Part-time nurse

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I am a Behavioral Health Nurse working 40 hours per week Mon-Fri. I am thinking of going from full to part-time working only 24 hours per week. I need more time off for personal reasons. What is the best way to go about it with my Nurse Manager? Do I first need to find a part-time position in our unit or could I just tell her that I'm lessening my hours of work? Has any one been on the same boat? Any suggestions? Thanks.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

It depends on how your dept works. Mine won't allow you to go PT unless there is a PT position open. Sounds dumb, but that's how it is. Check with your manager and find out what the rules are.

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Hello.

I am part time now. I work 8 shifts a month (12.5 hrs.)

When I was FT I was getting burned out. I was very stressed out and unhappy. My husband is supportive and wants me to be happy, so we agreed to reduce my hours.

I left my NM a note stating that when she had a minute I would like to talk to her about per diem or part time. We met and I told her the truth. She totally understood and actually noticed that I wasn't myself lately. We agreed on part time. She said she'd rather reduce my hours than lose me.

I am much happier now. I still get stressed at work, but the fewer shifts make a world of difference. Everyone has commented that I look so happy and they are glad for me. I no longer dread work, as I have more days off and I am no longer a slave to "the schedule"

After the summer I might go back to school, or pick up hours somewhere else who knows.

Good luck to you, I hope it works out.

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Specializes in med/surg, ortho, rehab, ltc.

My hosp has the same policy as RunnerRN. They will only let us apply for part-time if there is a position posted. However they will allow someone in your situation to go PRN, Per-Deim or to our hospital-wide RN float pool.

I think the rationale as to why they want RN's go PRN, float or per deim is they save a ton of money on benefits and medical insurance that part-timers are eligible for.

Funny thing you mentioned this b/c I once asked a Psych RN in my hosp about this & she said trying to go part-time in her dept is like pulling teeth. Sad, the NM and powers that be in her behavioral health dept will only allow full-time or prn.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

Its in our union contract that if you want to reduce your hours they have to let you, but not necessarily on the same unit. I'd talk to your manager first and explore the options. Do you want a change in environment, or are you happy where you are but just want fewer hours?

As Tangerine said, they may be willing to reduce hours rather than lose you. And my hats off to anyone that can do Behavioral Health!:bow::bow:

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Thank you RunnerRN, Tangerine Lipgloss, lyceeboo, and JBudd for your insightful thoughts. I actually want to go part-time mainly for personal reasons ---but I will not deny that I'm feeling burned out too being on the floor 8 hours/day---40 hours/wk. If I can reduce it to 24 hours, I can stay for many many years. Here, I asked about how I should go about it with my Nurse Manager too since we are always short-staffed and it's not easy for them to find a replacement to work in our unit. It could work both ways for me if I ask for the part-time position---I'm thinking the NM might not want to lose her staff and might grant me my "wish" to go part-time---or she could also say she'd find someone who will work full time for her. Thanks so much for your input. Any other thoughts?

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Specializes in med/surg, ortho, rehab, ltc.

I'll preface this to say this is ONLY MY OPINION.

I know it's not the answer you wanted but I was trying to be very honest in my reply. Good luck AND PLEASE let us know if she says yes. That would give me some hope of finding a similiar job!

Anyway all you can do is ask your co-workers if anyone has ever been allowed to go part-time. IF you ask the NM & she says no you run the risk of looking less professional in her eyes. That's just how business works. They call it "the mommy track."

Yrs ago when I asked the DON of an LTC where I had been a loyal, hard-working RN for 1 yr if I could go to 4 8 hr night/wk instead of 5...not only did she say no but I was treated differently from then on. She started giving me more weekends than the others & I always got the hardest hall. She started treating me like I was second class. When I couldn't do all the weekends she kept scheduling me for I put in my notice. She lost a good, very hard-working night nurse just b/c she didn't want me to go part-time! Funny but it still upsets me when I think of how she acted. I guess she thought there was an oversupply or RN's willing to do 4 NIGHTS/ week in her nursing home with no benefits.

