Part time nursing

Katnip, RN · Mar 13, 2003

Not exactly sure. I know around here, they hire new grads for weekends only. And pay really well for it.

It would depend, too on the type of orientation you get. They might require a few weekday classes.

RNonsense · Mar 13, 2003

omg...I would think an employer would be thrilled to have someone that wanted only weekends!! I'm not sure about your state, but here in Canada new grads can work "Casual" (per diem) and state their availability for whatever they want...

nicudaynurse · Mar 13, 2003

It shouldn't be a problem for you to work just weekends. Many hospitals have weekend advantage programs. To get your experience and training though you may have to work during the week as well. Not sure what area you want to go into, but internships may last several months.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 13, 2003

You probably won't like this answer, but .... Have you called the employers you are interested in? At my hospital, we would not hire a new grad for a VERY part time only position because we believe that new grads need a little continuity to make that transition to "independent" practice. We might consider someone who wanted to work "almost" full time, particularly if they had lots of relevant experience as a student.

Also, we have required orientation classes that are during the week. There is no getting around that even if you have years of experience.

llg

Dr. Kate, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2003

I agree with llg and the same goes for my facility.

Having said that, with 12 hour shifts, you might find a place that was willing to put you on 7p-7a Thurs, Fri and Sat. That would be full time (and still give you a bit of a weekend.) That was the schedule I went to during my second year in library school when I was working FT, taking 18 units and doing a 20hr/week internship. It's a great deal for the hospital. And when I asked for a rare weekend off, no one had a leg to stand on to deny it to me.

As a new grad what you need most is real world experience and lots of it. It is to your advantage to get as much continuity as possible in your experience.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 14, 2003

Another factor that the answer depends upon is: "What type of nursing are you most interested in?"

The hospital I work for is an acute care pediatric hospital. If the patients were stable, they would be at home. Therefore, almost all of the patients are either intensive care level or intermediate care patients. They are vulnerable, fragile, and need care-givers who can handle rapidly changing situations. That's one reason our orientations for even our "general care floors" are 10-12 weeks long. (Intensive care unit orientations are typically 16-18 weeks long.) It's also why we feel so strongly about the need for full-time employment until after the new nurse has become truly competent.

A hospital or unit with a population of very stable patients and/or patients with low acuity might be more open to hiring a new grad in a part time capacity.

Another group of employers who would be interested in hiring new grads for part time work would be hospitals who are desparate. But then, if they are truly desparate for nurses, you should be asking yourself, "Why?" They might not be the best places to work.

llg

Dublin37 · Mar 14, 2003

Hey Marilyn, I am soooo glad you asked that particular question. I have often wondered about part time myself. You must have kids like me. My goal is to work 2, 12 hour shifts each week. The per diem sounds perfect to me, but I want to make sure I still get good precepting/training. I haven't started nursing school yet, so it will still be a couple of years for me before I have to worry about it. I'm hoping to work in Peds or Neonatal. So........ we'll see what I can get.

Good luck, Heather

SN Gone Crazy · Mar 14, 2003

Hi Marilynmom

Another place that I have heard is pretty flexible and pay a really good salary are nursing agencies, but I don't know what there policies are on graduate nurses. Still, it might be something worth checking into.

I Know God Will Not Give Me More Than I Can Handle. I Just Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much. _ Mother Theresa

Cynthiann · Mar 14, 2003

Originally posted by llg
Another factor that the answer depends upon is: "What type of nursing are you most interested in?"

The hospital I work for is an acute care pediatric hospital. If the patients were stable, they would be at home. Therefore, almost all of the patients are either intensive care level or intermediate care patients. They are vulnerable, fragile, and need care-givers who can handle rapidly changing situations. That's one reason our orientations for even our "general care floors" are 10-12 weeks long. (Intensive care unit orientations are typically 16-18 weeks long.) It's also why we feel so strongly about the need for full-time employment until after the new nurse has become truly competent.

A hospital or unit with a population of very stable patients and/or patients with low acuity might be more open to hiring a new grad in a part time capacity.

Another group of employers who would be interested in hiring new grads for part time work would be hospitals who are desparate. But then, if they are truly desparate for nurses, you should be asking yourself, "Why?" They might not be the best places to work.

llg

About how long would it take until you can consider a new nurse competent? I am in the same situation as Marilyn, where I have kids and will be continuing my education so I would prefer to work only weekends at some point. But I am more than willing to work fulltime for a few months or even 6-months to a year to be able to work weekends. I would personally prefer to get in to critical care also.

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Mar 14, 2003

Thanks for your responses. I was wondering how I would get my oreintation and all that done if I worked just the weekends (two 12 hour shifts Sat and Sun). I guess after your first year of being a nurse you have more flexibility with how many hours, etc.

I do think in order to make any sort of money here you have to work for an agency, they pay $30 an hour here but you need one year experience.

Marilyn

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 14, 2003

Originally posted by Cynthiann
About how long would it take until you can consider a new nurse competent? I am in the same situation as Marilyn, where I have kids and will be continuing my education so I would prefer to work only weekends at some point. But I am more than willing to work fulltime for a few months or even 6-months to a year to be able to work weekends. I would personally prefer to get in to critical care also.

At the hospitals in which I have worked, few new grads can be considered "competent" enough to work less than 24 hours per week until at least 9 months. A year of full time experience would be preferred.

One thing that can help is to either work as a nursing assistant in the same type of unit before you graduate that you wish to work in afterwards. Special school projects, senior-year preceptorships, etc. can also help.

How soon you would be "allowed" to go part time would depend on how well you impress them with your abilities in that first few months. My experience is that there is some flexibility. There are usually some general guidelines, but they can be flexible if you are a great employee.

llg