How much vacation time do you get?

[NY Nurse]

Hi All,

I am a nursing student right now but I work full time at a hospital... I work in an administrative position. I currently get 24 vacation days a year. Yes, a lot... and I love it.

My question to all of you is... as a nurse... how many vacation days do you get? I love that I get so many vacation days and I will hate it if when I become a nurse I get less vacation days.

Thanks!

(Edit: Oh, I also want to ask... how long have you been working at your job to get that much vacation time? Did you get it automatically when you started your job?)

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

It depends on your hospital. Some do separate sick and vacation banks, others have combined PTO (paid time off) banks. This can affect how much time you have. Full time is 36-40 hours a week in most places (since nurses working 3 12-hour shifts as full-time has become popular). If you work full-time, you get full-time benefits such as more sick and vacation time, plus cheaper health insurance. If you drop to part-time (anything under 36 hours a week) you get less benefits and often have to pay more for your health insurance per month.

Where I am, we get 3 weeks of vacation time a year to start. After 10 years, it jumps to 4, and after 20 years you get 5 weeks a year. We also get 2 "personal" days a year, 2 "education" days per year, 1 "doctor visit" day per year, and 9-10 "holidays" as well.

In the end, starting as a nurse in my hospital you get about 29-30 days off per year right off the bat, and that doesn't even include sick time. :)

We start getting sick time right away, a few hours per pay period, so if you need to use it it's available very soon. We can't take any vacation time for 6 months, and at that point get 1-1/2 weeks in a lump that is available to us. After that, it just builds up each pay period to equal 3 weeks per year.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

Then again, nothing too shabby either, judging by what my non-nursing friends get in the corporate world!

I often try and compare myself with my friends who have "normal" office jobs and think they have it sooooo good because they work regular hours. They tell me how sorry they feel for me that I have to work long 12-hour shifts, not to mention nights and weekends and how horrible that must be.

I always tell them that they basically have to work 260 days a year (5 days a week x 52 weeks a year) minus, say, 20 days a year for vacation time or holidays. So they work 240 days a year on average...

I work 3 12's a week (3x52=156 days a year) and when all the math is done to convert my vacation/personal/holiday time into 12-hour shifts, I still get about 20 days off per year. Soooo....

In the end, I only have to work about 136 days a year.

Now whose schedule looks better?

[FNimuaeMae]

At my current place you get 3 weeks to start... but at my old place I could accumulate PTO for vacation so I could actually schedule to take 2 weeks off every 3 months...it was nice... I miss that. (sigh)

Missy

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I work full time, 4 10 hour days per week. Every Fri-Sat-Sun off. Holidays off. 5 weeks vacation. Unlimited sick time accrued dovetailing into full pay long term disability coverage. Pension! Pay as a community health nurse is definitely less but government benefits made the job far more attractive to me.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

I work full time, 4 10 hour days per week. Every Fri-Sat-Sun off. Holidays off. 5 weeks vacation. Unlimited sick time accrued dovetailing into full pay long term disability coverage. Pension! Pay as a community health nurse is definitely less but government benefits made the job far more attractive to me.

Sweet deal! Love it. :)

[jetscreamer101]

I get 12 hours of vacation time per month and 8 hours of sick time per month. I work full time. usually around 50 hrs/week. Been there around 10 years. We also get 12 paid holidays/year. In 5 more years, I'll get 16 hours of vacation time per month.

[bsunurse]

I never realized nurses got so much vacation! What a great benefit that I was unaware of!

[Midwest4me]

I've been with my job for a tad over 2 years; I get 3 weeks' vacation. Yes, that's what I automatically started with.

[Midwest4me]

I work full time, 4 10 hour days per week. Every Fri-Sat-Sun off. Holidays off. 5 weeks vacation. Unlimited sick time accrued dovetailing into full pay long term disability coverage. Pension! Pay as a community health nurse is definitely less but government benefits made the job far more attractive to me.

WOW--I'm envious--great schedule and great time off!

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

Here in Dallas I get 11 hours per pay period (every 2 weeks) of PTO...but that's after 10 years with the same hospital...about 7 weeks give or take.

vamedic4

getting ready to study

[muffie, RN]

20 yrs=6 wks plus 12 stats

[fgoff]

After 5 years 11 hour/month. 1-5 9 hours/month. It will not increase until 10 yrs 1 day!