? For those that work only weekends

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Specializes in ICU, OR.

HI! :nurse:

I am thinking that a weekend-only position might work out for me and my family. For those that work weekends only, do you like it? Do you find that you miss out on a lot? I am debating whether my kids need me more during the week or on weekends right now. Pros and cons?

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I work per diem weekends, so am in a similar position, only I have more flexibility in taking weekends off.

It works if your spouse/partner/whatever is willing to do some heavy lifting around the house.

When I leave at 0610 in the morning, my husband knows he will be doing all the cooking, cleaning and childcare while I am gone. There is no taking off for several hours of golf on a Saturday morning for him.

You will need the input of your family to decide to work weekends only. You will also need to find a way to get enough sleep during the day. If you can sleep through kids fighting, lawnmowers, and the phone ringing, you will do fine.

That said, weekends to pay a good bit more, especially weekend nights.

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I LOVED working only weekends- I always knew my schedule way ahead of time, the chaos wasn't as bad (especially on nights), the admin were home in bed (or wherever- as long as they weren't hanging around, didn't matter- LOL).

I worked adolescent psych- weekend nights- great. Kids in bed by 11 pm - then rounds and chart checks- and the occasional kid who was having a rough time.

Drug/alcohol rehab weekend days- still busy, but not with weekday lunacy- still had a lot of admissions, but liked being off during week.

Weekend nights on med-surg/ortho... busy, but no scheduled surgeries, very few procedures, etc. I requested Sat-Sun-Mon, so I had every Friday, and knew my schedule months in advance.

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Specializes in SNF, 2 year s hospital.

Ive been doing weekends for about 2years and slowly Im starting to not like it. It was fine when I only had one child and she's older but Im starting to miss things with my son. Its hard to find people to switch days because nobody wants to work 12hr on the weekend. However it does allow me to spend the week days with my kids doing homework and other things. Next year I will be coming off of weekends. The extra weekend shift diff is helpful. :twocents::twocents:

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Ive been doing weekends only since my daughter was born 2 years ago. While it does suck that I miss out on family cookouts,weddings,social get togethers, etc. (oh and Christmas for 2 years straight) none of that compares to being at home with my lil one 5 days a week. I have time to do the grocery shopping,cooking,laundry, visit family, take week-long vacations.Im not stressed out about missing her and hubby all week. Plus I save a TON in childcare since she can stay with dad or gparents on weekends. Weekends also pay better without the stress of manegment breathing down your neck. I would highly reccomend if you have children not in school yet. They are only this little once and you will never get these years back!

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I worked weekends (fri,sat, sun nightshift) for three years and loved it. I am now not on weekends now and do not like it as much. I beg for 3 days in a row when making my schedule. I started when my kids were 3 and 5. I stopped when my kids were 6 and 8. I did not feel I missed out on much. My kids got me more often then not and weekends were used for my kids to visit relatives without me. (Hubby would take them) Money was good and I could not complain.

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Its all going to depend.

I work 2-3 weekends a month 3-11 shift. It works out well for us. A good bit of the sports and activities that the kids are in are in the morning or afternoon. Sometimes they are in the evenings but those I just miss. Since I mostly do the 2 weekends a month, I try to schedule things on the other weekends. Hubby is off every weekend, so it works out well for the child care. It would cost an arm and a leg for 5 kids!

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I can't speak to how it would work having children as I don't have any but I have worked weekends only in the past (12 hr shifts) and am gearing up for a weekend plus one day during the week baylor position for a home health agency. For me, I prefer to have off during the week as there are very few things I end up missing out on on weekends...that being said, I think, overall, working home health the days will be shorter than the 13-15 hrs at the hospital plus there is flexibility there. My position is also going to be salaried so that is nice.

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Specializes in MS, ED.

I don't have any children, so FWIW...

depends on your family situation. I worked weekends only through the summer (Fri/Sat/Sun) to fill a hole in the unit schedule and accommodate school. I thought it bearable, but definitely not ideal. My DH works 10+ hour days M-F; weekends are really our only time together and I began to resent going in every single weekend. I missed birthday parties, christenings, and most all the summery stuff friends and family planned. On my unit, it's tough to get anyone to cover you even for one weekend day. Feh.

If you can grab some time with DH and the kids during the week and don't mind giving up the weekend time, go for it! Wasn't for me but maybe a better fit for you. :)

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Specializes in Home Health.

I worked weekend night shift for 10 years and lived to regret it. I started when my son was 6 years old, missed many trips to the park, swimming, parties, and just having fun - 10 years worth, approx 520 weekends. I regret it so much. My son was killed in an auto accident when he was 22. If only I hadn't worked all those weekends. I will regret it until I die!

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I worked weekend night shift for 10 years and lived to regret it. I started when my son was 6 years old, missed many trips to the park, swimming, parties, and just having fun - 10 years worth, approx 520 weekends. I regret it so much. My son was killed in an auto accident when he was 22. If only I hadn't worked all those weekends. I will regret it until I die!

Oh, I am so sorry to hear this.

HUGS to you :redbeathe

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I worked weekend night shift for 10 years and lived to regret it. I started when my son was 6 years old, missed many trips to the park, swimming, parties, and just having fun - 10 years worth, approx 520 weekends. I regret it so much. My son was killed in an auto accident when he was 22. If only I hadn't worked all those weekends. I will regret it until I die!

I'm so sorry.... I can't imagine that sort of loss. :heartbeat

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