Do nurses usually work 3 12-hour shifts a week for full pay?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm having difficulty finding statistics concerning this and average salary.

If you could also tell me the salary you earned (or average) straight out of college, that would be awesome. Also, as a new grad, should I expect flexible hours? Ideally, I would be able to work part-time elsewhere because I don't know what to do with my four days off.

Also, are new grads able to easily find positions in hospitals of different states? I don't want to settle down just yet.

Thanks!

Specializes in LTC, Psych, M/S.

Even the rural areas are filling up and now can be picky enough to want only experienced BSNs. I am in Wyoming and my local rural hospital has hired new grads from various other states where they describe how difficult or impossible it was to find employment where they graduated NS.

Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Right out of my ADN program I earned $25 per hour and worked 40-44 hours per week. After earning my BSN and with two years of experience, I went to a hospital where we work seven 12 hour shifts per 2 weeks. I also increased my hourly rate significantly. If you work on a unit where you work seven 12 hour shifts per pay period, you automatically have 4 hours of overtime every 2 weeks.

Believe me - you will have no trouble dealing with several days off in a row.

I suggest you go to a website like salary.com and enter geographic information for registered nurses to find more local data.

Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

You should expect your employer to flexibly alter your hours to THEIR benefit. In my area, EVERYONE rotates so you could expect to be on days, evenings and nights all in the same week and to never have the same day off two weeks in a row. You could also expect to not receive your schedule until about a week in advance making things like scheduling doctor's appointments next to impossible.

You shouldn't necessarily expect that you will have four days off. Not everyone is on 3 12s. New grads are the bottom of the totem pole and may be working primarily 8 hour shifts and a lot of off shifts, making working a second job more difficult. I don't find it wise to work 2 jobs as a new grad, you need to get your feet wet and figure out how to be a nurse first.

Dear god, you should just tell us where you're from so that we all know not to go there for nursing jobs. That sounds positively horrendous and makes me wonder why *anyone* in your area would want to be a nurse?

Specializes in Palliative.

In SK we get paid the extra hours. Full time lines are given 12 12s plus one "stat off" in 4 week blocks. The stat off is an 8 hour paid day off in lieu of working the holidays (part time employees are given a portion of this based on what percentage of full time they work). Since we have one more 8 hour shift than stat holidays in a year to make full time, the last one is used as an education day.

My favourite shift rotation is almost universally hated by all managers so I only know of one facility that does it: DDNN 5 off. We have awful drop downs that I hate.

you'll be required to get your BLS on your own time with your own money, as well as your own and medical clearance (vaccinations, etc.) before starting clinicals - it's an issue of patient safety and liability... yes you will be limited in what you can do as a student, but you'll still be providing patient care - these are minimums for clinicals.

don't bother with getting your ACLS/PALS right now since they expire and you need to get recertified (same with BLS) - if you feel you absolutely want to do it, wait until your last semester at the earliest - you won't need it for nursing school.

as far as getting a job, you will be hard pressed getting one before you have your license, but volunteering if you can would be an excellent choice - even as an EKG tech or UAP. hospitals also sometimes offer externships to GNs (graduate nurses) - that's currently where I'm at, I just graduated last month and was lucky enough to get an externship - I am spending two days a week, 12 hour shifts in the ED at a hospital. It's helpful because they put you through orientation, you learn skills and policies/procedures, IT for documentation, etc. then you're placed with a preceptor and you perform anything and everything he/she decides (under his/her license) except IV push administrations... the idea is, you're more likely to get a job from that facility once you're licensed. So far I've done so much more than in my clinicals during nursing school - blood draws, IVs, foley catheters, etc. - it's pretty amazing and I feel it's also helping me prepare for NCLEX next month.

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

we do not look for ACLS/PALS on a resume as we know new grads do not have the experience to back it up. In fact, we make our new grads wait at least 6 months before taking the class. The card does not mean a thing if you do not understand what is going on. All our classes are free plus we pay them to be there. As for pay, it differs WIDELY here in Texas. In my area a new grad earns about $25/hr, works average of 36-42 hours/wk. We pay them for their last semester in school (sort of a hiring bonus). We have tuition reimbursement plus other benefits. No union.

I think you will probably work three days one week, and four the next week which will average 42 hours for the two weeks.

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

We did not have to have our own in school. we were covered by the school. Also, half my class had jobs before they graduated. As May grads, we had a small community hospital come to recruit in Jan. All of my classmates had jobs that wanted them (some were getting married, having children etc.) before or within 3 months of passing NCLEX. This was an ADN program.

I also now sit on 3 hiring panels with my current company, we hire urgent care & case management nurses. We DEFINITELY prioritize candidates who already have their ACLS/BLS/PALS. I don't understand this whole mentality of "don't bother, your employer will pay for it." We don't want to hire people who are going to cost us money right up front. You want to be a full package, ready to work, with all your training & certifications ready to go! What makes you think we'd be more inclined to hire someone we'll have to spend more money on, who isn't prepared?

Thank you for this! You have no idea how many of my peers say, "It's a waste of money - the hospital will pay for it." To be honest, I almost fell into that mindset before a few nurses from Kaiser told me to get it, as it shows you want to be more knowledgeable. I always compare it to buying a car (the car being the person seeking employment): "Do you want a car that requires you to buy headlights?"

I'm curious about the comments regarding a facility "training" a new grad "their way" in ACLS. Every time I've taken it, regardless of where I was taking it (and it's changed over the years) it was American Red Cross and differed little by location.

Since it's a standardized course, what would be done "their way"? Passing the mock code/written test was required each time. It's not like it was a Hospital XX ACLS Course.

Where I am, they would rather we be trained in "their" way as far as PALS/ACLS. I am on a floor that has zero peds, so that would not have benefited me. We have RRT and Code teams so ACLS, although I wouldn't mind getting it, is not really a necessity. We have to take a class and be certified to insert PIVs. We have an IV team for that.

I work 36 and get paid for 36. We are expected to stay 36 1/2 to allow for 30 min lunch (HA!). I also have a part time prn home health job. Just had to cut my hours with them.

Here too. At my interview, the department manager specifically told me not to bother getting ACLS on my own because a new grad doesn't have the skills to back it up and so they consider it useless. She also said that even if new hires already have ACLS, they'll be redoing it in the hospital's course.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I'm curious about the comments regarding a facility "training" a new grad "their way" in ACLS. Every time I've taken it, regardless of where I was taking it (and it's changed over the years) it was American Red Cross and differed little by location.

Since it's a standardized course, what would be done "their way"? Passing the mock code/written test was required each time. It's not like it was a Hospital XX ACLS Course.

*** ya that's true. However, for some reason all the hospitals in my area require all newly hired acute care nurses to go through ACLS regardless of their certification status at hire..

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