Hi everyone. I have gotten into a nursing program beginning this fall. I'm feeling very excited to get started. However, now that it is a reality, I am starting to really think about the logistics of the 3 days a week/12 hour shifts and wondering just how family-friendly a nursing career is.
When you start out, are you able to have a set schedule? Would it be hard to find a job with the 7pm-7am shifts on Fri/Sat/Sun every week? (My husband works long days but only Mon-Thursday.) Or are shifts always rotating and changing week by week? Is there a good amount of flexibility, or am I dreaming?
I know there are probably many different scenarios, but is it unreasonable to think it's a possibility to make something like the above schedule work?
I know there will be times when life doesn't fall perfectly into place, but I am hoping for something that works most of the time. Please let me know if I am being unrealistic. :)
ETA: I'm sorry if this is in the wrong forum. I thought it was a question best to ask experienced nurses but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have posted here without actually being a nurse...?
Generally speaking, most employers in the US are unwilling to spend the money to train and orient a new grad who only wants to work part-time. In exchange for their investment in your training, they'll want a full-time commitment.
Most part-time positions in my city are offered to experienced nurses who started as full-time, but opted to change their status to part-time. So after a year of working full-time, you can perhaps request to switch to part-time status.
It really depends on the facility and their hiring needs at the time you graduate. I am assuming you are going into an RN program.
I was lucky and was hired into a facility that was expanding and needed a dozen RNs, stat. I got to pick my shift and my days. Research the hospitals in your area and look on their websites for community announcements about what's going on with their future plans. If any of them are expanding, I would look into those first, as they will have more holes to fill.
In general, the shift you want is the shift everyone else hates, so you will probably have good luck getting that. A number of hospitals offer special positions for weekenders, where you will work every weekend and get a higher pay rate. You usually only get two call-outs without consequences, though.
I second the weekend doubles at LTC and LTAC facilities. There are a lot of people who do it through school and keep doing it to be with their families once they graduate.
However, realize that most family gatherings, little league games, etc, are on Saturdays and you should be sleeping so you are not a danger to your patients. You may have to miss out on a lot of these.
For example, I have been to one family Thanksgiving function out of a dozen in the last six years because they have all been scheduled when I work (and getting out of a holiday weekend is nearly impossible). And, I had to switch with three people and work an extra shift for two weeks so that my husband and I could visit his family in MI for Christmas one year. So, keep that in mind.
Another thing to remember is that when you first start, your schedule is the same as your preceptor's. You have no control over that while you are on orientation. Depending on your facility, that can be as long as 12 weeks or as short as 1. (In LTC, I have heard stories of only a shift or two).
Generally, especially on days, you can request certain shifts, but your schedule is up to the scheduler and you may have as many as 50% of your shifts moved around to fit staffing needs. I have had jobs where they moved 60-80% of my days because I was the new girl.
If you do end up getting your weekend shift, get it in writing from your manager or scheduler (e-mail is fine) that this is your set schedule. They will still try to get you to move around and fill in shifts.
As far as part-time, that's not usually available for new grads, as The Commuter said. Even if it is, it's not that great of an idea for your professional development. Full time will help you learn.
There is so much variability that the question can only be answered as a maybe. Where I work there are very few full-time staff, most are 24-36 hour a week positions. Of the few new nurses we've hired the highest work status has been 4 8-hour shifts per week. Some units in my hospital are all 12 hours, some are a mix of 8 and 12's. We don't do self scheduling but you can request days off and days to work but not too many requests. Seniority and staff mix is the determining factor.
Some people like 12 hour shifts with young children as you do not need daycare as many days per week but unless you have someone else who can take or pick up your kids you need day care avail to watch your kids for 13+ hours on the days you work.
I worked 24 hours a week 4p-12 while my kids were young, non set schedule. Most of the time grandma watched the kid 2 days a week from 3-5p until when my husband got home, the other day was a weekend day. If she wasn't available it was really hard to find some one willing to do a not set schedule, sporadic day care schedule.
I wouldn't have traded my evening position for anything while my kids were young. During the summers when they were off of school I got to do lots of fun things before I had to go to work the 3 days a week and I got to volunteer at there school and go on field trips during the school year. My husband was always a very hands on dad. He didn't "babysit" his kids, he was their parent, just like I was the first half of the day.
You need to look way ahead and know when special events are like "Back to school night" etc and request those shifts off.
Holidays always seemed to work out for me. We had enough people who wanted to work all the holidays$$$$ and enough who wanted New Years Eve off more than Xmas eve.
Some non nursing friends couldn't stand doing the work hours I've done, I couldn't stand doing the M-F 9-5 grind.
My employer has been very fair. No last minute surprises once the schedule is posted. I've heard horror stories on AN about people whose schedule gets changed at the last minute, that wouldn't happen where I work.
It's all about supply and demand. Does the employer have a need for your availability? Then yes. From experience, I will say that you are more likely to find a facility that is willing to let you work every weekend than have every weekend off, especially as a new grad. After you have experience you will have more job opportunities and if you work per diem can make your own schedule.
mama12
22 Posts
Thank you. That makes perfect sense to me.