How many weekends are you required to work?

LPN1974, LPN · Dec 21, 2004

Hi everyone, I was just curious how many weekend shifts you were required to work in a month. I have to work 4 weekend shifts per month, and in my opinion, feel that it is a lot. It seems like all my friends that are nurses in other states are required to work a lot less than that. Just curious to hear what other nurses that work in hospitals were required to work.

I work in a more long term care setting, in DD.

I work every other weekend. All the LPNs on my job get every other weekend off, and the 3 RNs are off every weekend, but they have to take call too. LPNs don't take call. I think our schedule is fair as far as weekends are concerned.

Euskadi1946 · Dec 21, 2004

In most of the acute care facilities I have worked in as an RN, we have had shared governance where we have been able to make up our own schedules and have every other weekend scheduled off.

Katnip, RN · Dec 21, 2004

We are required to work every third weekend. Both days.

Sadie04 · Dec 21, 2004

I work every 3rd weekend 12 hour shifts.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Dec 21, 2004

4 weekend days a month

eborgelt · Dec 21, 2004

We have to work 4 weekend shifts in a 4 week schedule.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Dec 21, 2004

Generally 4 weekend shifts a month equals every other weekend. But there are exceptions. I had one job where at least on night shift; Friday counted as a weekend. This same job required full-time staff to work 6 weekend shifts in 6 weeks which could be just every 3rd weekend if you worked that Fri/Sat/Sun combo. Also if you worked PRN (which I did) one only had to do 3 weekend shifts every 6 weeks, so it could be as little as one 3 day weekend every 6 weeks.

My current job I am full time and we have written standards of every other weekend, however they are not being enforced as long as we cover the schedule (we have self-scheduling). There are many nurses (such as myself) who prefer working weekends so that takes the pressure off other nurses so they don't have to work every other weekend.

I would say that every hospital nursing job I've heard of requires every other weekend except Baylor plan hospitals. I worked at one on the weekend plan (most fabulous schedule I ever had). But the flip side is that there were other nurses who ONLY worked Monday to Friday. I guess they liked that, it would have killed me!!

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 21, 2004

Like what bitty said: 4 weekend days a month. However you work it, it is up to you.

KacyLynnRN · Dec 22, 2004

We have to work every 3rd weekend where I work, 12 hr shifts on Sat. & Sun. on the weekend I work. So that equals into about 1 whole weekend a month, but occasionally depending on how the weeks fall it can be 2 weekends in one month. I feel like this is pretty good, considering some places make nurses work every other weekend. My friend who works at a different hospital only works every 6th weekend!! That must be nice!!!!

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 22, 2004

Every other weekend....

lifeisbeautiful · Dec 22, 2004

Required to work two weekends (2 days a month), but we must also sign up for 2 weekend on-call. So, basically it works out to needing to be available every weekend.