No weekend nsg jobs- any ideas?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2008

:welcome: Welcome to our online community!

Nursing homes do not appeal to many people as the ideal workplace, but they are absolutely wonderful places of employment for nurses who do not enjoy working on weekends.

As a floor nurse, I work Monday through Friday from 6am to 2pm, with all weekends off. Nurse managers generally work Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm with all weekends off. If you desperately do not want to work on Saturdays and Sundays, this is something you might wish to consider. Good luck to you!

Dolce, RN · Apr 22, 2008

All surgery is Monday through Friday. This includes circulating, scrubs, pre-op, post-op, and PACU. However, there is call associated with most OR jobs. Office nursing is Monday through Friday without call. Home health is generally Mon-Fri with fewer weekends because most clients are not scheduled for the weekend.

GingerSue · Apr 22, 2008

if you work for an agency then you let them know when you are available for working

annaedRN, RN · Apr 22, 2008

Routinely working in a home health agency such as your local VNA is mostly M-F. I have on-call on the weekends every 5th-6th weekend but do not actually work any weekends... but each agency is set up different. I love the schedule, but I love the job even more! Good luck to you!

Reno1978, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2008

The only jobs I've seen in my town that are M-F are surgery centers, public health, and some positions at the psych hospital.

imenid37 · Apr 23, 2008

How about school nursing?

labcat01, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2008

What about hospitals with a dedicated weekend staff? Some hospitals use the "Baylor Plan" where there is a separate staff to cover the weekend shifts. You would still have to work holidays that fell during the week.

rn4ever? · Apr 23, 2008

Hello, I work in a Psychiatric Unit/Behavioral Health Unit and I don't work Sat and Sun at all. They have Baylor (weekend) nurses who cover for it.

Hey everyone,
I graduated from nsg school about a year ago and have been working in a rehab hospital. Although I LOVE complex medical (floor) nursing, my family is just not adjusting to the weekends...and quite frankly, neither am I. I appreciate that nursing has limitless possibilities and that it often offers a flexible work schedule, but I guess as a student I never acknowledged the fact that weekends/holidays would have to be sacrificed. I really need to find a job that has few/ no weekends. Any ideas?

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2008

I'm a community health/public safety nurse and I work (full time) Monday through Thursday. NO weekends/night/holidays/on-call/supervising others/covering maternity leaves!

Be prepared to be competitve with your job hunt. You may be able to stroll into a hospital and get a job without much effort but there is competition for a lot of regular hour and schedule nursing jobs. Also, give yourself some time. Check government job listings in your area. Apply, apply, apply. My current job? It was my 20th state job application in 9 years. It just happened that my skill set exactly matched what they needed.

I have nurses calling me every week asking when I am going to retire so they can apply for the job. Now that's ambition.

Best wishes to you. Remember every skill you acquire could make you a better applicant for your dream job!

miko014 · Apr 23, 2008

All surgery is Monday through Friday. This includes circulating, scrubs, pre-op, post-op, and PACU.

Not so where I work. They do some surgeries on the weekends - mostlty emergencies, but still. Also PACU works weekedns because of other procedures that require anesthesia that might be done on weekends.

Be prepared to take a very large pay cut going to M-F work. It is possible to find something relatively comparable, but not very likely. Office nursing could be more up your alley. Good luck!

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2008

Be prepared to take a very large pay cut going to M-F work. It is possible to find something relatively comparable, but not very likely.

Yes! I forgot to add this to my post and it is a very important point. I'm sure someone here found a job that was routine hours/fabulous pay but not in my experience. Employers know that nurses want regular schedules and that they are willing to take a hit to get them. They also know that unlike a hospital environment, they may have many RNs applying for a single position.

I took a very large paycut for my M-R job. I've since made it up in wage increases and benefits but it was a life-impacting salary reduction at the time. I'm head of household salary-wise so everyone suffered. Only you and your situation can determine if it is worth it.