Typical schedule RN at hospital

bill4745, RN · Mar 16, 2007

A new grad is not likely to work only mornings (dayshift?). You can usually choose to work just 3pm-11pm or 11pm-7am, or 12 hour nightshift (7pm-7am). Most hospitals allow you to determine most of your schedule in advance, although they have the final say in the matter. Also, once a schedule is made up, you usually are allowed to switch with a co-worker.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2007

It depends. Where I work, all shfits are permanent. My first job had no such thing as permanent day shift and we had to rotate, but there were permanent evening and night shifts.

What's cool about nursing is the variety of schedules. I work 3 12-hour shifts a week. I'm about to go to a schedule of Tues.Wed. & Fri. How cool is that? Right now I work every other weekend and the days vary in a two-week cycle that has been the same for a couple of years now.

RunningWithScissors · Mar 17, 2007

Don't forget there is also weekend options and some unit shifts offer 11a-11p; PACU usually has unusual 8-hour shifts, like 9-5:30 or 10-6, etc. ER also works wierd shifts like 5-5, 3-3, etc.

AuntieRN · Mar 17, 2007

Where I am working, most of us new grads got put on day shift (7a-7p), even those of us who originally wanted nights....we know our schedule usually 5 weeks in advance. Good luck to you!!

burn out · Mar 17, 2007

We have fixed schedules where I work with senority getting first pick. When I had day care I worked monday thursday friday every week 7a-7p. Now that I no longer have day care I work every friday saturday sunday. I can't wait to get off these weekends.

MIA-RN1, RN · Mar 17, 2007

Our new nurses all have to start on the day/night rotation. I got the last of the full time evening schedules.

We have day/eve, straight eve, and day/night rotations. So there can be 7a - 330p, 7a - 730p, 7a - 11a, 11a - 330p, 11a - 11p, 3p - 730p, 3p - 1130, 7p - 1130o, 7p - 7a.

People can work full time (36 - 40h/week) part time (20h) or perdiem.

I work 11a - 1130p three days a week, and one 4h eve shift either 3p - 730 or 7p - 1130.

floatRN · Mar 17, 2007

I work 5 evening shifts a week. 3-11:30p. Every other weekend off and one weekday off per week. My hospital has 8 and 12 hour shifts. New grads usually get offered evening or night shift positions, but some have been able to get part time days. 11am-11pm sounds like a great shift. Do some hospitals offer that shift on their med-surg floors or is if just an ER/OR/PACU thing?

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2007

Depends where you work.

We have permanent shifts where I work;

We have a variety, tho

12 hr shifts, 8 hr shifts or a combination.

Our permanent shifts, tho are pm's & nites; If we have openings that are not filled, she will rotate a day RN to that shift.

if all positions are filled, you can have straight days

MIA-RN1, RN · Mar 17, 2007

I work 5 evening shifts a week. 3-11:30p. Every other weekend off and one weekday off per week. My hospital has 8 and 12 hour shifts. New grads usually get offered evening or night shift positions, but some have been able to get part time days. 11am-11pm sounds like a great shift. Do some hospitals offer that shift on their med-surg floors or is if just an ER/OR/PACU thing?

Several floors in our hospital have nurses doing 11a - 11p. It took me a couple months to convince the scheduler it was a good thing, finally going to the NM. She says its hard to plan that schedule tho, so she sometimes has to put me on 2-12's and then two 3p -1130p, which bugs me but I have very little say. SOmetimes I get thrown on a 7a - 7p too.

mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 17, 2007

At both my RN jobs we have self scheduled. We only have 12 hour shifts. Getting days vs. nights at both facilities depended largely on the need at the time - it wasn't out of the question to be on days....if that is where the need was and if that is what you wanted.

Current facility I work at, we have schedule "buddies" and we work our schedules out so that either you or your "buddy" is working a particular shift. It works out OK if you and your "buddy" get along. Buddies don't change unless someone quits or moves to another shift. But if you and your buddy get along.....you can work out some great schedules.

lizzyberry · Mar 17, 2007

Im wondering if you work a day or evening shift and have kids in school how do u pick the kids up from school? If u do have kids and work the evening shift when do u see ur kids. I just would not like to always work the evening shift because I will never see my kids. When working graveyard shift how do u sleep because kids are only in school for like 6 hrs