Night Shift Differential

MiniRNC · Jan 4, 2002

Both 3-11:30 & 11-7:30 get $1.00. Can't say we like it though. Some choose nights over 3-11 due to having kids in school. Some prefer the pace over the other shifts. Others take it because they need a job.

BTW your body doesn't really get used to night shift....unless you stay on night shift hours on your days off.

One problem we have is that to get both Fri. & Sat. off together you have to work 7 nights in a row! Fri/sat are considered our weekend off. Our charge nurses do the schedules. If requested, I do try to give sat/sun weekends to avoid the stretches.

We do try to pull to the shift the nurse prefers when possible. (some would rather nights then 3-11).

NurseLady504 · Jan 4, 2002

I'm an LPN in New Orleans. Night is $3.00 and w/e nights is $4.50. Not bad. :)

whipping girl in 07, RN · Jan 5, 2002

I am a new grad working in ICU. At my hospital, we get $5.00 for 11-7, $4.00 for 3-11. No weekend diff, and we have to work every other weekend the first year, then every third weekend after that. We have four new grads, and we'll all be on nights after orientation. We weren't given a choice, but at least we don't have to rotate shifts. At the competition across town, they have basically the same setup, but they can't keep anyone on days, everyone wants nights for the extra money. Over here, people start on nights, then move to days. And we work all 12s.

frann · Feb 10, 2002

we get 4 extra for weekday nights. 8 extra for weekend nights.

thisnurse

Where is this free buffet and limo ride?

Teshiee · Feb 10, 2002

Wow! 75 cents? No wonder no one wants to pick up nights. Well I know the hospitals in my area start around 3-4.50 and hour for night shift. I love nights anyway I can't work days I tried for a month and nearly died. I am just a night owl.

mdslabod · Feb 11, 2002

I would work nights for nothing extra.

The quiet is wonderful. The work is different.

It is a whole other world.

I have been working nights for years. I am almost 49 and my body doesn't give me any grief about it.

serene992 · Jun 4, 2004

What does your facility pay for working night shift? (I define night shift as being 7P to 7A or 11P to 7A.)
I have interviewed a few nurses lately for our ICU and each have said they won't work nights. Well, no one works steady daylight so I can't hire new people that won't work nights and tell my faithful staff that they have to pick up more nights because the new people won't!
So...I'm thinking we have to make it more attractive to work nights. Some places offer a better differential for night shifts; I read on this board somewhere about people lining up to work nights because the pay was awesome. Our facility pays a $0.75 shift differential for nights (certainly not enough to be appealing).
What does your place do? Or what would you suggest we try to make night shift more appealing? (It's tough for some, I know; I personally HATE nights but always worked my share.)

I do not work the night shift for the differential at my present job which is doing private duty for a ventilated child. I work it for the convenience of my schedule to allow me to be in college working on my BSN. However I can respond to the night shift differential issue from the voice of experience. There have been many times over my 35 years of experience that I did work nights. Those times were when I was married and now that my children are independent (and trust worthy). I have been a single parent for several different spaces/periods of my parenthood. A single parent cannot work nights while their children are young unless they ahve a very supportive family network. Forcing single parents to work their fair share of nights is next to impossible. They need childcare while they are at work (try finding it overnight!) as well as care during the day so that they can sleep. It is cost prohibitive if it is even doable.

I firmly believe that those working the night shift should receive an excellent differential. Studies have been done showing the damage it does to our bodies. The circadian cloack is totally messed with when flipping back and forth between days and nights. When I work my shifts, I do them all in a row so that my body flip flops my clock. I cannot do one on one off etc. The first "day off" I have after my series of night shifts is really a sleep day. Nothing gets accomplished that day or night.

When I worked at the hospital in town for many years they had an extremely attractive differential that made a lot of nurses opt for working nights for the added money. I believe night differectial was 10-15% of your salary Mon- Fri at 7PM. Weekend differential was 25% of your salary Fri-Mon AM.

I cannot imagine how facilities think it is beneficial to force staff to alternate/rotate shifts. That is not going to attract and retain qualified and dedicated nurses to the facility. I would imagine there is a high turnover rate there. How does that benefit and effect quality of care?

New CCU RN · Jun 4, 2004

Well, from what I have read my hospital gets the prize for the best diffs!!

weekday eves (3-11p) 5.50/hr

weekday nights (11p-7a) 7/hr

weekend days (7a-3p) 5/hr

weekend eves 6.50/hr

weekend nights 8.25/hr

MandyInMS · Jun 4, 2004

7p-7a shift differential.....

CNA's..$1

LPN's..$2

RN's..$4

this really isn't fair to me..sure an RN should make more $$$, but everyone is working nights, so the diff. should be the same...never have understood this :/

nursecompassion · Jun 4, 2004

I am a stna and I make 1.00 shift dif. I work 7p-7a. My friend who is an RN gets at least 2.00 shift dif.

Julee

TeenyBabyRN · Jun 4, 2004

7p-7a weekdays - $4.50

7p-7a weekends - $8.50

No way I would EVER rotate shifts (very unhealthy - its too hard to take care of others when you feel like crap all the time). I have turned down travel positions in very nice facilities that I wanted to work in because they required rotating shifts.

Probably why they needed travelers...

Jackulan · Jul 27, 2004

Hi,

My name is Jack Daunais.I have been studying the effects that night shift work can have on the human body and mind for over ten years.I'm talking primarily about the 7PM to 7AM time period.A new night shift worker can have as much as a twelve hour change in his day cycle.If a person were to take a twelve hour flight,in four or five days you become in sync with the local day cycle.Not so with the night shift worker.The night shift worker is trapped in a

nether world of half-sleep,half-wakefulness.Some night shift workers perpetuate their condition by staying up days on weekends.Another dangerous area night shift workers get into is sleep deprivation.They stay up to see their childrens rehearsals,softball,basketball,soccer...

This is not new research.It goes back to Gregor Mendell and his peas.A more recent study may be of interest.Nassa found that the Gemini Astronauts were passing through time zone after time zone,the interior going light dark,light dark.They diagnosed the astronauts with circadian disorientation.Hey,it was serious enough for Nassa to redesign all the space capsules with full spectrum lighting,creating an artificial day cycle.

Nursing Union Stewards can use circadian disorientation as a bargaining tool at the next negotiations,or as a defense for those new night shift workers who get into trouble.

For Union Stewards,I have a limited number of copies of a booklet titled:"Working nights:Health and Safety Guide".I can be reached at [email protected],Phone 508-8535786,or I would be willing to speak to groups outlining ideas that I have also for patients who are resistent to long term treatment.

Sincerely,John Daunais

PS.My aim is to raise public awareness of the living hell night shift workers experience.