Shift Schedule

Pretty much every Cdn nurse works rotating shifts. You have x number of A (day shifts) and x number of B shifts (nights).

The only hospital nurses that don't do shifts are educators or work in outpatients units.

Factor in you would be a new hire if you can find a job and you'd have the less desirable rotations.

Right. As a new hire, you'd work mainly evenings and nights wherever you work. The Canadian system works on seniority. New hires have no say in their shift patterns. Or, you could maybe find a job in a clinic of some sort that operates on days.

Tank you for the answers. It's tough. Now, it makes me think if I want to go into the rotating shifts. Are there any changes to the system in the motion?

No because the system is largely based on seniority. Most places are Unionized and everyone has a set rotation. As a new hire, you cannot ask to have someone else's rotation. There was an RN on permanent days where I work, but she was there 15 years.

Tank you for the answers. It's tough. Now, it makes me think if I want to go into the rotating shifts. Are there any changes to the system in the motion?

Why would employers, unions, and workers change a system that works and for the most part is enjoyed by the staff.

My rotation is day/night. Every fourth week, I get a week off.

The A/B people usually wind up with a stretch of 7-9 days off somewhere in there rotation.

Tank you for the answers. It's tough. Now, it makes me think if I want to go into the rotating shifts. Are there any changes to the system in the motion?

You'll have to decide whether that's something you want to do. There isn't a shortage of nurses willing to work shifts either, so finding a job is not as simple as you might think. Make sure you have an offer before you move.