working the weekend option

[guyRNstudent]

hi everyone, i'm in my last semester of nursing school(will be done in dec) and i'm very interested in working weekends(only). i know that i will have to work regular days/hrs for some time b4 i can even be considered for this. but my question is what areas of nursing offer the most chances for this shift? i'm mainly interested in doing psych nursing now. how many of you work the weekend option? what are the pros/cons you have found with this shift? thanks a lot for any feedback you can provide!!

Anson

[sjoe]

"what areas of nursing offer the most chances for this shift?"

Well, ANY facility that runs 24/7 needs weekend people. After you have gained a year or so experience, you will find many openings available, including agency work, if you like to work weekends.

I am no longer interested in doing so, but some advantages are:

1) having week days to do banking, chores, attending classes, getting car worked on, etc.

2) going to the movies, hiking, etc. during weekdays when crowds are not in the way

3) being paid for more hours than one works (in some cases)

4) scarcity of administrators and supervisors looking over one's shoulder (and freaking out under any and every kind of stress--imagined or otherwise)

Some disadvantages:

1) if someone does not show up for work, there are few people to call to replace him/her (which can mean either "working short" or mandatory overtime, depending on the facility)

2) limited support functions ("oh, that department is closed on weekends")

3) a more limited social life.

My personal favorite is part-time or per-diem weekday evening shifts only, since I don't like to get up early.

To each his own, and since your preference is something that most people don't want to do, you have more options than you would have otherwise.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

My husband and I worked every weekend for years. We worked in the same ICU, and he'd work Thursday, Saturday and Sunday while I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That way we each had a day to ourselves and three days a week to play! It was fantastic! Now he has this Monday - Friday job in the Cath Lab, and I really miss our old lifestyle. (I'm working every other weekend now, so I rarely see him. He's on call 1/3, so we get about 1/6 weekends off together!)