The coveted Monday thru Friday job

[LTCNS]

I have worked Monday-Friday for the majority of my 18 years as a LPN and am tired of it. Right now I am a MDS Nurse, but have asked to go to the floor (Long story, but in a nutshell the MDS gig is an absolutely horrible job) where I will work 32 hours a week and will be required to work every other weekend. I want to cut back my hours some so this is ideal for me.

In my opinion, five days in a row is tough to do in a LTC facility whether you have an office job or work the floor. When I did have jobs that broke up the week I liked it. I liked having that week day or two off to actually do things.

I will have to work some holidays but getting off at 3p, that won't be so bad.

So how about the rest of you? If you don't already, do you long to work Mon-Fri.? Or do you like having a day or two off during the week?

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

I have 2 young kids. I'm essentially a stay at home mom during the week and then my husband cares for them on the weekend while I'm working and sleeping. I still do dinner and bedtime with them every night(I'm part-time, 24 hours a week.) I sometimes miss out on things like our kid friends' birthday parties which everyone has on the weekend. And am sometimes a zombie for holidays if I had to work the night before. But no management, few family members, few hordes of doctors/students/etc? Weekend nights are good. Not that I don't work hard but it's nice not to have all these other people on your back about nitpicky crap while you're trying to work.

[napgiver]

I sympathize with klone. I currently work a M-F schedule. This poses a challenge when needing time to take care of your own life. I greatly miss having more flexibility to my schedule. It's difficult to really get anything in my personal life done. It absolutely requires creative scheduling.

[Caffeine_IV]

I would do 630-2pm 5 days a week but 8-5/9-5 no thanks. Definitely not as a med surg floor nurse.

[naptimeRN]

I work in an outpatient surgical clinic. My schedule is Tuesday and Thursday 630a-6p and Friday 630a-330p. Mondays and Wednesdays off and no weekends or holidays. I quite like the hours. Best of both worlds as in I still get two week days off but don't have to work weekend days either! This also allows me to make some extra money and keep my acute skills in check by working per diem at the hospital picking up on the weekend when I can/want to. There are so many options available for nurses in terms of schedule. I wouldn't want to do Mon-Fri honestly. I like a couple of free weekdays to myself when stores aren't as busy (and the husband is at work so I can watch guilty pleasure obnoxiously girly tv shows once in a while lol)

[OCRN3]

^^^^^^^this is the best schedule yet!! Love it!!

[stickit34]

I'm one of the few who'd like a 8-5 M-F job. I absolutely hate off shift hours, including 12 hours. Sure you have three days of work per week, but half the time you'd be using for your own time you're sleeping to prepare for the next shift or recovering from the one you just had. Besides, most of my friends have the 8-5 schedule and I miss out on social events because of my scheduling. I hate it.

[monkeybug]

I've been working M-F for almost 2 years, and I'm still undecided. I love having weekends and holidays off. Knowing I'll be off every single Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is awesome. (Thanksgiving I could do without, I spend that with the in laws:cheeky:) I do miss having days off to get things done. I have to take time for doctors appointments and hair appointments and vet appointments when I used to just schedule them on my day off. On the whole, I'm a fan of M-F. Nothing is perfect, but it beats calling home on Christmas Day from work to tell everyone Merry Christmas.

[OCRN3]

I am undecided too. I do know that since I have been working a M-F job I am very untolerant of findings another position that makes me work every other weekend and holidays. Everytime I get an itch to change my per diem job for another, I find it ver hard to give any weekends. That being said I miss my 12s.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

No way would I want to go to work 5 days a week. I love twelves. More money per shift...less trips to make it! I live about 45 minute to an hour commute. When weather is bad it is nice having more days off than on. You could not get me to take 8 hour shifts or a M -F gig.

[SierraBravo]

I would leave the nursing profession if I had to work M-F. There is no way ever that I would work 5 days a week as a nurse unless I chose to pick up OT. I work 3 12's and I love having 4 days/week off. OT is always available, so I like having the choice of being able to work more if I want, but not being told that I have to.

[LTCNS, LPN]

Well...I was talked into staying in my current position Mon-Fri. as a MDS nurse, and since then have been subjected to some fresh new hell everyday. If the 32 hour a week floor position is still available I am going to jump on it. I will know when the Staff Development Nurse comes back from vacation.

Makes me look wishy washy but I just want my sanity back. People think "oh...you have a cushy office job" but don't realize what comes with that office job. To be honest? I would rather work as a cashier somewhere than do another MDS or care plan for the rest of my life, or at least in the facility I work in now. Money's good, but it's not worth it if you're utterly miserable.

I know bedside nursing has its problems and challenges, but I can handle it better than I can what I am going through now. I just want to give meds., take care of the lil' ol' people and go to the house without having to worry about reimbursement, case mix audits, coding the MDS perfectly and care plans being nit-picked apart. I just pray the floor position is still available. If not, I don't know if I can take the mental strain of my current position much longer

[nynursey_]

I've not had a Monday - Friday job in a nursing capacity, but I have definitely held it in other professions (mainly child care). I prefer doing the clustered shifts with 2-3 days off per week. The days on may be longer, but it's nice to be able to group activities together as opposed to only having a Saturday/Sunday time frame to plan family visits and/or other activities.