Where was your first LPN job?

Nurses LPN/LVN

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I am a newly licensed LPN (passed boards Aug 10). I have put my resume in at 6 different clinics in town and also at the vets hospital.

Here is my dilemma...I need a job that offers mostly daytime hours. My husband works a lot of weird hours at his job, and I need to be around nights & weekends to care for our daughter. I am afraid that it will be hard for me to find a job with those hours.

Where did you guys work when you first passed your boards? Any ideas on other places I can apply that might offer daytime hours?

Thanks:wink2:

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

The OR. I work mianly daytime hours, and the extra hours i work are by my choice. We work calltime every 10th weekend.

Every place is different, though.

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Teaching hospital; oncology/med surg. Good luck finding a job with no nights and/or weekends. You might find a position at a nursing home dayshift, but no weekends and being a new grad, I wouldn't really get my hopes too high. More than likely, you will have to do one or the other. Congratulations on passing the NCLEX!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

My first LVN job was at a small, hole-in-the-wall nursing home for the 3-11pm shift. The vast majority of new grads in my metropolitan area have difficulty obtaining daytime shifts.

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I took a casual float position in LTC. That way I could only take dayshifts. Got around three offers of shifts a week and usually worked Sat and Sunday day shift (we get shift premiums for working weekends), so I usually had about 45 hours per paycheque.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

My first position was med-surg 3 to 11.I knew I wasn't ready for day shift even if I could have gotten it then.After a few yrs I went into LTC -also evenings.I put in for day shift and waited a year for an opening.You may luck into something,who knows-it depends on the job market.We don't have a very acute nursing shortage in this immediate area so you have to pay your dues on all shifts and have some experience to offer if you want days (for the most part) Can your husband trade some shifts around to enable you to at least get some experience? We hired 3 brand new LPN's last yr on day shift-they were gone in less then 3 months.It's hard to be a charge nurse right out of school.....

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Thanks for the replies, everybody. I guess I am just a little discouraged because it looks like it's going to be harder to find a job than I thought (or at least one that will work for my family). Fortunately my husband has a great job, so money isn't the issue right now; I just really want to work as a nurse!

I will keep looking -- I hadn't thought about a 3-11pm shift; I think I will check with some of the LTC facilities in my area about that.

Thanks again!

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Specializes in Assisted Living Nurse Manager.

ShanLPN,

Clinics do hire new grads. I am not sure what state you live in, but be persistant and keep checking at the clinics. Their hours are usually 8-5 with weekends off. You may not make as much in pay but the weekends off and paid holidays make up for it. Good luck to you with the job search.

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Specializes in Brain Injury Rehabilitation.

I work in a Rehab Hospital which specializes in SCI, TBI, Multi Trauma and CVA. I have actually worked there from 1998-2002, moved and worked in a NH as a CNA, then moved again and worked in another two rehab facilities owned by the same corp as the first one, just different states then moved back to the one I started in. I have been back there since April 2005. So, as soon as they learned I wasn't moving again (hubby and I thought we were gonna) then they put me on the list to start as soon as I graduated which was July 27. I have been full time ever since. I feel lucky to be able to practice as a GPN until my boards. I am able to keep up on so many skills and drugs. I mostly pass meds right now, sometimes I do tech work (patient care). As soon as I pass boards I will be able to team lead when short on RNs. I work eves which I love ( no kids) and get to do so much. I am IV certified so that is neat. The only things I can't do-hang blood and IV push. I will be doing admissions and Discharges and wow-just love my job. Sadly, I know I won't be there forever. Hubby and I are planning on moving somewhere else. So, that is my job! I take boards Sept 30 (waited to be able to take them at 11am instead of 9am and will take them on a saturday-since I work eves I didn't want to work a eve then turn around and get up early for the test. I am off Fridays so I'll have plenty of time to prep.)

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ShanLPN,

Clinics do hire new grads. I am not sure what state you live in, but be persistant and keep checking at the clinics. Their hours are usually 8-5 with weekends off. You may not make as much in pay but the weekends off and paid holidays make up for it. Good luck to you with the job search.

Thanks for the encouragement! I need it right now!!

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If you're fairly confident in your fundamentals, you could look into home care. Home care agencies generally work 8-5 with the option to work nights if you want, or you can just be paid per visit and take as many patients as you feel comfortable with to fill up your day. Most visits at the home care places I've done clinicals at were about an hour... some a bit longer, some a bit less. If you did 5-6 patients on your schedual, that'd probably be a decent paycheck without having to bite the hospital schedual bullet.

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

1975 ~ Part-time days in a nursing home. Great pay....$3.75/hr.

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