Our vacation and leave request can and are denied if there is no one to cover the time off.

Why would a casual pick up a Saturday night or evening (so that a senior, permanent staff member can have time off) when they know they just can say "days only, Monday to Friday" and they get them? We don't need our entitled time off.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Really, your manager if they were fair would talk to some of these people and explain to them that they need to cover some of those nights and evenings.

Casual staff is not employed for their own convenience, although many of them seem to think so.

I have an interview coming up in Edmonton. I think it's mainly days but I do not mind working any shift.I'm hoping to find at least a couple of casual jobs in Edmonton this summer, and right in my cover letter I will tell the manager "will work nights and weekends."

Fair is fair and money is money.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Joanna... If only it were that easy. We are one of the experimental schedule optimisation units and the rotation is brutal. Absolutely brutal. I have two pay periods in a row where I only have 2 shifts. Then I have two in a row where I have 8 each (5 nights in 7 days). We switch from nights to days with only one day off in between. We had lots of time to look at the "new" rotation" before we selected our lines and there were many, many negative responses to it. We were told that our comments would be taken into consideration and perhaps the rotation could be revised, but of course that didn't happen. So we were forced to choose from a really awful selection. It's kind of a joke in some ways because all the people who won't work nights to save their own lives are posting on the Facebook trades page 3 or 4 months worth of night shifts at a time. Their posts read something like, "Looking to trade away my nights for days: March 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 23, 24, April 12, 13, 14, 17, 18... Would be nice if it could be straight across." Well, you get the drift.

At my last performance review (Dec 2012) I mentioned to the manager that as I get older I find working several shifts in a row was becoming difficult for me and that the imbalance in my then-rotation (which is really no different from my current one) was creating problems with my health. I asked if there was some way my rotation could be adjusted so I didn't work 5 in 7 any more and was told that I'd need to get an accommodation. And that the PCM didn't have to approve it. So much for retention strategies...

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Right. I keep forgetting about the new "optimization". That does sound brutal! So much for retention is right. I was speaking with our PHN, and she told me after 20 years of acute, ICU, emerg she will never go back.

Why? Same complaints everyone else has: poor staffing ratios, unrealistic work expectations, constant calls to come in. Nobody listens to nurses.

I also find 5 in 7 shifts brutal. That's two weeks a month every other month in my rotation. There's no time for recovery for anyone working that many shifts. All you have time for is making a lunch for the next shift, laundry and running a few errands. No quality of life there.

How are we supposed to promote health and safety if we cannot promote our own?

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It's true. The last couple of months have been brutal after night shift. My coworkers who do nights are all saying the same thing. We don't know if it was the long, cold winter or the fact that we are all over 50!

None of the 20-30 year olds work lines that have nights and will pick up one, maybe every three months or so.

I'm dreading what they could do to my line.

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Its too bad that some casuals won't work all shifts. I like that being casual allows a person to have the odd day off for special events with their families and not have to worry about getting time off approved by HR... but I also found that when I was casual I worked more than full time hours. And that included nights and weekends, and everything I was called for lol. I also had a part time night line while pregnant, and picked up too many extra night shifts cause they were short staffed... ugh!!!!

It sounds like they need to have some nurses that work the floors help with staffing/rotation planning :\

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As a casual I work mainly nights and weekends because that's what's available! I know many other casuals in the same situation.

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After too many interviews, and too many months of searching I now have a casual job at a hospital :D Yay!!!! But I'd like to think that this job search has made me more willing to take all the weekends and nights I am offered lol. (In reality though I would rather work a lot of nights than evenings....)

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Specializes in geriatrics.

That's great!! Congratulations. Hopefully you will end up receiving calls for many shifts. Summer is almost here, so many people will be looking for time off.

You must be very relieved.

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Yes I hope so. I am very excited :D

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