Is a year a year if you only work part time?

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 23, 2015

Whether "a year is a year" is a subjective opinion -- and that will vary from person to person. I think that you will find some hiring managers who will count it as a full year, but others who are skeptical that you received the full value of "a year's experience."

Personally, based on my experience in staff development over a period of 3 decades, I would count 1 year of very part time work as about 1/2 to 2/3 of a year in terms of professional development and mastery of the staff nurse role. That's a little more than the actual worked hours suggest, but not as much as a true full year's worth of learning experiences. I would use a compromise figure.

Sometimes, new grads who work only part time "just don't get it." They never quite "gell" in their performance because they are not at work on any consistent basis. With so much time off in between shifts, they don't develop the skills, judgment, and confidence that full-times develop over the course of 12 months. Of course, there are others who are quick-learners and/or have had other life experiences which enable to them to progress at a normal pace (or near normal) even though they only work part time. There is no hard and fast rule that is true for every individual.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Jul 23, 2015

The easiest way to compute this is by using a conversion factor for Full Time Equivalent (FTE). In most organizations, an FTE = 2080 hours (52 weeks X 40 hours). A 36 hour per week position would be a 0.9 FTE. So - one year of experience would = approximately 2000 hours if you subtract 2 weeks of vacation.

If you're only working 1000 hours per year, you would amass only 1/2 the clinical experience of a full-time person during a comparable time period. This is why my organization does not place new grads into anything but full-time positions... because it adds too much time to the developmental period.

tsm007 · Jul 23, 2015

Thanks! Since I'm not in a huge hurry to move from this place and the schedule is working well for me I think I will figure out how long I will have to work there for the equivalent of 1 year. This way I know I've got at least 1 year and maybe a little extra. I was kind of thinking a year wouldn't be a year.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Jul 23, 2015

When resume time came, honestly I'd put 08/01/2014--current (or whatever is applicable) and it will show one year time at that position. I don't feel it's dishonest, you HAVE been employed there for a year. Once the actual interview happens and the actual hours comes up, I would never lie then, but wording it the way I did above is completely truthful!

Now there may be some that disagree with my logic, but truthfully, I've never put PT or FT on a job resume OR application and the amount of hours worked has never come up either.

caliotter3 · Jul 23, 2015

I have only ever put dates on my resume. However, I have, on job applications, indicated that a certain position was part time in my description of the job, such as using the term, "fill-in basis". The specifics have never been questioned.

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Jul 23, 2015

I suppose it can bite you in the butt if you're hired and the expectation is you have a "year's" experience but really only have half of that. You may not get the orientation you really need and will look like a slow learner when you really just haven't had the experience.

toERortonot · Aug 7, 2015

I have only ever put dates on my resume. However, I have, on job applications, indicated that a certain position was part time in my description of the job, such as using the term, "fill-in basis". The specifics have never been questioned.

i second this... at my current facility, i can put in at least 72 hours a week (if i wanted to do so) because of staffing issues.