[Altra]

Originally Posted by benefitmanager

I would appreciate if the board could help answer some questions surrounding nurses work schedules and if benefit related issues may or may not influence scheduling behavior pertaining to hours worked?

• If full benefits were available for nurses working a minimum of 24 hours would that be an attraction for you, and if so, would you work only the minimum or would you remain working a typical 36 hours or 3-12’s?
• How many of you work for at least two hospitals? If so, what are the major reasons for working for another hospital verses the additional hours at one hospital?
• If benefits/salary were enhanced for employees working at least 36 hours one week and 48 hours the next, would you be interested or is 48 hours in one week a total turn-off?

From the forums I have learned and gathered information that stems from operational issues affecting nurse turnover and overall job satisfaction, however I am not on the operational side of the spectrum and trying to understand the relationship of benefits, schedules, and job satisfaction as it relates to nurse retention and turnover.

Thanks in advance

My personal situation: my husband has good benefits available, but I get even better choices from my hospital, at a lower cost. So we use my benefits. I currently work 40 hrs./week. I rarely work OT, as the extra time away from family is a bigger negative than the extra $$.

Right now, if I could keep the full benefits w/24 hours a week ... I'm not sure I'd want to give up 16 hours pay every week. 30 hours w/full benefits? Sign me up ...

I personally would not want to do the alternating 36 / 48 hours deal. The 36-hr. week isn't really that much shorter, and the 48-hr. week would be too tiring. Just me ...

[saguaro13]

• If full benefits were available for nurses working a minimum of 24 hours would that be an attraction for you, and if so, would you work only the minimum or would you remain working a typical 36 hours or 3-12’s?

I don't take the benefits offered at my hospital. they are terrible to begin with and my husband's benefits are much better. If I did need the benefits, full benefits at 24 hours would be great. And I would only work 24 hours!

• How many of you work for at least two hospitals? If so, what are the major reasons for working for another hospital verses the additional hours at one hospital?

One hospital for me. But that said, I am considering others. It all depends on the working conditions at your hospital. It is much more appealling to have a place with self scheduling, better and more vacation time. Sick time that is for sick time and not sick time that is taken out of your vacation time (BIG BIG deal for me) Ability to take days off if needed without retribution. Also if the staffing is poor, management is unaccountable or doesn't support the staff, no amount of money or benefits will get me in there on my day off. I've been offered double to quadruple time for extra shifts....I look at my caller id when the phone rings, and if it is my hospital...it goes unanswered.

• If benefits/salary were enhanced for employees working at least 36 hours one week and 48 hours the next, would you be interested or is 48 hours in one week a total turn-off?

Again, working conditions. I would happlily work 36 then 48 the next if the conditions were right. And 9 times out of 10 no hospital can meet that criteria, they simply do not care about their nursing staff...who make the hospital run smoothly and make sure their patients are taken care of.

[EmerNurse]

I'm really big on a hospital offering benies right off the bat, not after 3 or 6 months of employment. We're healthcare workers and we have to go for months without insurance????? Lord knows we can't afford Cobra on what we make!

Bah.

[elizabeth321]

as long as we work with people.....our workplaces will be somewhat toxic.

My husband and I both have benefits to equal 100% drug and dental.

I am in canada.

Liz

[reroute]

• If full benefits were available for nurses working a minimum of 24 hours would that be an attraction for you, and if so, would you work only the minimum or would you remain working a typical 36 hours or 3-12’s? I know it would be an attractive option that might get more nurses that only want a part-time schedule to work for hospital rather than an agency with no benifits unless purchased. I know some nurses that do not work want to work full-time hours but are working for the benefits. Having the option of picking up extra time (and pay) for the full 36 would be nice and knowing that you would not have to on weeks when the kids,further schooling, etc demand more time. It would really be a benefit for nurses going on in their education to have the benefits and less hours.
• How many of you work for at least two hospitals? If so, what are the major reasons for working for another hospital verses the additional hours at one hospital? My wife worked for two hospitals both per diem. It was a nice change for her when she got exasperated/burned out at one. She would put in more time at one hospital one month then switch the next month. Being per diem, she had to compete for hours on the sign up sheets and having a backup hospital was a nice "insurance" that she got her time in when one was full up on the schedule. On the downside, she had twice the educational "upkeep" that needed to be done for each hospital. Much of which was redundant.
• If benefits/salary were enhanced for employees working at least 36 hours one week and 48 hours the next, would you be interested or is 48 hours in one week a total turn-off? When I was working in a hospital on the floors or in ER, working over the 36 hrs would have put me over the edge. Mainly due to the full bore, non-stop flow of patients, admissions, paperwork etc. It was not uncommond for at least one of the nurses I worked with to have a mini-melt down after about 10 hrs. (Mostly due to insufficient staffing for the patient volume/acuity level.). I or my wife would not like the 48 hrs in one week. There is a trade off for benefits/salary vs quality of life that most people with families would prefer not to take. Working 4 - 12hr shifts in a week is exhausting both mentally and physically. Little time is left after work/sleep to do the daily family/household/child attention that is necessary for a happy nurse.

[withasmilelpn]

I work a weekend program now and I used to get paid benefits for 24hr. It was great! I would often pick up more hours or when tired of that, work agency. The variety and options kept me from feeling 'burn out'. It also gave me a lot of flexibility as far as my children's schedule went. When my facility was bought, they made us pick up an aditional 8 hours in order to get benefits. I did because I needed them, but I find I resent it and rarely pick up more hours. (They told us they would probably grandfather us in, but didn't.)
I also went on a job interview at a place that offered a premium rate for weekends / 12 hour shifts/ no benefits. If you wanted benefits, you had to commit to 3 12 hour shifts fri, sat, sun or sat, sun, mon at a rate 9$ an hour less. (When if you worked their 8 hour shifts you only had to do 32 hours to get benefits) It looked like a nice place to work and I was interested, but I thought they were crazy(and said so- nicely)to offer so much less. My current facility pays the same premium rate with benefits!
Another facility I was very interested in working for only had 3-11 available and offered me a lower rate than my weekly rate at my current facility. (There are different rates depending on shift and when.) I would have taken it if they would've given me 4 8 hour shifts, but they insisted it was a 40 hour/week position and would not be flexible about it. It was also every other weekend. I know its part of nursing and don't mind too much, but they had a weekend program (no positions open so why would I have to work weekends?)
Flexibility, quality of life issues and benefits are my top priorities. Next is pay. I also don't understand taking a pay cut just because 'it's not fair to the other nurses with more seniority'. In the buisness world, that happens all the time. Salary is negotiable. So I find myself staying in a job I am not too happy with, until my children get older or my husband gets a better job/benefits.

[benefitmanager]

Thanks all for taking the time to answer the questions. I appreciate all the responses.