CNA Overtime Question

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Hi guys!

Can someone shed a little light on overtime hours? At how many hours does overtime start for you? I know for some, overtime pay is anything over 36 hours. For others it may be after 40.

Also, is it realistic to work 15 hour shifts 4 days a week? I'm a newly certified CNA and I'm trying to figure out what hours and pay to expect.

Thanks

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

Don't count on overtime to pay the bills. Overtime laws vary by state, overtime policies vary by employer. Your prospective employers overtime policies may be more generous than what your state calls for, but unless it is a union facility I wouldn't count on it.

If you want a job with overtime freely available you can probably find one, but don't expect any job to schedule you for it. Most places you will get your overtime by picking up extra hours beyond what you are scheduled.

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Ok, so how likely is overtime in you guys' opinion? How often do you guys pick up extra shifts or hours? I'm in New York by the way. Where are you guys from?

I know it sounds "all about the overtime" but I'm just trying to figure out how to make this work.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

My job lets us pick up whatever we want out of the leftover shifts that are not covered. I don't tend to pick up much because of school. The shifts aren't always ideal; they're just what leftover.

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I got it. At least you have the option. I think those extra hours can really help. Most likely I'll take all I can get, at the same time, whatever my school schedule allows. This is gonna be hard :eek:

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Specializes in Pedi.
Ok, so how likely is overtime in you guys' opinion? How often do you guys pick up extra shifts or hours? I'm in New York by the way. Where are you guys from?

I know it sounds "all about the overtime" but I'm just trying to figure out how to make this work.

It totally depends on the employer. When I worked in the hospital as an RN, they didn't allow overtime at all. CNAs never worked more than 40 hours. If we were down a CNA, we worked down a CNA.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I'm sorry OP if this has been answered [i didn't notice]...would you be working in a hospital or a nursing home setting? I ask because overtime is usually pretty abundant in LTC but hospitals may be more likely to just pull staff from a different floor to cover a shortage.

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@ kbrn2002 I'd actually work anywhere. Hospital or LTC. I would imagine it would be a little easier to gain employment at an LTC facility?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
@ kbrn2002 I'd actually work anywhere. Hospital or LTC. I would imagine it would be a little easier to gain employment at an LTC facility?

In most areas it is easier to find CNA positions in LTC, seems like they are short staffed everywhere! LTC is also usually more flexible for scheduling, with all of them in my area having block scheduling, so once your schedule is set it doesn't change. They are also much more accommodating with shift swaps between staff and it is easier to request and get needed time off, sometimes with pretty short notice if the scheduler is the understanding sort. In the upper midwest the hospitals pay quite a bit better, that may not be the case in NY so definitely weigh your options.

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At my job there's frequent options to pick up OT. If they know in advance they put a sign up sheet in the bathroom for shifts that need to be covered. If it's an immediate thing, HR will approach us on the floor to ask if we could cover part or all of next shift. It's never been mandatory since I've been there.

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At my facility 60 hours biweekly is full time and anything extra we pick up is overtime and if they call you in its double time and a half. We always have hours available for overtime.

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Where is the facility?

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