Night Shift Differential

[Zee_RN]

What does your facility pay for working night shift? (I define night shift as being 7P to 7A or 11P to 7A.)

I have interviewed a few nurses lately for our ICU and each have said they won't work nights. Well, no one works steady daylight so I can't hire new people that won't work nights and tell my faithful staff that they have to pick up more nights because the new people won't!

So...I'm thinking we have to make it more attractive to work nights. Some places offer a better differential for night shifts; I read on this board somewhere about people lining up to work nights because the pay was awesome. Our facility pays a $0.75 shift differential for nights (certainly not enough to be appealing).

What does your place do? Or what would you suggest we try to make night shift more appealing? (It's tough for some, I know; I personally HATE nights but always worked my share.)

[Teshiee]

I know many facilities try to entice nurses with shift differential, and in some cases it does work for me. I make about $3.50 extra an hour. I love nights anyway. I tried to work days and literally died! For some nurses it doesn't matter how much money they will only do days.

[NurseDennie, BSN, RN]

I'm on salary now, research nurse, and I don't work any shifts per se. The last hospital I worked paid +13% for 1500-1900 and then +15% for 1900-0700.

But are you saying that you work rotating shifts????? This has been proven to be the least effective use of personnel, and the quickest way to ruin somebody's immune system, their general level of orientation and functioning in general!!!

I think it's barbaric. Yeah, some people do NOT want to work nights, but if you want to be a nurse at an institution that is staffed 24 hours a day then the new folks don't get much of a choice. On the other hand, there are always people who DO want to work nights!

I would never, ever agree to work somewhere that I was expected to rotate shifts!!!

Love

Dennie

[kaycee]

I'll also be printing this out and taking it to my next meeting with management!! We need all the help we can get.

[babsRN]

At my facility, the nurse get 2.50/hr for 3-11, 3./hr for 11-7, and and an additional 3.50 for weekend diff, regardless of shift. This rate is pretty standard for this part of Texas. Our PRNs go for 25/hr. Hope this helps...

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

We get $3.00/hour extra for night shift. No weekend differentials because we are required to work every other weekend. Isn't that nice? Hmmm, and they are frequently overstaffed on the weekends and understaffed during the week. Can't even comprehend why. But they're looking at changing that policy and making us every third weekend... (Which they've been looking at for the past 5 years)

[rosy]

As much as I like getting a shift dif (mine is 2.45, 3.10 on weekends) I really appreciate having fresh food available on shift. Several hospitals I have worked agency for have the grill open until about 2am. Also not being expected to attend meetings in the middle of the day is a definate perk which administrators (especially in small facilities) just don't understand. And how about security, shuttle service to parking lot, or secure parking, or my personal favorite adequate lighting. (I hate working in the dark, but it seems hospitals think patients rest better if the lights at the nurses station are 'subdued' Maybe extra vacation would be an attractive insentive for working nights

[kelman]

At the hospital I work at in Texas, there is not a night differential per se. The diff is $4/hr starting at 3pm. It does not increase for the night workers (11-7 or 7p-7a). This is the first time in 20 years of nursing that I've worked at a hospital without an additional night differential. The diff is $4/hr for weekends.

[thisnurse]

grouchy,

we used to get the pedicures and foot rubs but the interns at our hospital complained that it wasnt part of their job description so they stopped. residents werent very good at it.

[regnifne]

Mobile, AL

My hospital pays $2.50/hr extra for 3-11 and 11-7.

[PJF1160]

Differentials at our facility are $2.00/hr. for evenings (3p-11p) and $3.00/hr. for nights (11p-7a). All shifts, including days, get an additional $1.00/hr. for weekends. We used to pay a percentage of the base pay, but it was decided that everyone should be compensated the same amount.

[nurse110]

Boy, I need to work where most of you do because I have worked nightshift for 5 yrs and only get a .25 cent differential. I'm nightshift supervisor, too! I do 3rd shift staffing/scheduling and 50 other thing besides working the floor as the only nurse on duty. I think I'm being cheated somewhere. I think it maybe time to move on. Looks like it anyway.

[tcolleen]

Where I work, we get a 16% night differential (12 hour shifts, so there is only a day shift and a night shift). So the actual differential depends on seniority and what the base rate being paid is.