How much vacation or PTO time for years worked in the USA for RNs?

I get about 4 weeks (12 days) and I've worked at my current hospital for not quite 2 years.

We accumulate PTO each shift worked. If you work overtime, then it accumulates faster. The longer you've been there the faster it accumulates too, but I can't give you an exact number of weeks off for the number of years. I just know you accumulate at a higher rate the longer you've been employed.

But the 4 weeks I mentioned is PTO, meaning it's sick time, as well as vacation.

Most places I have worked gave one week after the first six months and two weeks for the second year, but after that it varied greatly. Yours does seem a little low.

RNs get 3 weeks vacation from time of hire until (I think) five years, then it goes up to four weeks vacation. Managers start out at four weeks. Separate from that is holiday time, personal time, and sick time; those are pretty much standard I think (7 paid holidays, two personal days, whatever sick time you accrue). You earn more vacation time the more you work; it accrues based on the hours you work.

The first unit I worked, you accrued 8 hrs of paid time off for every 2 wk pay period, which built up over time. The unit I am in now gives 4 weeks of vacation a year, then 5 after 10 years of service (I think)

What Steve said, plus six paid holidays off, three educational days for conferences or certifications or whatever, one sick day per month (although if you used them all I imagine you'd get fired) and two personal days. One must be scheduled in advance, and one to be called in the day of for an emergency. That caught me in a real bind when I tried to ask for mine four days in advance for a family funeral. It wasn't the day of, so they refused it as an emergency, but it wasn't put on the schedule in advance, so they just told me no. My manager is aaaaaaaawesome. [/sarcasm]

I am also wanting to see how other hospitals handle sick and vacation time. We are wanting to bring this up to our board of managers, and I was hoping to gather some info from other parts of the country. We don't actually get and "sick days" we get an "extended illness balance" (EIB) which is accumulated at a very minimal rate and the policy actually states that you cannot get paid from you EIB until you have been out sick for more than 6 consecutive calender days. In the mean time you have to use whatever PTO you have. You would get paid from the EIB starting the 7th day of your illness. Does this sounds like we are being taken advantage of? And how are holidays paid? We accrue paid time off (PTO) as we work. something like 7 hours per 80 hour work period for new hires then it increases as we work there longer. And if we are not scheduled on the holiday they take 8 hours of our PTO. Again does that sound right? How are other facilities managing the PTO and sick time?

This is how ours breaks down...

Years of Service
PTO Benefits
Total Hrs Earned per Year

0 - 2 years
200 (7.70) 200

2 - 5 years
240 (9.24) 240

5 - 9 years
260 (10.00) 260

9+ years
280 (10.77) 280

Because I've been here 13 years, I accrue 280 hours of benefit time. 10.77 hours per pay period of PTO. The EIB accrues more slowly, but unless you or a family member has a chronic condition...you seldom use it. But it can be a huge help when (or if ) you ever need it.

With PTO, we don't have "sick" time. If you call in, it's charged to your PTO (unless you call in <2 hours before your shift - then you don't get paid at all.) Or, if you use FMLA, your EIB can be charged if you have time in there to be used.

As for EIB:
The EIB consists of 40 hours annually, accrued at the rate of 1.54 hours per pay period for full-time employees and 0.020 per hour paid for regular part-time employees , but not to exceed 1.54 hours per pay period. Your maximum EIB balance is 600 hours.

EIB may be accessed for personal or family illness after the first 40 hours of each absence is charged to PTO for full-time employees, and after 20 hours for regular part-time employees .


Hope this helps you. Oh, and we get paid time and a half for working holidays, but night holidays and day holidays differ. For example: I work Christmas Eve - I make the big money. I work Christmas Day (night shift) I don't.


Hope that helps you a little!!!

vamedic4

At my hospital we get 16 hours of PTO per month (for 40/hr week employees)
This equals 192 hours per year or 4.8 weeks per year.

After five years employment it increases to 20 hrs per month which is 6 weeks per year.

However, we do not get "sick time" - we have to use PTO for sick days....good for those of us who rarely need to call in.