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Just curious if anyone ever tried working 60 hours or close a week. If so how was it?
I did it several weeks as a nurse manager when we had an ice storm and had to cover the two units I managed. I basically lived in my office for two full weeks, including the week-end and worked 12-hour shifts on the units when there wasn't enough staff and when there was staff I did my management job but had to stay 10 hours a day to play catch-up for the days I had to staff. It was exhausting but the patient's needed to be taken care of. Be careful though, patient safety gets put on the line when you get too tired and taxes takes most of your overtime anyway.
I alternate 52 hours (four 12 hour shifts) and 62 hours (five 12 hour shifts), every other week. Thats three overtime shifts per pay period. It's not bad at all. Im tired and look forward to my days off, but I find that working just three days a week, I have four days a week off and I spend to much money......haha!!
We work 64 hours a week one week and then we are off the other week. That means we work 7 on and 7 off the whole time. The best part is that we have the "Baylor Plan" and we get payed for 80 hrs. But most of our nurses work at least a day or two in their week off, so they can get some overtime. I do love my schedule, I feel like I am on vacation twice a month.
I was trapped in the hospital during the biiiig east coast blizzard back in the mid-90's. The nurses from our floor commandeered an out-of-commission semiprivate room and made it our own little suite. We all worked double shifts for that week. I honestly don't remember how many hours I ended up with--- well over a hundred that pay period (my usual 36-hour week plus the week from hell). It's all a blur lol.
I am actually working 60hrs this week...5 12hr shift in a row. I'm on night 4 right now but I only do this once every 4 months or so. We have a shortage on nights so there are a couple of us that pull extra shifts here and there. I have an orientee right now. She is with me for my last 3 nights so that helps out tremendously. That is the only reason why I did this this time or I probably would have just worked 1 extra shift this week. I am a total night person. When I get off at 7am I get home and am asleep by 0830-0900 and don't wake back up until 1730 so I get plenty of sleep If I weren't able to get enough sleep than I wouldn't even try to pull 60hrs a week.
If I weren't able to get enough sleep than I wouldn't even try to pull 60hrs a week.
To me that's the key when I do over time: getting enough rest and exercise and taking care of myself.
The physical cost in stress, poor eating and lack of sleep is too high of a price to pay for working that much. So if you choose to, or have to, make sure you're taking care of yourself.
oneLoneNurse
613 Posts
Probably, but do you need to make that much.
Many of the people I work with are working at least 60 between 2-3 jobs. BUT, why would you want to do it?