Is this too much or common?

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Hey everyone,

Trying to get a general consensus here...

Currently working in a flight program, which requires 15 twenty four hour shifts per month, which is quite literally HALF of my life.

I am finding this schedule to be difficult on personal life. I keep it because the experience is great, and I am in NP school, and the downtime to do homework is unbeatable. It is definitely a pro/con thing.

Is 15 24's too much? What does everyone else do? I work in a primarily fixed wing inter-facility critical care transport program.

thank you in advance!

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Specializes in Flight, ER, Transport, ICU/Critical Care.

Wait, what?

Let's look at this a couple of ways. And let me ask you a few questions.

Are you under 30?

Are you working on salary? If hourly, I hope they are paying you decently (hourly rate) not low-balling with the "we have a pile of applications from folks that will do your job for lots less money BS". If they are pulling that caca - run out of there so fast, folks might wonder if they should start following you! Literally, make it look like if there was a bomb in the building the bomb-dog wouldn't even be able to catch you you'd be running so fast! So, if you ever hear someone at your program offer the "we can always hire someone to take your job for less ... " as justification for not valuing you in any way - that's big. No do overs. Run.

As justification for: -

not compensating you fairly for the value you bring, time you commit;

not providing you with safety equipment;

not giving you time to have work/life balance in high stakes employment;

and generally, like obscenity or Mediaography, you will know what is foul when it happens. Don't justify things or try to explain things away. Just get out.

Cause see if a program treats good folks like that, how would they treat them if a situation goes sideways. Remember that.

So, hear any of the caca. Just run. Departure trigger. Really.

Serious ?'s -

Or are you hourly with OT after 40 per week? Paid every 2 weeks on 80 hours with built in OT? Paid monthly?

Next, I'm going to make an observation or three. Depending on 1) how far you live away from where you work; 2) your flight volume and acuities; 3) your flight support activities - education, PR activities and outreach required on "off days" - you are working about 5-7 flight shifts more per month than I would want to.

I would still be expecting to make around 70-75+k as line staff flight nurse in a average COL city flying 8 - 24's a month. Add education/conEd and support activities it goes up approx 5k yearly. At 15 shifts, I would expect to pull 175k+ including education/conEd because my life would belong to my employer.

Regardless, it seems like a lot to me. Flight can be punishing even when everything goes right. At that number of hours, I think you are courting badness.

YMMV.

Good Luck.

Fly Safe.

:angel:

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Specializes in ICU, Trauma, CCT,Emergency, Flight, OR Nursing.

You are working WAYYY too much and I am pretty sure they are not paying you sufficiently either. The longer shifts you work and the greater the number, the greater the chance of safety incidents occurring or medical mistakes being made. The big thing though is that is not a good or healthy work life balance, especially if you are also in ACNP school full time. You will burn out eventually . I'd definitely recommend cutting back, for your own and your patient's sake.

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