Do you have to work full time when you get done with school?

Hi - I'm wondering if you have to work full time when you finish school. Do hospitals ever hire a new grad for 8 hr night (11-7) shifts for like 24 hours a week? I don't want to work full time because I have kids.

Thanks in advance for all your responses. :)

Hello! I am sure you can find someone who understands your situation and will tell you in your interview what is available. They might do like 2 12 hour shifts if all your looking for is 24 hours. Tell them you have been in school and you've missed time from your kids. If they don't do 8 hour shifts, then move on. Don't settle or you will be miserable! Good luck!

Some hospitals might, but all the hospital that I know will not hire new grads unless they work full time for at least a year. It takes about a year of working full time to become comfortable in whatever area of nursing you go in. It is possible that you could find a hospital that will allow you to work 5 x 8hr shifts a week.

My facility was more than happy to hire me for 3 evening shifts a week (3-11). True-it might be easier as a new grad to work full time, but with a family, that would be too difficult for me.

Many people work only PRN or contingent, whatever the facility calls it. At our hospital they go by percentages. You have to work 50% to qualify for benefits which would be like 20 hours per week I think, which would amount to 40 per pay period.

what I have seen is that even if you get hired for a part time position, you may have to work full time thru your orientation time- possibly 4-6 months. Trying to get enough experience when you first start out doesnt happen if you are only working 3 days a wekk.

I am not trying to discourage new grads from working part time, esp if you have a family, but I know that for me working full time was very beneficial because it helped me to really reinforce what I had learned in school, learn new skills on my particular unit and get acquainted with the facility and staff, I work three days a week granted its 12 hr shifts and that is working out well for me, however i do not have kidders and i know that lil ones make going to work a lil bit harder. Best of luck to you, hopefully you will find a hospital that will meet your needs, that is the wonderful thing about nursing, it is pretty flexible esp after you get that first year in, doors start to open :-)

Good luck. Finding a unit that still does 8 hour shifts might be a challenge as many have gone 12-hours. But it certainly isn't unheard of. Here we have many part time people, including new grads.