question regarding nursing pay

[srleslie]

Most nurses in hospitals work 36 hours a week...do they get paid for 36 or actually get paid for 40?

[Emergency RN]

In my institution, 37.5 hours is considered a full work week. Anything worked in excess of that is paid at time and a half (overtime).

The French have been wrestling with this "what is a work week" issue for years, at last count, scuttling their traditional 35 Hour work week as being too expensive to maintain. So in essence, your employer has to decide the number of hours that it finds most advantageous towards productivity versus employee satisfaction and retention. World wide, most weekly hours range between 35 to 45 hours per week, with 2-5 weeks annual holiday.