cross-posted from: https://ani.social/post/4445760
I’m a nurse working shifts and sometimes 5 days without a pause and I still don’t know if I’m gonna take one of the 2 9 to 5 jobs my hospital system has offered. I’d earn less money, but I’m already 45 years old and I don’t know if I should call it quits and settle for a regular job 5 days a week and free weekends for the rest of my working life. Hustling in nursing is ok if you are in your 20s or 30s but in my 40s? I don’t see it.
I like the extras I get for working shifts but it’s taxing. I’ve been doing nursing for 6 years already and neither do I know how difficult is the transition going to be.
My biggest problem with 9-5 work weeks is you never have a free day to achieve anything such as doctor appointments or going to the government offices to renew something.
Meaning you’re at the mercy of your manager to find days you can go do that stuff.
A co-worker of mine was in the later stages of a difficult pregnancy. We worked 9/80’s and had every other Friday off. A manager was upset because she was having to take so much time off from work to go to doctor’s appointments.
He didn’t understand why she just couldn’t go on off Fridays.
Her doctor did surgery on Fridays, not “regular” appointments. So yes, you’re 100% correct.
I value free time very highly and a 9-5 job that doesn’t demand constant OT results in a nice work-life balance, IMO. I personally found the transition very pleasant. Main negative was getting time off for chores that must be done during work hours. But, many places are pretty chill about that.
This has generally been my experience as well. I used to work as a retail manager at a cellphone store before moving to social services after the pandemic made me reevaluate my career. I had a more chaotic schedule due to the needs of the store, but having some flexibility was nice if I had a doctor’s appointment or something similar.Working 8-5, Monday through Friday, with an hour lunch is awesome in terms of consistency and work-life balance, but it sucks having to use sick hours to do anything essential on a weekday. Additionally, as someone with depression and anxiety, if I’m having a bad week, 40 hours in 5 days can weigh heavily on me at times.Luckily, I was able to get a job where I can work from home full-time, which has made things much easier compared to a formal office. I think a 4/10 (4 days working 10 hours) or 9/80 (9 hours with every other week being a 4-day work week) schedule with an employer that allows some flexibility is the ideal arrangement if that option is available to you. Good luck at your future job!
I used to work overnight, 4 10s and it was like 10p-8a or 9p-7a. I switched to 8a-5p and it took weeks to turn around completely. I had been using mio energy in water for a couple of years at that point and I went from two 20oz bottles at night to four of them during the day. It was eye opening how completely draining working overnight was for me.
I spent 15 years working nights. 3 x 12 hour shifts (which was the best way to work IMO) and 4 x 10.
I’ve been working 5 x 8 hour days for 4 years or so now and I guess I have adjusted some what but I still fucking hate it. 5 day working week is the absolute worst. The only saving grace I have now is my current job doesn’t care when I start / finish as long as I complete my 8 hours so I end up going in at 4am so I can finish at 12 and actually have some day time to do other things.
Actual 9 to 5 is possibly the worst way to work imo
Couple of points: Nurses get put upon. Will you leave on the dot at 1700? There are nursing jobs where you hand off to the next person on duty ie staff nurse, so when you go home you don’t have to worry about anything, but most of the 9-5 jobs the job has defined responsibilities. Even if one is off the clock there are still thoughts running around inside your head. It takes a bit of skill to be able to put them aside every day.
It’s really hard to fit everything you need to do at the weekend on a 9-5 compared to the flexibility of shifts. You have to be rigorous in terms of doing personal work in the evening after the job has finished.
Tbh have to look at career progression as well. Its not a straightforward choice.
If you go 9-5, is it possible to go back to doing shifts if you want?
For me in a big city it’s the annoyance of always being a part of the crowd. My free time is the same as everyone else’s now so traffic is always terrible on my days off (weekends), stores are always packed before/after work. Even walking my dogs becomes annoying because every other dog in the neighborhood is outside too.
Thankfully I work from home so I try to get out and walk the dog during lunch; if I have any errand to run I can just take my lunch later when everyone else has gone back to the office.
The other hard part for me is the afternoons; they drag on endlesssly. As a night person waking up in the morning was just killer, but I’ve finally adapted after… 10 years.
I also work 3x12s and mostly love having the 4 days off. The downside is being able to do virtually nothing on those days besides eat and sleep. I think one advantage of the 9-5 week is being able to still do a few things more often. It’s hard to practice hobbies and maintain the house with gaps on days that I’m working.
What you value changes slightly as time goes on. Having the more consistent day might be more appealing now. And if you dont like it, there are always nurse jobs that are in need. Maybe there is something in between the hospital and that gig, like dialysis nursing. Worth a try.
I prefered nights over 9-5 but I also felt like I was doing more important work then.
