Tiptoe I'm enjoying it. I won't deny it's hard work. Yesterday I was meant to work 07.30 until 20.00, actually worked 7.30 until 20.30 (but would have been there until 21.00 if the nurse in charge hadn't ordered me home instead of trying to help the incoming nurse by getting stuff she needed).
I should have had a 15 minutes break in the morning, 30 minutes for lunch and 30 minutes for supper. Instead I got a 15 minutes break in the morning, 30 minutes at 14.40 and didn't get an evening break at all. No-one's fault, just too many patients became very sick at the same time, including mine, who needed to be intubated unexpectedly.
I do 23 hours per week. That's 2 shifts. It's 50% nights, 50% weekends, roughly. But of course the nights and the weekends can also coincide, so it actually works out quite well. For example, this week I'm on Tuesday and Thursday days. Next week I'm on Saturday and Sunday nights. So I can do a lot of the school runs, etc., still.
I get a lot of training and development without having to fight for it. I'm a year in and already doing the specialist ITU qualification. It is a big commitment though, so it's not for people who just want to find a job they can do and forget about in between shifts.
In terms of income, the high level of nights and weekends make the pay better than most nursing jobs. Also, when I do overtime I get a specialist rate more akin to agency rates even though I'm working in my own hospital (it's cheaper for the hospital than using agency). So a single shift can pull in over £300, which is useful.
Mostly, though, I feel satisfied that I can give my patients the level of attention they need. I still find having 2 level 2 patients more challenging, as do we all. But it is good to be able to focus on your patient and give them the best care possible.