A question for military nurses

sarahmarion123 · May 10, 2005

you might want to try posting this in the military nursing forum.

Guest43184 · May 10, 2005

From my experience (and I'm still very new) this depends on a ton of different factors. I'm AF and working inpatient so my shifts are rotating 12s (days/nights). The floor I'm on tries to do 3mo rotations of days/nights but it doesn't always work out that way. There really isn't a set number or days on/off...varies a lot but the they try not to schedule for more than 3 on in a row...again that varies. Some of the nurses prefer days/nights and verbalize it to the scheduler but bottom line is mission comes first and we're not self-scheduling.

Clinic nursing in the AF is different than inpatient/ICU/ER. The schedules are pretty consistent but the work is different. Hope that helps a little :)

j.graham · May 11, 2005

I work in emergency department,

rotating 3 month nights/ 3 months days (12 hours)

3 days one week, 4 next week

army nurses are considered "mission essential personel," so there is call schedule in case someone calls out, or if there is a mass casualty event. If we dont answer our phone in such circumstances, the hospital may send someone to come get us. Plus you may have added duties, scheduling, education, etc...

Hope this helps,

jason

kaizenro · May 12, 2005

As a Navy Corpsman, I worked side by side with the RNs. In the ER we did the 12s;

Work: Fri, Sat, Sun/ Off: Mon, Tues/ Work: Wed, Thurs/ Off: Fri, Sat, Sun.

By working 12s, we didn't have to stand duty like the clinic types:

Mon-Fri: 6:45AM to 4PM. Duty could last up to 24hrs and have it usually every 3-40 days.

But that's the hospital side only.

sandman1914 · Jun 1, 2005

How many hours to you average a week?
Do you have any say in your schedule-such as whether or not you works the day shift or night?
Thanks, Lisa

I work 84 hours every 2 weeks in the ICU. As far as having input to your schedule with the preference of days or nights, that will depend on the division officer who runs the unit. Some do not mind you working permanent days or nights and then there are those who insist nurses must rotate days and night. In the end it all comes down to the needs of the military.

AFnurse3 · Jun 26, 2005

I work 14 days in a

allnurses Guide · Jul 1, 2005

How many hours to you average a week?
Do you have any say in your schedule-such as whether or not you works the day shift or night?
Thanks, Lisa

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I am an USAF ICU nurse and work about 84 hours every two weeks. There is a catch though there is always extra military duties/training to attend so the time varies greatly.

There is almost no say in wheter you work nights or days. Currently where I work we rotate as a group 3 months of nights and then 3 months of days. Depending on the circumstances you can sometimes switch with a coworker or work something out if your going to school etc.

I hope this helps.