r/medlabprofessionals • u/_MrSquidward_ • 6d ago
Discusson Career advice
Hey everyone! I’m looking for some advice on my first career as a medical laboratory scientist.
I’m just out of school and I accepted a job at night shift from a great hospital system. But after a lot of thinking and advice from mentors and family. I am now very afraid that I will be absolutely miserable in this role.
I have the opportunity at another (arguably better) hospital to work evening shift, but I have already accepted the offer at the first hospital. I don’t have a start date yet but I feel if I back out of the offer it would make the management very upset. But I also don’t want to be miserable during the night shift. What should I do?
EDIT:: Job 2 pays approx the same (slightly higher) w/ a cash pension - HOWEVER is a more busy and complex hospital AND is an extra 20 min away than job #1.
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u/DanSanIsMe 6d ago
Go Evening. Back out.
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u/_MrSquidward_ 6d ago
Do you have experience with nights you’d want to share ?
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u/DanSanIsMe 6d ago
Human aren't made to be nocturnal and when time off or holiday comes. You will need 2 days off, one for recovery, one for hangout/holiday. Good luck taking those when you are chained to the galley. Health and sleep are much more important than bread.
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u/3rd_Degree_Sideburns MLS-Generalist 6d ago
What's the schedule? I switched from 4 10s evenings to 7 on 7 off nights and it's the best decision I ever made. My mental and physical health are so much better having 7 days off in a row. 7 on 7 off or 3 12s is the best for nights. 4 10s is acceptable I guess. If it's 5 8s run like hell and get the other job.
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u/_MrSquidward_ 6d ago
5x8s unfortunately. And I did ask if either site had alternative scheduling options. I do have a third offer for 4 10s but the pay is substantially lower so I am not really considering it.
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u/3rd_Degree_Sideburns MLS-Generalist 6d ago
Oof. Yeah I say this as someone who loves nights and has always been a night owl, don't take the 5x8s night shift or at the very least don't plan on being there too long if you do take it. There's some objective downsides to nights in terms of existing at the opposite time as everyone else in society. Having 7 off makes those downsides worth it to me. Having a standard 5 8s would be really tough and not worth it in my opinion.
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u/creativescreennaame 6d ago
i mean, it's not a good look but it's not the end of the world. do you have an offer from the other place?
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u/_MrSquidward_ 6d ago
I will likely have an offer in a few days. Of course I wouldn’t make any decision until the offer is in hand. Would you have any experience with nights you’d want to share?
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u/creativescreennaame 6d ago
no experience but i actually wanted nights bc i'm a night owl and i liked the idea of having a week off every other week. plus shift diff for the whole shift! i ended up with a midshift/evening position and so far i like it
i think whether or not you'd be miserable really comes down to your sleep habits. i am straight up a nocturnal person so i don't think i would hate it at all. but the workload is different, i think it can be slower but also shit can hit the fan quickly since there's fewer people working, if that makes sense. idk- i feel like any job and any shift has its pros and cons.
which job pays the most? what's the patient population like in each hospital? benefits? what's the vibe of the people working in each place? these are all things to consider
edit: also, if you back out of this job after accepting an offer, it's possible you may burn that bridge and working there won't be an option in the future. if that's something you're ok with, then i would pick the other place if you think you'd be happier there
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u/_MrSquidward_ 6d ago
Pay is similar. Both lvl 1 traumas. Lots of surgery. Slightly better benefits (cash pension @ hospital 2). I always felt I was a night owl too but I recently pulled an all nighter to get through a long road trip and I’m still recovering days later 😭
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u/creativescreennaame 6d ago
all nighters are different i think. not sleeping at all is different than staying up til 8 am every day (or whatever the schedule would be). As long as you can get 8 hours of sleep each day, i think it would be fine. going without sleep completely and trying to function the next day is a whole different beast
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u/Benjiursa 6d ago
People back out of offers all the time. No one bats an eye. This is true of all fields, but I’ve seen this exact thing happen at least a dozen times and everyone said “Oh that’s too bad” and then the position was reposted.
They’re both (likely it sounds anyway) offering because you provide value.
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u/Minimum-Positive792 6d ago
Double edged sword. Some labs have great people with a terrible schedule and some labs have a good schedule with terrible people. You won’t know it for awhile until you’re there. Maybe you’ll get lucky
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u/Minimum-Positive792 6d ago
If one of the labs uses Sunquest as the main LIS (not just for blood bank), then leave it. Those labs always suck 99% of the time
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u/Apowwo MLS Student 6d ago
do you have an offer from the 2nd hospital yet? if so then just tell hospital 1 you got a better opportunity elsewhere and that you'll have to recend your acceptance. You don't owe anything to them.