Tell me about your shifts, I'm curious!

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I'm wondering about all of the different ways nurses can work a 40 hour week or a 20 hour week if you are part time. For instance, do you do a 12 hour shift each weekend with 2 8 hour shifts during the week, etc.? Does it vary week to week? Do you get to choose? I'm especially interested in what you do if you have children in school. I'm just trying to get a feel as to what is typical (if there is such a thing). TIA!

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Specializes in med/surg.

There is not really a typical anything in nursing! :0 but here are my two cents anyway.

It really depends on the facility that you work at. There are 8 hour shifts, 7-3 3-11 11-7 Then you have the infamous 7-7. Some places even do a 3-3 or an 11-11. Most of us do either 8 hours or 7-7. At our facility, 36 hours a week is considered full time. Most of us do 3 twelves a week. Some spread them out and some scrunch then together and have more days off in a row. there are a few of us that will do an extra eight to make the 80 hours per pay. But there are really all different choices.

Kinda rambly but hope this helps.

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Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

If you have school age children, lining up either a very very reliable sitter who is available for the hours you are not, or having a spouse who works opposite shifts of your are some of things nurses do. I have yet to see a perfect shift where children are concerned. Even working an 8 hour shift people often have to leave before their children are in school. Working afternoons, yes you see them in the morning, but have to rely on someone else to be available when they get home from school.

Many of the nurses I know rely on close family members to help fill in the gaps. I know I could not have made it if my mother had not helped when my daughter was young, her father (x-husband) worked evenings mostly so that worked well. I did not see him much exept for every other weekend due to our schedules.

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Well, schedules vary widely according to the facility, the unit, and your contract. I work 8 hour shifts, 56 hours per pay period, and every third weekend. I still get full benefits. I love this schedule, since it allows me time to do a lot of different things - time with my kids in the evenings, church on Sundays, time out with friends or to myself when the kids are with the ex. Other people on my unit work 12's. I couldn't do 12's without a serious impact on my child custody time percentage, and I'm not willing to sacrifice my time with them.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I work 24 hours a week, 12 hours a night, Fri & Sat. I am considered fulltime and get fulltime benefits. DS hangs out with my husband those nights and the rest of the week I am home. DH's work schedule allows him to pretty much work around my schedule.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

I am part time and I work 5 scheduled shifts per 2 weeks. The rest is pick up. The 2 week pay period I am in right now I worked 12 1/2 shifts. Anything over 72 hours in a pay period is overtime.No benefits but I get 17% in lieu of benefits on each pay.

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Specializes in ED,Psych, PICU, ICU,Neuro.

I worked a variety of schedules in many different hospitals and specialties, mostly in NYC, NJ and northern CA.

I usually preferred 12 hr nights because of a long commute and child care when the kids were little. I did this twice a week, back to back. Full time was 3 in a row. I have always been able to manage the long shift and sleeping wasn't a problem when the kids were in school. I even tried a live in maid after the divorce. I worked full time but I was missing out on my children's lives. So I learned how to get by on much less and went back to the 2 x12.

After they were grown and gone I was so used to having a lot of time off I stayed wtih the schedule.

I usually worked w/o benefits until I got older and bought a house. In CA we got benefits for any time over 2o hrs.

By tweaking my schedule I could work 4 x 12 and have 10 days off in a row.

I was highly motivated and focused those 48 hrs. I was able to avoid burnout for most of my working career.

I have been retired 2 years and have not missed nursing - until I discovered this site.:heartbeat

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Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.

Many years ago I would work 2 eights and 2 twelves for a week, usually 2 3-11 and weekend PM's, then for a while I worked M-TR 10H eves 3 pm til 2am or so which was nice, 3 day weekends (also before children),Most full time staff in my facility do 12 hr am's or pm's and part-timers do days 7-3 eves is pretty much gone, but a shift I used to LOVE. Some part-timers, 24 hrs still do 3 nites 11-7. I am a weekend baylor now in Home Hospice, 8 am to 6 pm, usually done by 4:30. It works great for me, since I get full benies and don't ever have to worry about school schedules, snow days, field trips, 1/2 days etc. and my husband schedule is erratic and he travels a lot. I also work perdiem in the hospital and that is whatever I choose it to be, including 4 hr shifts 3-7 or 7-11 in addition to the conventional ones. There are lots of options out there. A lot depends if you have kids +/or husband and their schedules to work out what's best for your family.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Pedi., Critical Care.

Kids are why I went into school nursing. The hours are easy and you get lots of holidays including 2 weeks at Christmas, a week for spring break, and of course, all summer. I also work prn at the hospital, only 2 days per month and I pick up extra hospital hours during Christmas break for Christmas money and extra hours over the summer for vacation money. During the week it was like I was not even gone. I took them to school and was able to be there to pick them up. My kids are all high school age now and don't need me for transportation but it is nice to be there after school to make sure they do homework, etc... I also never have to miss sporting events of theirs in the evening b/c I am home by 1545! Love it!:D

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I work two 16-hour double shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. The actual hours worked equates to 32 hours, but my workplace pays me for 40 hours under the Baylor Plan. I like this setup because it enables me to have 5 days off in a row. :)

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Specializes in ICU, M/S,Nurse Supervisor, CNS.

I work two part time jobs that are 0.5 FTE each (20 hrs/week or 40 hrs/pay period). At one job I do one 8 hour and one 12 hour shift a week to get in my 20 hrs per week. The other job, I do two 8 hours one week and three 8 hours the second week of the pay period to get the total of 40 hours/pay period.

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Specializes in Clinicals.
There is not really a typical anything in nursing! :0 but here are my two cents anyway.

It really depends on the facility that you work at. There are 8 hour shifts, 7-3 3-11 11-7 Then you have the infamous 7-7. Some places even do a 3-3 or an 11-11. Most of us do either 8 hours or 7-7. At our facility, 36 hours a week is considered full time. Most of us do 3 twelves a week. Some spread them out and some scrunch then together and have more days off in a row. there are a few of us that will do an extra eight to make the 80 hours per pay. But there are really all different choices.

Kinda rambly but hope this helps.

Oh boy 3-3 sounds wonderful. I hope I can find a shift like that when I graduate :chuckle

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