Working Less Than 8-Hour Shifts?

[FlameHeart]

I was thinking about working 6-days a week, but for 6-hour shifts each day, in a schedule that doesn't change (working Sundays but taking Saturdays off) for a total of 36 hours a week as a CNA, once I get my Certification and a job, and continuing this practice all the way into my BSRN making more money, and I get Married with Kids, at which point I would decrease to 5 days a week, but keep the 6-hours a day.

I know the standard is 5 days a week and 8 or 12 hours work shifts a day for Nurses.

Do any you work less than 8-hours a Day Non-Rotating Work Shifts?

or

Do you know of anyone who does this?

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

26 minutes ago, meanmaryjean said:

My published masters and doctorate work are all about this topic- I am well aware thank you. 

Are there any signs that the industry is acting on the growing body of research re: schedules and health/performance?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

37 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:

Are there any signs that the industry is acting on the growing body of research re: schedules and health/performance?

Not in the US sadly. But there is some traction in the UK and the EU. Maybe not surprising- many many other industries (mining, manufacturing, aviation, trucking to name a few) have embraced safe scheduling practices- just not healthcare. 

[sleepwalker, MSN, NP]

What you want is most likely not going to happen but you can dream. I would, however, seriously consider an alternative income/career if or when things don't work out.

Sorry to be a nay-sayer but your restrictions are not realistic and barely feasible (if at all)

[bitter_betsy, BSN]

It may be possible to work this out for 12 hour shifts with someone else as your "partner". You would be hard pressed to find another human at the same place of employment that also wanted to do 6 6hour shifts,  Basically you would work the same days - you would work one half and that person would work the other.  

White it may be possible, it is not likely or even probable that you could actually pull this off.  I figured it was at least worth a mention.

[turtlesRcool]

 

On 5/20/2021 at 5:26 PM, ChristopherGllardoJr. said:

Health Care Workers are people to, if we don't properly take care of ourselves we could make mistakes that might cost people their lives, not as much as Doctors, but still is true.

 

An unpredictable work schedule can cause alot of stress and issues related to improper sleep.

Here's the thing: if you work at a facility that's open 24/7/365, people have to be scheduled for all those hours.  Someone has to work them.  Why not you?

Most of us do not have unpredictable work schedules. There's a difference between a schedule that is not set in stone, and a schedule that is unpredictable. I work day shift. I work every other weekend.  My weekdays change because we self-schedule.  Some weeks I want my shifts grouped together; other weeks I want to break them up.  Sometimes I have something I need to do on a particular day (like a parent-teacher conference at my kid's school), and it's really nice to be able to schedule myself off rather than taking PTO for it.  When I worked evenings, it was the same thing, except my start and end times were different.  

Working 8-hour shifts (or even 12-hour shifts) does not mean you get improper sleep. It means you plan your sleep the same way you would for any other job.  While there are some facilities that have rotating shifts, there are many that do not. Many people find ways to get enough rest through a variety of techniques. If you don't think you can handle a rotating schedule, choose a facility that puts its employees on only one shift.  But that has nothing to do with working 6-hour shifts or an unchanging schedule.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I doubt if you will ever be able to find a nursing job that checks all the boxes you are looking for in a schedule. 

The closest you are likely to find is definitely going to be away from acute care. There's not a hospital that exists that would be willing to accommodate all your scheduling needs. Especially as most of them do not ever do block [fixed] scheduling and many require rotating shifts.  You might be able to negotiate Saturdays off for religious purposes but the rest of your requests will be a hard no.

Your best bets will be LTC, clinics and schools. A bigger LTC may be willing to work around some of your scheduling requirements but certainly not all. Many clinics are not even open Saturdays and schools aren't typically open weekends at all. 

I work in dialysis and the clinic manger is fairly flexible with scheduling requests but again I doubt if even the most flexible manager will be able to give you everything you want.

Honestly the hardest part of your wants is going to be finding a schedule that consistently allows for a six hour shift.  The scheduling nightmare that would create for trying to ensure complete nursing coverage is way more than any employer would be willing to attempt. 

There's only two possibilities I can think of where that might work.  The first is per diem only work which would essentially let you set your own schedule but then would not allow you any kind of benefits or even guaranteed hours. The second is Home Health/private duty nursing where a full eight hour shift is not always required but that is certainly not a setting I would suggest for a new nurse nor do I think I will be an easy get for the rest of your scheduling requests. 

[RNMOM]

You might want to consider home health for that type of schedule. I know most home health agencies are desperate for nurses and can offer more flexibility. Only down side is pay and most agencies don't offer PTO.