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Discussion

Nurses in terms of hours

Hello, im quite new here and i have been reading a lot of posts regarding Canadian nurses. Im currently studying BScN at York University (Toronto area) and i have few questions.

Are nurses really destined to accept the terrible hours of working nights and weekends? I mean, im not expecting 9-5 working hours but i dont expect to work at inconsistent hours every week for the rest of my carrier (hopefully i will start working when im 23-24). In your experience, is it hard to land a steady job with some consistency in your working hours? How many years or months did it take for you to find a steady job?

Also, this question is regarding legal issues. I have heard numerous accounts where nurses are getting sued or being laid off for their mistakes. Is this true and frequent in your environment? Should this be a significant concern?

Im sorry if im asking useless questions but i always found both to be a major issue when i started nursing, and i wanted to know from first hand...

Thank you in advance. :)

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    • Experts

    When you apply for a job the shifts that are involved will be in the posting.Where I work it is usually days/evenings or days/nights.It will also depend if they work 12s or 8s.You won't be forced to work nights but if you are looking for a job in this market you may have to take what you can get, including night shifts.Weekends and holidays will be a part of your schedule.Welcome to nursing.People are sick 24/7, not just 9-5.

    I have never heard of nurses getting laid off or sued for errors.If you were working in an unionized environment that really wouldn't fly and they would have a tough time getting away with it in any case.

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    Have been nursing since 1986 and until I got a job working Mon - Fri back in the UK it was taken that I would be working Nights, Weekends etc. Now working in Canada and working 12 hour shifts (that is all we really do) and work every other weekend and work a run of nights and then a run of days

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    • Experts

    Patients don't magicaly get better at 4 o'clock. SOMEbody has to provide their care in the evenings, overnight and on weekends. Entry-level jobs in nursing will involve working evenings, nights and weekends. And statutory holidays. Most hospitals expect their nursing staff to work every second Christmas, alternating with every second New Year. There are very few permanent days-only rotations (usually given to those with a LOT of seniority) because patients require care around the clock every day of the year and all of us share in that responsibility. It goes with the territory. You will have consistency in your hours. You'll be on a rotation so that you'll know in advance what shift you're working years in advance - you only need to be able to count.

    If you want a M-F, 8-4 job, you should switch faculties and go into pharmacy, physiotherapy or occupational therapy. Or go work in a bank.

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    I work permanent nights, which I love. You may be able to find a position offering permanent nights, because many people don't want nights. Permanent days are highly unlikely, until you've advanced in your career. The majority of settings expect day/night rotations. There is no getting around this in a unionized environment. The more senior nurses are given preference over the newer hires.

    Everyone works weekends when required. Nursing is 24 hour 7 days a week care. You could work years until a job comes along that fits your ideal schedule.

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    If you have a problem working shift work then nursing probably isn't for you.

    I work a mix of days/eves, sometimes 7 shifts in a row and have every other weekend off. I'm scheduled to work Xmas eve, Xmas day and Boxing day.

    My schedule isn't "inconsistent", I work the same rotation every 6 weeks. Even my pick up shifts are given to me in advance. I have plenty of time for a social life.

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    Yeah Xmas....you can guarantee that your first year, maybe even your second year at a job, you will work xmas and boxing day. I am too. I could care less, and I expected it. The new guy gets to work xmas, because other people want it off.

    I worked in hotels for years. Same thing there. Weekends, nights, holidays. I'm always amazed at people who work these environments that expect Mon to Fri 9 to 5 type schedules. Not going to happen.

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    I wanted to add that you don't need to work in a hospital/LTC setting, especially since you are getting a BScN. There are organizations out there that offer Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 if that's what you're looking for.

    - Public Health Units

    - Community Health Centres

    - Family Health Teams

    - Schools

    - Doctor's office

    - Canadian Blood Services

    - Occupational Health (ie: Paramed)

    - Community Care Access Centres

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    Emmy: I don't know where you work in Canada but the first four jobs you listed are all covered by our provincial health services body. Which means they are unionized and guess what? Seniority and staff needing accommodations get those positions.

    Basically, the OP will be looking at the CBS, private companies and possibly research positions.

    School nurses are employed by our provincial health services, so seniority again comes into play.

    Most doctors offices don't hire RNs. They hire LPNs or NPs.

    And having said that, hospital experience is usually required for most of the jobs.

    The vast majority of nurses are indeed employed in the hospital setting and shifts are a nasty part of that.

    In the last four years, I've worked two Christmas and two New Years. Guess where I am this year??

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    I work in Ontario for a public health unit. We don't have anything like AHS to regulate everyone.

    If you are hired as a public health nurse or registered nurse at any of the first three that I mentioned (public health unit, community health centre, family health team), you work 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday, start with 4 weeks paid vacation, and although you are unionized and there is seniority, it only affects lay offs and vacation scheduling since everyone works the same hours.

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    Ohh but we get double time on Xmas and time and a half on Boxing Day. I might just pick up New Years Day if I don't have a date for New Years Eve ;) I gotta save for that trip to Mexico on my scheduled 11 days off.

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    I work in Ontario for a public health unit. We don't have anything like AHS to regulate everyone.

    If you are hired as a public health nurse or registered nurse at any of the first three that I mentioned (public health unit, community health centre, family health team), you work 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday, start with 4 weeks paid vacation, and although you are unionized and there is seniority, it only affects lay offs and vacation scheduling since everyone works the same hours.

    That may be true for where you work, Emmy, but the majority of new grads in Canada are not getting those jobs right now. In a few years when things turn around, it may be different. However, for the last few years, most new grads take the work available, and it isn't Mon to Fri. For Canadian Blood Services, they usually require experience. I've seen their ads.

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    • Experts

    Yeah it's the same in my area. They want plenty of experience for those jobs and they are hard to get even with experience.

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