Fellow RN's help please

Sarah1116 · August 2012

Help me please.... I currently work in the NICU and like it most of the time. I'm fulltime nights, 312 hour shifts a week. Every 3rd weekend and every 3rd holiday. I love most of the people I work with but the politics of bedside nursing are killing me. I have a peer interview for an insurance denial job. MF 84:30 I keep going back and forth about wanting the job.... any thoughts. Keep in mind I have to work full time for benefits and I'm the bread winner :

casirdms · August 2012

I'm not a nurse but work in healthcare. I just accepted a M,T,TH,F 730-430 position as opposed to my current usually dayshift but crazy schedule with it being in a hospital and having call and holidays, etc. To me the piece of mind of every weekend and every holiday with my kids would make me chose the MF job in your case.

Although when you work nights during the week are you still staying at home with your kids during the day? You might miss that too much :-

Turtle143 · August 2012

You have to ask yourself what is more important to you ie use/maintain your nursing skills, $$, easier job, or better work schedule, etc? I was in medical/onc until 4 years ago. Gave it up for Public Health nursing because it was physically demanding, I wanted my family time on holidays, and I was tired of seeing patients die of cancer.

Difficult decision-making but in the end you have to do what's important for you and your family. I wasn't the bread winner so it didn't matter that I took a huge pay cut when I went to PH nursing. I hate that I've lost my clinical skills though and have thought about going back to hospital but most especially now with a little one, my priority is my time with my family.

GL deciding!

kattyleigh · August 2012

Another bedside RN here...my honest opinion is don't do it. Insurance Denial just sounds awful. As much as you are hating the drama of being an RN (and trust me, we ALL feel it!) I think you'd quickly grow to hate such a negative field, especially one that is not using your skills at all.

My suggestion is to maybe look into a clinic job or crosstrain into another field of nursing (school, public health, peds, research...maybe even like care coordination?). I worked at a clinic job for a bit and LOVED it, though the pay is significantly less than bedside nursing.

awisern · August 2012

I'm a NICU nurse and honestly, I wouldn't leave the bedside. Not only will you lose your clinical skills, it may be hard to get back into a position if you wanted to - at least around here it's hard to get into the NICU.

There's going to be politics no matter where you go. You can't get away from them.

I wouldn't trade my 3 days a week for a M-F job. I love knowing that my DS is only in daycare 2 days a week and my DH has him when I work my weekend shifts. It works well for my family. However, I'm not the breadwinner, DH is...if I were, I for sure would not be trading for a job that is a paycut and M-F. With bedside nursing you can pick up an extra shift if needed to make more money and still be home half the week with kids. For me, personally, there are too many perks to only working 3 days a week....the biggest being that I get to feel like a stay at home mom four days out of the week.

As with anything, though, you have to weigh your pros and cons.

jellybeanjean · August 2012

kattyleigh:
Another bedside RN here...my honest opinion is don't do it. Insurance Denial just sounds awful. As much as you are hating the drama of being an RN (and trust me, we ALL feel it!) I think you'd quickly grow to hate such a negative field, especially one that is not using your skills at all.

My suggestion is to maybe look into a clinic job or crosstrain into another field of nursing (school, public health, peds, research...maybe even like care coordination?). I worked at a clinic job for a bit and LOVED it, though the pay is significantly less than bedside nursing.

I'm with this. Although I don't work full-time right now, so I don't have to deal with the politics of the hospital (ugh) nearly as much as I do, it wouldn't be enough to drive me from a job that I ultimately liked. Hang in there!