Advice from fellow nurses

[RNtoMD87]

Okay, so I currently work 36-48 hours a week on a stepdown floor and sometimes neuro ICU. I'm finishing up my bachelors (graduate on the 14th of Dec).

I am currently contracted until April of 2019 (Received a 10,000 bonus). Currently been paid 5,000, will get the other 5,000 upon completion.

I've been toying with the idea of just quitting and forfeiting the bonus (and possibly have to repay what I've gotten so far though I've heard they haven't been going after it from people who quit early), and getting an agency job, where instead of making around 30 an hour base, I could make 50-65 an hour.

I have to go to school in the Spring M-W-F because LSU apparently doesn't offer many M-W or T-TH only courses like my previous college did. So right now I'm looking at Working Sa-Sun-Tu/Thur and school on M-W-F leaving me one day a week completely off. It would be very nice to work 4-5 shifts a month and make almost what I make now.


Any thoughts guys? I plan on taking 6 hours in the spring.

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[WHSH_RNtoMD]

First I would talk with whoever in your hospital controls the bonus and talk with them. From what I have heard with split bonuses or any in general they only require you to pay back the portion of time you skipped on. While it would be nice to work less and focus on classes try not to burn any bridges. Last year I took organic and calculus M-W-F while working 3 days a week. It was hard but manageable. This past summer I only went part time because all summer courses are 5 days a week. Ultimately its up to you, if you think you need the extra off time to do well then you should probably look at an agency job. I don't know your stats but at least in my case I only kept taking my post-bac classes because I did well in them. Hopefully this helps as I faced this similar problem last year.

 

[Tenk]

It really depends on the job. Some agency jobs are really terrible and there is a reason they need the help. Working at a dumpsterfire even for higher pay may burn you out faster than another job that is more cush. If the current job is rough though, probably best to bail.

 

[RNtoMD87]

It really depends on the job. Some agency jobs are really terrible and there is a reason they need the help. Working at a dumpsterfire even for higher pay may burn you out faster than another job that is more cush. If the current job is rough though, probably best to bail.

It isn’t a terrible job, but having 4 patients and no CNAs wears you out quick on a step down unit.

 

[Tenk]

It isn’t a terrible job, but having 4 patients and no CNAs wears you out quick on a step down unit.

I dunno, 4 is a pretty full load for a step down and not having a CNA makes that pretty crappy since you will probably always be either doing vitals, handing out meds or answering a call light for some inane crap. There are definitely better jobs out there. Good luck!

 

[RNtoMD87]

I dunno, 4 is a pretty full load for a step down and not having a CNA makes that pretty crappy since you will probably always be either doing vitals, handing out meds or answering a call light for some inane crap. There are definitely better jobs out there. Good luck!

Yeah it used to be much better. 3 patients each, except maybe 1-2 nurses, and 3 CNAs for about 29 pts.

They’re trying to make me charge and it isn’t worth the extra 2 an hour. I refuse to charge as well as having 2-4 pts. (4 is rare but happens).

 

[Blanky]

Ride it out if the current hospital lets you pick your schedule.
Start working on the agency job nkw and do once a month, then in april quit and rmap up the agemcy

 

[RNtoMD87]

Ride it out if the current hospital lets you pick your schedule.
Start working on the agency job nkw and do once a month, then in april quit and rmap up the agemcy

Well I’m scheduled for Sa Sun as well as either Tuesday or Thursday to facilitate MWF at LSU

 

[Blanky]

Lets say you do MWF at school (but what are the actual hours?)
Then you work like T/R/Su.
Now you start picking up the agency job and it will likely take until mid january to even get rolling. Now you can be active with like one shift per month. You can even PTO or take a day off at the TRSu job if you want or just work the fourth shift that week for the month. By the time April comes around you have only worked 3 maybe 4 shifts at agency. If you have sick time or PTO you can use it to go to the agency.
Now you get a $5K check and dont have to wory about 1. burning bridges or 2. having someone even half-assed coming after you for 5k.
Next you go PRN at the current job if you want and now you can schedule any combination of days between agency or the PRN.

 

[Blanky]

At my hospital me and some of the other nurses have switched to part-time (2 days) and still recieve PTO (slightly less) and health insurance. Insurance and hourly rate remained the same.

