For the last 7 months I've been working outpatient hemodialysis for Innovative Renal (formerly American Renal). I graduated in May 2020 and before this was working long term care. I left that job because I was working 3rd shift and 2nd shift relied almost exclusively on agency nurses, who only showed up for their shift 40% of the time. Plus the facility was just repulsive.

This job in dialysis so far just isn't for me. I was initially hired and told I "might float once every now and then." Well, that turned into floating exclusively save for the one or two days a month I actually work in the clinic I was trained in and got to know most of my patients. I actually really like the clinic I was trained in, found the work engaging, but now I'm constantly being floated to units 45 mins to an hour away, where the median age range of their employees is around 50. I have two managers now because of this who can't seem to get my schedule right (three times I was scheduled to work, drove 45 mins at 4 in the morning, and was told I wasn't needed and to go home.) And on top of that, this company has been facing numerous cyber attacks. Our EMR systems shut down, or the internet altogether, or the dialysis machines don't interface so you have to enter all the data manually every half hour while keeping to a strict schedule where you're sweating your ass off during turnover. Half the machines don't work as well and are constantly being pulled for maintenance.

On top of that I just don't feel like I'm learning anything. I give meds sometimes, mostly PO but sometimes IM or IV, but for the most part I feel like I'm just being used as a dialysis technician and not a nurse. Which sounds almost sweet, right? Get nurses pay for doing a tech's job. But it's not what I signed up for.

I think the last straw was this past week when the clinic manager at one of the units I float at was scheduled to work on the floor twice. Both times she was an hour late. We had to set up her machines, put on her patients, all while handling our own assignments. And she showed up finally and laughed and said "Oh, I always sleep through my alarms." Just fucking unbelievable.

I'm currently applying for new positions but feel lost. I'm thinking maybe homecare? I would gladly work in an ER, I did that as a military medic where I was giving meds, doing sutures and splints, IVs all day of course, all the good stuff. But the opportunities for day shift ER positions are extremely limited.

I dunno. I know the pandmic and resulting staffing shortages literally everywhere has a lot to do with it. But I feel like it's only going to get worse and I don't know where to try and land myself. I'm an ADN, and in this economy I can't really justify going to get my BSN right now. Especially when I would not even be learning anything else as a nurse. Just useless bullshit like always.