How soon can I ask to decrease my hours?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

So recently I just started in a new department. I'm currently a 0.9fte and still on orientation. I initially thought that working 8hrs would accommodate me taking care of a family member and providing home dialysis for them but I'm not sure since some days it runs close to 12hr. How soon is it a reasonable time to ask to decrease my hours?

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

What type of job environment do you work in? Your shifts are 8 hour but you're working 12s? I'm unclear why you're working so much over what the shift length is? Need more information.

I'm currently in the GI lab. My start time is suppose to be 7am to 3:30pm. They ask me to come in at 6am on certain days which I stopped and some days can run as late as 5:30 or 6 depending on how fast doctors are moving. I'm not obligated to stay now being on orientation but soon I'll be charge and on call where i will have to stay that late.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

So are you thinking you want to work fewer shifts? Do other nurses there work part-time?

Pretty much all the nurses are less hours than me. Most are 0.6fte and just pick up when they want. I believe my preceptor is one of the few that is a 1.0fte.

I would suggest you have a talk with them and see if this can be worked out so that you are only going to work the set amount of hours you were hired for. They knew your limited availability when they hired you so you should not feel too uncomfortable asserting yourself in this matter.

+ Add a Comment