Working crazy hours

Nurses General Nursing

Published

How many hours do y'all work a paycheck? Myself I usually work 100+ hours, all by choice mind you. This paycheck I am on for 5 off 1 on 5 off 3 I work nights and 12 hour shifts. Am I just crazy or are more people like me out there?

Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I don't work insane hours like that anymore. I don't mind going in early or staying late every now and then but I rarely if ever pick up a day off. Partly because I am realizing that I am not as young as I feel, now it takes me a day [or two] to recover from doubles. I also find I need time away from work or I am so crabby at work that I must be near intolerable to be around. Massive OT is a young persons game, and I am glad I don't play it anymore!

It depends on your priorities. For me at my stage of life I care more about spending time with my family and taking care of my health. If I were younger and didn't have a family I might be tempted to work crazy hours, too.

Specializes in ICU.

I typically sign up for five shifts a week so, when I actually get them, I get 120 hrs/paycheck.

The overtime is being cut back a lot because they hired new people, so I just landed a PRN gig and I will only sign up for regular, full-time work at my main job since I feel like I will have more opportunities to work extra at my PRN job than my regular job. I can't wait to actually start!

Specializes in ED.

The bare minimum. I used to pick up extra shifts but the overtime ain't worth my sanity. I work 36 -45 hours a week and no more.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Used to work 60 hours a week as a float nurse; and had two other gigs and worked like that from 25-27; life changed, and I'more about the life balance; I'm down to a part time gig, and a PRN gig; I make enough where I don't have to add too many hours, although, I'm always in the market for a position where I can make enough with the minimum hours and have work-life balance.

Right now I have four jobs, and I'm not all that happy with any of them. My "main" job is only 27 hours a week but it's split over four days which is ridiculous and costs me an extra couple hundred a month in day care. Because of that I picked up a new consultant/PRN job which sounded like it was going to be on my own time much more than it is actually shaping up to be. Not to mention no actual reimbursement for being on call, just the time you actually go in. I also have a position at the psych hospital that I don't really like (I love psych, just not crisis stabilization I guess) and a PRN gig at a couple group homes which are horribly managed so the nursing turnover means I work way more there than I want. I'd guess I'm pulling 50 hours per week, plus five kids and going to grad school full time online. I'm not sure I can keep this up for much longer but I'm making hay while the sun shines, I guess.

Not crazy, pretty standard for many young nurses, in particular young male nurses. When I was younger I used to work the hours you do and more. During one period of my life I worked two or three 16 hour shifts and four 12 hour shifts a week and I did it for a long period of time. Wasn't a problem for me.

Now I have worked myself into a much better paying job and I make as much working 40 hours a week as I used to working 80-90 hours a week. Part of getting here was all the hours I used to work. I gained experience at twice the rate of my peer who "only" worked 36 or 40 hours a week.

If I was still stuck in low paying jobs I would be working a lot of OT, but I simply don't need to now.

Really? so what do you do if you don't mind me asking???

Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

No I do not work crazy hours like you are describing and never have. I would if it was absolutely necessary. I have 2 PRN jobs right now.

Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.

When I first started nursing I regularly worked 60+ hours per week with no days off for 3-4 weeks at a time. Now I can work "only" 40 hours per week now that I'm older, tired and my boys are grown men, so it's just the hubby and me and there are no daycare, school, or sports expenses. The job I just left was supposed to be 40 hours per week, but I regularly ended up working 45-50 hours.

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