Working Hours??

whipping girl in 07, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I've been working nights for almost a year and I find it works well if you have a school aged child and a spouse who's home at night. I work 12 hour shifts, so I work 3 nights one week, 4 the next. I get to pick my son up from school every afternoon and have dinner with my family before I go to work. It works well for us.

emily_mom · Nov 2, 2002

I also work 3 12's on the night shift. I'm home to get my daughter off to school, and I'm home to get her off the bus. I like the fact that I have 4 days off a week to spend with them. It works out well for us.

melissa24 · Nov 2, 2002

Alie,

The most common 8-hour shifts are 7a-3p, 3p-11p, 11p-7a.

The most common 12-hour shifts are 7a-7p and 7p-7a. With these, some places consider a 36-hour week full time; other places make you pick up an extra 4 hours each week.

Keep in mind that nursing is soooo diverse in scheduling options.

You could work part-time, 4-hour shifts, etc. I was an education major several years ago, and one of the reasons I switched to nursing was because my children were young and I realized that nursing would allow me to be much more flexible with my schedule. Ten years later, I have definitely found that to be true.

One of my friends with a baby works weekends only, 12-hour shifts, so she is home with her baby all week, and her husband watches the baby on the weekends. Some places are so in need of weekend help that they will offer weekends only at the same pay rate and benefits as those who work FT. I have another friend who did this as well...it seems to be a great option for moms with young families.

Best of luck to you.

Texagain · Nov 2, 2002

I work every Monday and every other Saturday, and pick up an extra shift on occasion. My husband pays the large bills and I pay the small ones. I have a first grader and a pre-schooler, and I have been doing this for several years now so I could stay home with the kids.

I would like a (don't laugh) job from 9 - 2, M-F, and I'm going to talk to a home health agency on Monday about it. This is mostly because I may not keep my husband (he's a jerk), but the origional plan included me returning to work when the little one started school.

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I worked 12 hr night shifts when my children were small, I could have supper with them and my husband put them to bed. I got them up for school in the a.m. and was up when they came home from school.

When the oldest 2 were about 12 or 13, I went to day shift 12 hrs and then I was home at night. They called me at work and checked in the afternoon.

Now that they are grown, I go back and forth between 12 hr day shifts, and sometimes that gets old so I do 8 hr shifts, mostly 3 to 11 which I really like better.

jschut, BSN, RN · Nov 2, 2002

I work 7p-7a. I enjoy it. Seems to work out well for our family. Right now, the only hard part is that our eldest daughter and grandson are staying with us and I have to take her to work, then stay up tp get my grandson on the bus before I can go to sleep (he goes at 11:30am), so I don't get laid down till about noon and that shoots the rest of my day with my kids.

But we'll get through it, we always do!

Best of luck finding something to suit your hours! :)