Working at Your IVF Clinic?

baker+RN · October 2017

I'm a nurse and I'm wondering if there are other IVF warriors here who work at the IVF clinic they go to.

I currently work day shift (7a-7p) in a hospital doing bedside nursing on a per diem basis. Per diem seemed perfect because it's super flexible, I could take off 3 or 4 weeks without pre-approval (albeit, unpaid), and I have near total control over my schedule. I am having trouble getting shifts though due to low census at the moment. I was easily getting 3 shifts/week. I feel like it's just the calm before the (flu) storm, but the lack of work this week has my husband and me uneasy (especially as we are also in the market to buy a home and lenders typically aren't happy about per diem contract work with inconsistent hours). We will be doing our next IVF cycle with freezing in January, and then FET in March. So I'm looking into other work, and need something flexible or something that would understand my needing to come in after 8am due to labs/ultrasounds during stims, and needing 2 weeks off after ER (I got moderate OHSS in our first and only cycle so far). Which got me thinking...

What about working at my clinic? My concerns are, does this cross boundaries? Like, my co-workers and boss have seen and/or will see my vag. I'm ok with this. It's not uncommon for L&D nurses to give birth on their own unit - you know and trust the OBs and the nurses, so why not? This doesn't seem too different to me.

My other option is to apply to work FT. Managers just seem to balk at my needing time off (3 weeks) in January that I can't really give them much of a warning about since it's dependent on when my period starts, and then also needing some time off for the FET in March (I don't foresee that being more than a few days, though). In an interview at any place that is not my IVF clinic, I wouldn't go into my reasons for needing the time off other than disclosing that it's a medical procedure with timing up in the air at the moment (requiring 3 weeks off, etc). Plus, I don't know how to manage that last 5 or so days of stims where I'd be coming in every other day to every day for labs/ultrasounds leading up to the ER. In the hospital it's not really possible to come in late.

So have any of you applied to work at your clinic after having been a patient? Or have you been a patient at your clinic while an employee? Or any IVF warrior hospital nurses with advice?

TIA!

cseley321 · October 2017

I do not personally work at my clinic, but a few of the ladies at my clinic did go through IVF there, one nurse and two receptionists that I know personally. I obviously have no idea how the bedrest works with their schedules though (my dr insists on 3 days bedrest for ivf and fets). So I don't have details, bit it's definitely not unheard of.

Hopeful_mom · October 2017

Was going to say the same thing!! People at my clinic have gone through IVF there so why not. Glad to see you have a plan in place - best of luck!!

baker+RN · October 2017

Thanks @crystal321 and @Hopeful_mom! My RE didn't have me go on bed rest after my fresh transfer, but I was also still swollen from the OHSS to where I wasn't moving much anyway. But they said there were no activity restrictions post transfer except no sex until positive beta or period, and I think that had more to do with my ovaries being ginormous and at risk of torsion than the transfer.

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