AGAIN this is only MY opinion from my exp in one management position, what happened to me early in my career at that LTC.......And from my own search for a part-time job with benefits in psych or at least outside of the hospital.

Personally I think you're asking for a situation many Rn's would love to have & they would be able to avoid burn-out and stay at their jobs for many yrs.

Part-time behavioral health 24hr/ wk with benefits and no weekends, night or holidays. (I'd give almost anything for a job like that b/c I'd have more time and energy to spend with my family and wouldn't burn-out and switch jobs every 2 yrs.)

IMO NM will know that she can find an RN ready to leave med/surg or acute for a psych day job. The 12 hrs of hi liability short staffed shifts on my med/surg unit burn our nurses out quickly. I can only speak for myself but it's hard to get RN jobs in my area with holidays, nights & weekends off.

I'm not being mean to you but if you've never seen a 24/wk RN working 4 hr days in your psych clinic then she'll prob say no.

Pls don't forget to post if she says yes. Again good luck.

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talk with nm and explain situation..don't be demanding, give respect for the position that she holds, but don't imply that this is just something that you would like to do but that this is something that you have to do whether at current facility or elsewhere

in a two income family one can maintain needed benefits and the other can take a sabbatical or cut back on hours

burnout is the probably the most frequent complaint that nurses have and when you hit the wall it takes you a long time to rebound

good luck

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Specializes in Brain injury,vent,peds ,geriatrics,home.

I too am a behavoiral nurse!Not a lot of us it seems.I personally work every weekend 20 hours total each week and PRN when the other two nurses are sick or vacation or need a day off ITs great!!!.I was originally hired in at 16 hours a week,but kept pushing for more time.Im lucky to do this.I love my job and the flexibility that comes with it.I guess you would speak to your DON.

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Finally got a new schedule. I politely talked to my Manager and explained the circumstances behind it. She allowed me to work 3 twelve hour shifts (starting at 7am) weekly, full-time, with benefits, but no week-ends. Thank God! It is a better schedule than the eight hour, five days a week thing---it caused me to burn-out! Thanks everyone for your opinion and words of wisdom.

I'll preface this to say this is ONLY MY OPINION.

I know it's not the answer you wanted but I was trying to be very honest in my reply. Good luck AND PLEASE let us know if she says yes. That would give me some hope of finding a similiar job!

Anyway all you can do is ask your co-workers if anyone has ever been allowed to go part-time. IF you ask the NM & she says no you run the risk of looking less professional in her eyes. That's just how business works. They call it "the mommy track."

Yrs ago when I asked the DON of an LTC where I had been a loyal, hard-working RN for 1 yr if I could go to 4 8 hr night/wk instead of 5...not only did she say no but I was treated differently from then on. She started giving me more weekends than the others & I always got the hardest hall. She started treating me like I was second class. When I couldn't do all the weekends she kept scheduling me for I put in my notice. She lost a good, very hard-working night nurse just b/c she didn't want me to go part-time! Funny but it still upsets me when I think of how she acted. I guess she thought there was an oversupply or RN's willing to do 4 NIGHTS/ week in her nursing home with no benefits.

AGAIN this is only MY opinion from my exp in one management position, what happened to me early in my career at that LTC.......And from my own search for a part-time job with benefits in psych or at least outside of the hospital.

Personally I think you're asking for a situation many Rn's would love to have & they would be able to avoid burn-out and stay at their jobs for many yrs.

Part-time behavioral health 24hr/ wk with benefits and no weekends, night or holidays. (I'd give almost anything for a job like that b/c I'd have more time and energy to spend with my family and wouldn't burn-out and switch jobs every 2 yrs.)

IMO NM will know that she can find an RN ready to leave med/surg or acute for a psych day job. The 12 hrs of hi liability short staffed shifts on my med/surg unit burn our nurses out quickly. I can only speak for myself but it's hard to get RN jobs in my area with holidays, nights & weekends off.

I'm not being mean to you but if you've never seen a 24/wk RN working 4 hr days in your psych clinic then she'll prob say no.

Pls don't forget to post if she says yes. Again good luck.

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