Just a Quick Question

Where I work, FTE is 0.9, meaning they work 3-12 hour shifts/week. This is considered full time positioning for employment benefit purposes. We are paid for the hours we actually work. And we are be paid any differentials that apply, e.g. night/evening shifts, weekend/holiday differentials.

A 0.6 FTE is a person who works 2-12 hour shifts/week. Same thing. They are paid by the hour and all differentials apply the same way.

Most places will pay you based on the 36 hours worked - FT usually refers tothe benefits you are entitled to. HEalthcare benefits, vacation time, etc. Unless it is part of an incentive program where they actually said you will be getting paid for 40 hours.

Thanks! I think I do get paid for the hours I will be working. Not anything extra.

I was also wondering whether or not to invest in a stethoscope. Is it okay to use an adult stethoscope on a newborn? Will it be as accurate as a pediatric one? Since I will be assessing both mothers and their babies.

on sort of the same note, is it hard to find a job in nursing that does not work on the weekends?? lots of nurses i talked to told me to be ready to work holidays and weekends!..

It is quite difficult to find a hospital job that does not entail weekend, holiday, and night shift work. That is the nature of the beast so yes, be prepared to work these times.

Where I work, FTE employees are required to work 2 weekends a month. Per Diem personnel are required to work 2 weekend shifts a month. Also, we rotate major holidays. One year, for example, we may have to work Christmas Day, and if so, the next year, we will have it off (if we choose, as some people do not mind working these holidays for the differential). They keep track of who worked when to keep it fair for everyone. Seniority (where I work anyhow), does not trump all when it comes to holiday work, but it certainly does when it comes to working nights versus dayshift. Especially in places like OB, as a new nurse, you can expect to start on the night shift and be there for a while, as turnover is often very slow in this specialty. In each of the 4 hospitals in which I have worked, there were nurses who were in those units in excess of 20 years! Sometimes, a dayshift position did not come open for years.

The good news is, most places pay pretty decent differentials for weekend/night and holiday work-----for instance, night shift diff is 15% where I am.

If you are unwilling or unable to work weekends, you might want to cast your net for employment possibilities in a direction other than hospitals or LTC and/or hospice. Look for dr office work, perhaps. Also, a possibility is ambulatory, GI lab or same-day surgery nursing. But these places usually require you have prior acute-care experience, first. And even these places require people to take call on weekends on a rotating basis, where I am.

Good luck!

Regarding the stethoscope--if its a good quality, it should not make too much of a difference if you use adult or ped. I use my littman and it is fine.

Do you have a specific suggestion as to which type of Littman?

Do you have a specific suggestion as to which type of Littman?

I have the select 2.

I use a Sprague type stethoscope; it has two heads and comes with different sizes of heads: adult and pediatric diaphram and adult, pediatric and infant cups. So I use it with the adult diaphragm and the infant cup

Thanks for the suggestions. The stethoscope I have now is too heavy and its also difficult to hear certain sounds. I will definitely invest in another before starting work.

I have two Littman's that were gifts when I graduated. Both are more than adequate for newborns...

I have Littman Type 2 and a Cardiology. Both are great. I would not getting anything cheaper. A bottom-of-the -the line Littman is better than anything else I have ever used. (and I have used many in 10 years)......

But before you spend a single dime on a steth, check to be sure you are even allowed to bring your own in. Some places will not allow "outside stethoscopes" in their nurseries. Check to be sure this is not true where you will work, before you spend a lot of money on one you can't use.