nurses only please?

Question

what kind of nurse are you & what were your hours to begin with as a new nurse? like did you work nights?

Answer 1

Hi,

Currently, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner. I started out as an Operating Room Nurse. I worked privately for a heart surgeon as an RN Second Assistant (the RN First Assistant Laws were not available at that time). I was able to get this job because I had worked as an OR Tech part time during nursing school. The position was about 80-96 hours a week as I was on 24 hour call for 4 weeks and off for 1. As I was young and single I didn't mind as I was making a lot of money for doing this. Imoved from this job, to an easier job again as an OR Nurse working M-F days no weekends no call or I could work 3-11 M-F again no weekends no call. this was relaxing after the first job. I kept this job for a couple of years. I next joined the Army. They kept me in the OR. The job was basically M-F 7-3 with rotating call and no weekends. I stayed in this position for 4 years. They transferred me and I was in charge of a small OR as the only OR nurse it was still M-F days, I was always on call, but rarely if ever called, and frequently able to take time off during the week as there were no cases scheduled most days. I was then transferred and was incharge of a free standing Same Day Surgery Center. We did about 17 operations per day. There was no call, I worked still M-F but I went in about 6 am and got off at 2pm. I next Taught at a Junior college in an Operating Room Technology Program. My primary Position was managing the overall program, though I also taught some of the anatomy and physiology courses. I went back for my Masters Degree and became an FNP. I worked in a Family Practice clinic for 5 years. I then moved into assisting in Spinal Surgery and working at a Spine Surgery Clinic with the spine pain patients and pre and post operative spine surgery patients. From this position I moved into working Pain Management. I obtained my Ph.D. and work primarily with patients with severe pain syndromes without physically identifiable causes, migraine patients and chronic headache patients. Currently due to my health most of my time is spent in research.

My wife graduated with her BSN and has worked 11-7 in a psychiatric treatment center for juveniles since. She has been offered other shifts and the opportunities to be a supervisor, but prefers to be the charge nurse on her unit where she is comfortable.

The main thing is nursing is full of opportunities. Just decide what you want to do, work 8 or 12 hour shifts, work a standard shift or a modified schedule, choose where you want to be in the hospital. If you don't like where you are, there is always an opportunity to move. That is one of the things that makes nursing an attractive profession...you have options.

Answer 2

I am a staff nurse in labor & delivery. I started off in cardiovascular step-down ICU.

As a staff nurse at a hospital, you have a wide variety of options available for scheduling. Just look for a position that offers the kind of schedule you want to have - if you don't want to work 40 hours per week, you don't have to. There are plenty of jobs that are part time. It's unlikely to get straight day shifts only. But you could easily find something that's straight evenings (3-11pm), straight nights (11pm-7am, and you get paid more money for nights) or rotates days/evenings or days/nights. You might find a job that has 12 hour shifts from either 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am, which gets you a schedule where you work less days.

If you don't want to work nights, don't take a job that requires it.

When I started, I did rotating day/eves, and worked what is called a ".8", which means 80% of full-time or 8 eight-hour shifts in a two week pay period. I didn't like rotating, so I went to straight evenings after about two months.

I only stayed in that job for 6 months, then went to labor & delivery. Now I work 12 hour shifts, rotate both the day and night shift, and am a .75, meaning I work 5 shifts in a two week period. It's great having all that time off to be at home with the family.

Answer 3

Hey there
Nursing is so vast and so many schedules available, thats part of what makes it so great.
I worked as an STNA/CNA for many years in a nursing home and as a brand new RN I became the Charge nurse for the busy subacute/skilled unit working M-F 6am-2:30pm...great hours, sometimes I wish I never gave it up!, but then I was offered the promotion to Night Shift supervisor and took it, worked still M-F, but from 10pm-6:30am, still pretty cool. I was then offered the Unit Manager postion which meant going back to days (8-5ish), longer hours, more responsiblity and salaried position, no pay for the overtime, on call hours, etc...
After several years I went into hospice which is what i do now.
To me, my first love is geriatrics and my specialty and since I went back to school during all of this to obtain my BSN I thought I would love this field and I do.
The job and hours are flexible, as long as you can triage and manage to see all of your patients, in hospice, you may have to go running quickly as someone's condition deteriorates. I have patients in their homes and in nursing homes and assisted livings also. The hours usually are 8 am-5pm or so, no w/e except when we rotate call.
Like I said, Nursing is so great, and such a need, be picky if you need to when it comes to your schedule.
Good Luck

Answer 4

Your milk is finished of white blood cells, that evidently save the nipples germ free sufficient to be secure on your infant. My lactation representative instructed me no longer to bathe my nipples before or after nursing. rather by no skill with cleansing soap, which has a tendency to dry epidermis. I completely nursed for the first 14 months and my son become in basic terms as healthful as he would properly be! Your infant will be in basic terms tremendous.