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Do most nurses only work 32 hours a week? I am a nursing student and keep getting mixed messages. Just wondering if they worked that or 40 hours a week?

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Do most nurses only work 32 hours a week? I am a nursing student and keep getting mixed messages. Just wondering if they worked that or 40 hours a week?

You are going to get varied responses from everyone. At my hospital we have 8 hr shifts. I work 56 hours every 2 weeks. This could be like I work 3 days and off for 3 then work 2 days off for 2 then work 2 days and off for 2. My schedule changes monthly, but its usually the same days on and off. I am never scheduled to work more than 3 days in a row!! Honestly, most nurses at my hospital work PART TIME!! Full time is considered 72 hours every 2 weeks. That doesn't even equal out to 40 hrs a week (fulltime is 40 a week in most jobs other than nursing). It probably depends on what hospital you decide to work in. Hope this helps!!

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I have worked two different types of schedules.....

Five 8.5-hour shifts per week = 40 hours per week

Three 12.5-hour shifts per week = 36 hours per week (but more often than not, I end up working 13 hours/day on these shifts)

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I was so mislead about nurses salaries. I calculated that and it was only 31,000 dollars a year, since St. LOuis hospitals only pay 17.00/hr. THat is hardly enough to support a family. I think I"ll be a teacher. Make more money and get the summers off

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I was so mislead about nurses salaries. I calculated that and it was only 31,000 dollars a year, since St. LOuis hospitals only pay 17.00/hr. THat is hardly enough to support a family. I think I"ll be a teacher. Make more money and get the summers off

$17.00 an hour is less than half what I make out here in California...I have only been a nurse for a year. Cost of living is probably higher out here though. So maybe it all balances out .

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Specializes in Cardiac.
I was so mislead about nurses salaries. I calculated that and it was only 31,000 dollars a year, since St. LOuis hospitals only pay 17.00/hr. THat is hardly enough to support a family. I think I"ll be a teacher. Make more money and get the summers off

The money in nursing is in the extra shift. At our hosptial, the 4th shift is overtime +$15/hr. Plus any diff (weekend, nights). So if you make $17/hr, then your 4th shift is $40.50/hr. Plus, you get 3 days off a week. I can't imagine a big city paying only $17/hr. I make more than that as a tech.

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Specializes in NICU.

I don't know about 32 hours, but there are MANY nurses that work 36 hours a week - three 12 hour shifts.

I was so mislead about nurses salaries. I calculated that and it was only 31,000 dollars a year, since St. LOuis hospitals only pay 17.00/hr. THat is hardly enough to support a family. I think I"ll be a teacher. Make more money and get the summers off

If you're basing your career decisions on money, do not be a nurse. A lot of the people who go into nursing just for the money or job security either quit or hate their jobs. You have to WANT to be nurse.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, OB/GYN, L/D, NBN.
Do most nurses only work 32 hours a week? I am a nursing student and keep getting mixed messages. Just wondering if they worked that or 40 hours a week?

I work a 2/3 split... one week I work Mon, Tues..off Weds, Thurs and work Fri, Sat, Sun...that is 48 hours one week so 40 reg hours then 8 overtime. Next week, I am off Mon-Tues, work Weds-Thurs, and off Fri-Sat-Sun...that is 36 hours. So, every paycheck I have 76 reg hours and 8 overtime.

:rolleyes:

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I was so mislead about nurses salaries. I calculated that and it was only 31,000 dollars a year, since St. LOuis hospitals only pay 17.00/hr. THat is hardly enough to support a family. I think I"ll be a teacher. Make more money and get the summers off

I work in Ohio. We start new grad RN's at 22.00/hr. There is a shift differential which could pay up to additional 1.50/hr. If you have at least a year of experience and are able to handle change, there is a resource pool which pays additional 10.70/hr. I have been a nurse for almost 8 yrs. and make 37.00/hr. It may just be were you are looking for a job. I know my cost of living is nowhere near as expensive as the west cost. We get paid fairly.

Have you ever thought about travel nursing?

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Most hospital nurses in our area are SCHEDULED for 32 hours per week. However, it is not hard to get 40, although mgmt tries to hold down overtime (over 40). Some areas like cath lab or GI lab or surgery are scheduled 40 hours, but they may work longer if a patient is still around.

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The money in nursing is in the extra shift. At our hosptial, the 4th shift is overtime +$15/hr. Plus any diff (weekend, nights). So if you make $17/hr, then your 4th shift is $40.50/hr. Plus, you get 3 days off a week. I can't imagine a big city paying only $17/hr. I make more than that as a tech.

Most people can't imagine it either when they relocate. The major hospitals in St. Louis only pay 17.00 to nurses starting out.

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When I first started work as a graduate nurse, I started out @ 16.75/hr. That was b/f I passed my NCLEX and was still on orientation. I quickly went up in pay to 20.38 base pay. I've only been an RN for a little over 3 years. I also lived in an area that was a relativelly low cost of living. That base pay didn't include night differential which was 1.75 extra an hr and weekends were 2.50/hr extra + night diff. It all depends on were you live. For that particular area, that was a pretty decent wage. Many poverty stricken people and medically indigent. Hope this helped. :)

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