Do differentials make up for working 36 hrs vs 40 hrs per week?

[Philly85]

Hi all,

I've tried searching old threads for the answer to this question, to no avail, so I apologize if it's been discussed before.

Basically, working 3 12's (36 hrs) per week gives you a total of 1,872 hours per year vs 2,080 hours if you work 5 8's (40 hrs) per week.

Say you make 30 dollars an hour (which seems to be the going rate around the area I live). If you work 3 12's, you make 56,160 per year. If you work 5 8's, you make 62,400 per year.

That's a difference of 6,240...not exactly chump change.

Do those of you who work 3 12's find that shift differentials make up for that 6,240 difference by the end of the year?

I know it depends on which shifts you work, so let's say you work days mostly during the week, which I guess would be the least amount of differentials earned.

Basically you would just be getting the shift diff for the last 4 hrs of your shift, anything past 8 hrs, right?

Do you still tend to break even with the amount you would earn if you worked 5 8's? Do you make more? Less?

Thanks for any insights!

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

Good advice, jadelpn, thanks!

I thought I had heard that anything over 8 hrs per shift automatically switches to some kind of differential for hours 8-12. I guess that's not the case?

I work 6:00-2:30 5 days a week. My shift diff doesn't kick in until 7p. So if I work past my 2:30 shift, no shift diff unless I clock out after 7:00.

[PedsRN2016]

No it's not the case. If you're a 12 hr am shift you get paid the same for those 12 hrs, the last four hours of your shift do not count as overtime or as "evening" pay.

I work nocs and I love it, more money for less work! :) nocs are more quiet and you typically do not have discharges at night, although you do have admits.

Let me preface this by saying that I am no longer a "soontobern", but I don't think I can change my username on the app...and I can't pull myself out of bed just yet.

At the hospital I current work at as a nurse, we DO get time-and-a-half after 8 hours and all nurses work 12 hour shifts in acute/critical care. We do get two half hour clocked out breaks during our 12-hour shift, as well, so every shift we work we get 3.5 hours of 1.5x pay! Since I am a new nurse, I didn't realize that my hospital must be the exception and not the rule! I would say that between my night shift diff and the 1.5x pay each night, 12 hour shifts are definitely more lucrative then 8 hour shifts would be at my hospital.

[seasidesoul]

No it's not the case. If you're a 12 hr am shift you get paid the same for those 12 hrs, the last four hours of your shift do not count as overtime or as "evening" pay.

I work nocs and I love it, more money for less work! :) nocs are more quiet and you typically do not have discharges at night, although you do have admits.

We get paid an "evening" differential for the last four hours each shift at my hospital.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

The shift that I work, I received a differential for of the shift that I work; for instance I work 11a-11:30p, so I get an evening differential; when I work 3p-3:30a, I receive night shift pay as well.

I'm switching from 40s (2 12s 2 8s) to 36; to make up for the change, I plan to work an additional 8 or 12 hour shift; I still work every other weekend, so my take home won't change that much, If anything, because I recite weekend plus differential, it won't make a difference.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

No it's not the case. If you're a 12 hr am shift you get paid the same for those 12 hrs, the last four hours of your shift do not count as overtime or as "evening" pay.

I work nocs and I love it, more money for less work! :) nocs are more quiet and you typically do not have discharges at night, although you do have admits.

Not everywhere. I work 12-hour days and get a shift diff the last four hours of my shift.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Let me preface this by saying that I am no longer a "soontobern", but I don't think I can change my username on the app...and I can't pull myself out of bed just yet.

At the hospital I current work at as a nurse, we DO get time-and-a-half after 8 hours and all nurses work 12 hour shifts in acute/critical care. We do get two half hour clocked out breaks during our 12-hour shift, as well, so every shift we work we get 3.5 hours of 1.5x pay! Since I am a new nurse, I didn't realize that my hospital must be the exception and not the rule! I would say that between my night shift diff and the 1.5x pay each night, 12 hour shifts are definitely more lucrative then 8 hour shifts would be at my hospital.

I forget what that method of figuring overtime is called...8 and 80, I think?

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

I would work 12s again in a heartbeat. The money is the same either way for me, but even if it wasn't, 12s preserve my sanity.

Now working 8s, I take the odd vacation day to have a break from work.

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

No it's not the case. If you're a 12 hr am shift you get paid the same for those 12 hrs, the last four hours of your shift do not count as overtime or as "evening" pay.

I work nocs and I love it, more money for less work! :) nocs are more quiet and you typically do not have discharges at night, although you do have admits.

What are "nocs"?

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

What are "nocs"?

Nights.

[FurBabyMom, MSN, RN]

I thought I had heard that anything over 8 hrs per shift automatically switches to some kind of differential for hours 8-12. I guess that's not the case?

Where I work? Hours worked between 1500-2300 are eligible for evenings differential. Hours worked between 2300-0700 are eligible for nights differential. Weekend differential is added for hours worked between 0700 Saturday and 0700 Monday (applicable evenings and nights differential is added).

I work in the OR, and work 40 hours a week, 0700-1730. We get two hours of evening shift differential per shift or roughly 8 per week just working our schedule. We often get called in on evenings, nights or weekends (though we get paid 10% of our hourly rate just for being on call). In our facility, if you're called in, you get 0.5hr travel time, time and a half for hours worked, and applicable differentials.

All of our med/surg or ICU units work 12s, and get, minimum, 12 hours per week of evenings differential on days. I can't speak to their full schedule requirements as I haven't been a nurse anywhere other than the OR at this facility.

However, at one hospital I worked the floor at we got evenings for working 1500-1900, the other we did not. Just adding my two cents because not all facilities are the same.

[MunoRN, RN]

I've never gotten a differential for hours 9 through 12, although even without that I wouldn't come out ahead by switching to 8's to get that extra 4 hours per week. I know from experience that I can't do 5 nightshifts a week, no matter how long or short they are, so in switching to 8's I'd either have to continue working 3 nights a week, maybe I could do 4 but that would be pushing it. So in switching to 8's I'd probably have to go from 36 hours a week to 32 or even 24 hours a week.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I gladly take the pay cut for my peace of mind and sanity of working only 3 days a week vs 5 days! Yes I think my shift differentials make up the difference, depends where you work. If you really wanted to you can usually work overtime, say one extra 8 or 12 hour shift a pay period to make up the difference. I haven't done that in years and I do ok. I guess you could say I'm not a workaholic and I love my 12 hr shifts. I started at 40 hrs but after a couple years cut back to .9 then .8 8 hours shifts and I did the weekend program to make up for the paycut, but I'm doing fine since I switched to .9 12hr shifts and only regret not making the switch sooner! On my unit there is only one full time nurse, everyone else works either 32 or 36 hours or less and overtime is usually available for the ambitious ones!