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?
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.
You are one very lucky person! It would be wonderful to get overtime for 12 hr shifts, but this is very rare. You must be working at a union hospital.
As you can see there is no one answer regarding getting a differential for time after 8 hrs in a day or even how shift differentials are done.
Where I work if you are a regular 12 hour shift person you get straight time for hours 8-12, and whatever shift the majority of the hours you work are determines whether you get a differential for evening shift, night shift etc. So if you work 6:45a-7:15p you get straight time for all hours worked and no shift differential. If you work 2:45p-3:15a you get straight time for all hours worked and evening differential.
If a non 12 hour employee who normally works 2:45p-11:15p stays until 3:15a they get 1.5 times for hours 8-12 plus evening differential.
I like working less hours overall....spending less time at work is my ideal. $6000 or $10,000 is not a big deal for me because I was essentially out of work for a long while...working fulltime is nice $. Although, working 3-12 hr. shifts in a row knocks me out. I'm no Spring chicken. I'd probably complain 5- 8hr shifts in a row would knock me out too.
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.
Where I worked as a floor nurse, full time meant you had a four-day week once per month, so that the hours evened out to 40 per week. Some nurses chose to go 0.9 and not do the 4th day. We also got paid the night differential (about $3 at the time) starting at 4 p.m., so even if you worked day shift (8a-8p), you got the differential for the last 4 hours of your shift. Different hospitals will have different policies.
Day shift classically doesn't have differentials attached to it, unless it is a weekend or one is charge nurse.
Night shift or night weekend shift can be substantial.
The differences you are seeing could be benefit based as well. Meaning your benefits are based on 36 hours as opposed to 40.
The bottom line difference in your $6240 calculation is somewhere around $3.00 per hour. Which could be made up by differentials, depending.
The best for this would be Fri/Sat/Sun 7p-7a shifts. Then you could make even more. Providing that those are available for you to work.
But look at your union contract/employee agreement and see exactly what and where differentials apply. See if, for instance, you have a BSN that you get "x" amount of more money per hour. If certifications get you more an hour. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and if so it could be a total of like 50 cents or some other thing, but it is something.
Best wishes!
Even small amounts do add up.
Another thing to look at is taxation.
And your sanity, your family or personal life, too.
Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.
You could always do full time 0.9 somewhere and pick up a shift somewhere else with the differentials that's the beauty of working 3 12s.
I worked in a clinic with 4 8s and 1 half day and HATED IT. I was more exhausted mentally than I am now off a 14-hour day off the floor. I always felt like I was at work.
brandy1017, ASN, RN
2,910 Posts
You are one very lucky person! It would be wonderful to get overtime for 12 hr shifts, but this is very rare. You must be working at a union hospital.