work 1 day week, 8 hours, is it possible?

caliotter3 · Oct 11, 2010

You can if you can find someone to hire you under those circumstances. Knew someone who worked one or two days a month to keep up their nursing skills. Easiest to do in an extended care home health situation, although you could probably negotiate one shift a week in a LTC facility under the right circumstances.

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · Oct 11, 2010

You could work PRN/per deim/registry, whatever you want to call it. I worked registry while going to nursing school as a CNA, and the requirment was a min of 4 shifts a period (4weeks) 2 shifts on the weekend, 2 on the weekday, you pick the days. So you could work 1 shift a week if you wanted.

GM2RN · Oct 11, 2010

Where I work, PRN is only required to work 2 weekend shifts per month, and they don't have to be on the same weekend. So yes, it's possible.

Reno1978, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2010

Realistically speaking, it'd be sort of ridiculous to go through the cost and stress of nursing school if you want to work one 8 hour shift per week. Additionally, most employers will not hire a new nurse on those terms. Once you have some experience, you can work per diem/PRN somewhere that has 8 hour shifts (which are not the norm in hospital settings).

RNperdiem, RN · Oct 11, 2010

If you are willing to forego the benefits of employer health insurance and retirement plans and work per diem, and find somewhere that staffs 8 hour shifts and find a place that has 8 hours as a minimum per pay period, then maybe.

You will also need to invest in some full time in nursing out of school to gain the skill needed to compentently care for patients.

Most places will let you go per diem after one year of full time, but personally I would recommend at least two or three years.

SlightlyMental_RN · Oct 11, 2010

I work about 2 shifts a week M-F, 8 hours apiece, PRN. However, this was after I put in my time working full-time swing shifts. I schedule when I want to work...if I want to work a bunch one week, I can. Or, if I want to take a couple weeks off, I can do that, too. Just know that you generally will not have this type of scheduling freedom until you've put in 1+ years of working full-time. Additionally, you have to be in a place financially where the lack of benefits will not affect you. Believe me, I know that I'm a lucky, lucky woman.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 11, 2010

If you are already a nurse, find a place that will hire you per-diem/PRN and whose minimum requirement is one shift a week. As others have said, a lot of places won't let you do that until you have a year or two of full-time experience under your belt...but it is possible.

If you are not yet a nurse, seriously consider NOT becomming one. I say this with kindness because you will be putting a lot of time, stress, effort and money into nursing school just to work one day a week...and these resources can be better spent on developing your music career. Also, as already mentioned, very few places will let you work one day a week as a new grad, for your sake as much as theirs--there's no way you really can build new skills as a new grad on one shift a week. So you'd have to work full-time after school for a while anyway.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

roser13, ASN, RN · Oct 11, 2010

I will echo what others have said....if you are not a nurse already (and I'm guessing from your post that you're not), I doubt that you would enjoy pursuing this route.

Nursing school is hard. No matter how smart you are or how much you "love helping people," nursing school will not be easy. Your music career will definitely fall by the wayside during the 2-4 years required to graduate.

And of course after graduation, you will have to work full-time for some period in order to even be considered for the vast majority of prn or part-time positions.

BluegrassRN · Oct 11, 2010

You could to one 12 hour shift a week on our medical/surgical floor...after you've gotten some experience. Basically, if you worked full time for a full year after your 3 month orientation (if you were hired as a new grad), you would probably be allowed to go prn and work so few hours.

Schmoo1022 · Oct 11, 2010

We just hired a new grad and she is only going to work one day a week (her choice.) She is working on her masters in education and that is her goal. Not the cash. We have always hired staff for one shift a week if we have.

OttawaRPN · Oct 11, 2010

I am wondering how many hours, minimum, I can work as a nurse. Ideally, I would want to work a minimum of 1 day a week, for 8 hour shift.
my reasons for doing this is because I have other aspirations and although I love helping people, I just want to use nursing to fall back on...I want to spend most of my time studying music and marketing and perfecting my craft, so that I can be happier doing what I WANT to do, to make profit, than doing what I HAVE to do so how many hours is the minimum for nursing? can I work one day a week for 8 hours?

It does sound like nursing is not for you. Regardless of how many physical hours you work, this profession devours your heart and soul then spits it back out at you for another go around. Nurses need to, ultimately, integrate their identities as nurses into their total life, and balance this harmoniously with all other aspects of their identities - wife, husband, parent, etc. I just don't read that level of commitment in your post. Sorry.

If you're looking to "help" people, consider a less all-consuming career like recreation/activation or maybe restorative care.