I mean you can leave the current job and break the contract if you really want. Its uncommon that they waste the time to come after you. cheaper to just hire another. But thats def not the best move.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Lets say you do MWF at school (but what are the actual hours?)
Then you work like T/R/Su.
Now you start picking up the agency job and it will likely take until mid january to even get rolling. Now you can be active with like one shift per month. You can even PTO or take a day off at the TRSu job if you want or just work the fourth shift that week for the month. By the time April comes around you have only worked 3 maybe 4 shifts at agency. If you have sick time or PTO you can use it to go to the agency.
Now you get a $5K check and dont have to wory about 1. burning bridges or 2. having someone even half-assed coming after you for 5k.
Next you go PRN at the current job if you want and now you can schedule any combination of days between agency or the PRN.

I’m not worried about burning bridges. As a nurse I can easily have a job tomorrow. People get fired for stealing narcotics and have a job a month later. It’s ridiculous. And this hospital doesn’t pay jack for PRN. The same pay as usual. I know many jobs that pay 45 an hour prn (including my last PRN job).

I don’t have many hours at college but it’s like 3 hours a day on average with this lame math lab thing they do now (never heard of a math lab. Sounds like meth lab) when I went to school we had two tests and that’s it. Now you have a lot of BS. Problem is, I will be on days and my hospital doesn’t offer anything less than 12 hour shifts. Even working nights I would only be getting 4-5 hours sleep a night at best.

I broke my prior LTAC jobs contract after I continually got 7 patients, they never went to computer charting, and they harassed staff if they were there past 0720. On top of not having any bed pads on several occasions, not having any sterile water bags for vapotherms several times (being told to draw water from sterile water vials with syringes and fill the 1L bags that way, having patients with no medical justification, having patients far too sick to be in an LTAC (several died within 4 hours of admit) and not locking the doors or having security guards at night, I decided losing my license wouldn’t be worth the extra 1500 a month I was pulling.


ICU nurses bitch and moan constantly when they are floated to our floor (almost daily), but after my LTAC experience I always say it isn’t that bad. Most of them are just too lazy to walk down the hall and get their vitals (although I do agree that a step down shouldn’t be on a floor modeled like a med surg. Patients are too far away especially vents.)

 

[RNtoMD87]

I dunno, 4 is a pretty full load for a step down and not having a CNA makes that pretty crappy since you will probably always be either doing vitals, handing out meds or answering a call light for some inane crap. There are definitely better jobs out there. Good luck!

Oh and all our CNAs are ever allowed to do are bed baths, I/Os and turning. No vitals, or accucheks.

And only a few turn the patients like they should. And one I didn’t let wash my patients after I caught her using bleach wipes several times. We have 1 CNA on nights and 2 on days that are decent.

 

[Blanky]

Hourly rate is subjective but most PRNs pay around 30+ which is good money either way. If you make 45 PRN even better. It sounds like you just don't like the job. 7a-7p days is my preferred but I only work 2 shifts/wk while my friend I take classes with works 3 shifts/wk and is a little more tired but we take 12-15 credits/semester.
Now with my son, my wife (4-grade teacher) works Mon-Fri and I take the little guy (6 mo) and go to school in the afternoons. Then I work in the ED 7a-7p on Sat/Sun.
I know RNs get overworked and agency even more so. The decision is obv up to you, just start applying for the agency and see what happens.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Hourly rate is subjective but most PRNs pay around 30+ which is good money either way. If you make 45 PRN even better. It sounds like you just don't like the job. 7a-7p days is my preferred but I only work 2 shifts/wk while my friend I take classes with works 3 shifts/wk and is a little more tired but we take 12-15 credits/semester.
Now with my son, my wife (4-grade teacher) works Mon-Fri and I take the little guy (6 mo) and go to school in the afternoons. Then I work in the ED 7a-7p on Sat/Sun.
I know RNs get overworked and agency even more so. The decision is obv up to you, just start applying for the agency and see what happens.

My current job would pay me 24.65 prn my current pay rate for full time. The only way you make real money is to pick up an EP-3EP shift (extra 10-30 an hour), when they’re short (on the bright side is every shift at least single EP).

 

[Blanky]

Yea that's low compared to So. FL, but still more than most people make hourly. Def more than 99% of premeds are making. I don't know how far along you are but I def would have loved to set my own schedule when doing my MCAT prep.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Yea that's low compared to So. FL, but still more than most people make hourly. Def more than 99% of premeds are making. I don't know how far along you are but I def would have loved to set my own schedule when doing my MCAT prep.

I have at least 32 hours left maybe more. 32 for prereqs and more for what I want to take for MCAT, cell bio, genetics, etc.