Nursing Hours

[AshD1990]

Hey everyone,

I am beginning my nursing degree in September. I know nursing is alot of shift work.. But just out of curiosity... Do you get to "choose" certain shifts at all? Or get to bid certain hours? Say if you start out doing two years of shift work on whatever shift.. As you move up in seniority do you get more input or get to select what shift you are on?

Any answers are appreciated!

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

You are hired into what shift is open, usually an off shift. Where I work, you can put in to move your shift if there are any openings, but it goes by seniority.

[brithoover]

The short answer is no. At my hospital everyone has to work a certain amount of days, nights, weekends and holidays no matter how long you have been there. I'm in non union in Canada.

If shift work isn't for you there are non hospital jobs that are mon-Fri, I did that for a year but prefer the hospital

[loriangel14, RN]

It will depend on the workplace.Where I work each position has a set schedule that is 4 weeks long and it rotates.A "line" (position) will usually contain days/evenings, days/nights with one or two straight days, evenings, or nights.Seniority doesn't give you the ability to choose your shifts but you can apply for a position when it is posted and if you have the most seniority of all the applicants you would get the position.Where I work that would require being on the job for years first.I have heard people say that new grads end up working nights but that doesn't happen where I work.

Every place will do it differently but very seldom do you get to just pick your shifts. Be prepared to work weekends and holidays. Most workplaces require that these are shared evenly.Where I work if you work Christmas day you are off for New Years Eve. The next year you switch. Even takes their turn, even the charge nurse.

[beckster_01, BSN, RN]

It always makes me laugh when people ask how much seniority I need before I can work normal hours. I tell them never, not as long as I am working at the bedside. Of course there are countless ways to branch out in this career. If I wanted regular hours that badly I could work as an outpatient nurse (clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, dialysis), I could go back to school, maybe even teach. But for direct inpatient care you are looking at nights, weekends, and holidays.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Totally depends on the workplace.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Agree with PPs. Some areas/employers do not have rotating shifts. In non-union hospitals, seniority does not give you any advantage.

[AshD1990]

That's great. Thanks everyone for your responses :)

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

I've worked a few different places and here's how they've handled schedules:

Hospital 1: You are hired for days with rotation or permanent nights. Selecting your days of the week is done first come, first serve. A scheduling book goes out a certain amount of time before the new schedule, and you write your name in slots, then the scheduler looks it over and may have to shuffle things around to meet numbers but it's generally pretty similar to what is signed up for. Day/rotation people will be rotated between day and evening shifts as needed, and it always seemed like you rotated more frequently if you were newer.

Hospital 2: You are hired in to a shift, so 7a-7p ALWAYS or 11a-11p, etc. You sign up for days you want to work prior to the new schedule and then the scheduler looks at that and completely changes everything around and you wind up with a schedule that MIGHT bear a resemblance to what you requested. Occasionally you will be rotated to another shift if there's a dire need but it's very rare for this to be done.

Hospital 3: You have a 4-12 week block schedule that repeats and is always the same. Most folks work one shift time only (ex 7a-7p M T and every other weekend, 7p-7a W Th and every other weekend, etc) but some of us had annoying rotating schedules (in my 4 week block I had day shift, mid day shift, and a night shift, all in the same week). The only time it changed was to accommodate holiday schedules as we were expected to share that commitment. Otherwise if they wanted to switch your hours, they'd ask you and you had the option of saying no.

My current job is weekend program, so I work a set schedule that is always the same. I'm very excited about this- I like the set schedule for childcare planning purposes, life planning in general. I only work one shift so no rotation (I HATE rotation. It's horrible). I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to go to a non-set schedule in the future when I need to have some weekends off for kid activities when they're older.

[ahsanm1]

Hi Ash,

I am going to start 2nd year nursing at york university in september. I was reading through the threads and saw some of your comments. I have alot of questions that I want to ask and need a helping from someone whose been through it. I was hoping you would help me out.

Thanks,