pros and cons of being a weekender?

barbyann · Feb 26, 2007

Love it............plan to work a two day week for as long as they will have me.

wjf00 · Feb 26, 2007

Pros: 20 hours with benefits

8 hour shifts (still able to do some things on my weekends)

10% added to pay (all hours, not just weekends)

6 weekends off per year

cons: Pot lucks always are the weekends so I end up bringing something for a potluck half the time I work...

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2007

16 hour shifts? Wow! What hours? I'm curious: What time does your shift begin/end?

I work every Saturday and Sunday from 6am to 10pm.

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Feb 26, 2007

At my hospital, I get paid 40 hours if I work a 36 hour weekend. So I work 12 hours Fri, Sat, and Sun. I also have 4 children who are 6,5,5,1 and daycare would be very expensive to say the least. So what we did was hubby works Mon - Thur, and I work the other three. We both work full time so we have that benifit plus not having to pay day care. It takes a pretty committed relationship though. Plus I have 4 days to get things done around the house, see the kids off to school.

Friday's can be a bear. Management has had to work all week so they are tired and have had enough. Doctors are trying to get as many pts d/ced as they can and it seems like the beds fill right back up.

Sat and Sun can be good. Its a little quieter not having all the big wigs around, but with that includes having less of a support system. Although the weekend nursing supervisor is terrific and the other floors wouldn't mind at all if I call to ask a question or something. (can you tell I just had my first full weekend as charge?:monkeydance: ). If you need a special test, sometimes it can't get done until Mon unless its an emergency (such as EEG's, but xrays and ct scans are done). And there is no IV therapy on the weekends, so I have gotten pretty good with my skills but even that takes me so far with some patients.

Mondays are recoup days. I try not to schedule any appointments for a monday unless I can't help it.

We work with alot of the same people each weekend and we all get along pretty well. That goes for weekend nights. All weekend long, except for the first report on Friday, we usually give and take report from the same person to help with continuity of care.

Spritenurse1210, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2007

I was wondering if there are any weekenders out there who wouldn't mind sharing their experiences. I'm considering going 100 miles (2 hour drive), out of town to be a weekend nurse in a city hospital.
What are the pros and cons? It seems ideal on the surface, to work 2 twelve hour shifts, and get paid the equivalent of a 40 hour week!
ps. the city is Philadelphia
:smiletea2:

Is there nowhere closer? the gas alone will be phenominal!!!!

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Feb 26, 2007

2 12-hour shifts (Fri&Sat). I drive 48 miles one way.

Pros:

Being off in the week to get things done, as previously mentioned

2 on, 5 off

NICE weekend pay

Working c same people all the time (other weekenders) you bond well (at least with most of them)

Management not there!!!

Full benefits

No paying daycare, taking time off to take sick child to doctor, etc.

Cons:

Night shift is really tiring!

I'm a zombie on Monday.

Working just enough nights to screw your sleep up for the rest of the week (if you are delicate that way)

Weekends are shot (although as previously mentioned this is occasionally a benefit....)

It works for us right now, although I can't see myself doing this forever.

whipping girl in 07, RN · Feb 26, 2007

I did it for 2.5 years, both nights and days. It worked for us while I was doing it, then it got to the point where I didn't like missing out on things because I had to work (or missing out on sleep because I did fun stuff instead:lol2: ).

Not paying for daycare was nice, although I still don't pay for daycare (hubby and I work opposite shifts and he only works part-time).

I really did bond with the other weekend nurses (on night shift, I was the only one on days). One drawback for me career-wise was that the regular staff on days did not work with me very often (only every third weekend) so they didn't know me very well and sometimes I think I got crap assignments because of it (like I couldn't handle sick pts). I don't know, maybe not. Just a thought.

I miss those guys I worked with weekend option nights. None of them even still work here. :scrying:

Konni

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · Feb 26, 2007

Now I'll deny this if ever asked, but I love being able to decline cheesy family gatherings with a great excuse! "Sorry I have to work" so no I won't be doing the hokey pokey at Second Cousin Susie's third wedding, lol.

Amen!

bigjay · Feb 28, 2007

I work a modified full-time line where I do 60 hours per pay period and get paid for 80. I give up my shift premiums and my sick time is calculated differently, using my banked stats rather than the usual method (not an issue for me as I'm rarely sick).

I have twin 3 years olds and another baby on the way in July. It's been awesome to be home with the kids during the week (wife is a public health nurse, Mon-Fri) and not have to worry about all the headaches of finding and co-ordinating child-care.

The downside is missing out on weekend activites but at this point in my life with a young family that's barely even an issue. I also don't need a ton of sleep so if there is something going on in an evening when I'm working days I'll go to it and push through the next day without too much problems.

The work is easier on the weekends because there's fewer people involved. You can pretty much do your own thing. It's quieter and there are so many less bodies around it just makes things much calmer.

I love it and I'll continue on it until my next child is in full-time school.