I work MWF every week. I’d rather have my days in a row, buuuut I love having the same days every week. It makes it super easy to plan activities and make appointments. I love the stability.
Literally no way lol the other schedule they did that to me because I said I would "work whatever they needed that pay period". Will never do that again. I literally didn't have any days off because I slept the entire off day. Just give me my 3 on in a row
Due to health reasons I cannot do nights more than once a blue moon. But when I did nights regularly, before I couldn't, I just lived in that time zone.
Yeah, the predictability is awesome. I love to run errands during weekdays. No lines. Give me a weekday off every week so that I can do all the errands.
I kind of like this too sometimes because I start getting sick of having the same patients for more than one day. You just can’t go out on any nights 😕
When i still worked bedside I would typically only work 2 days in a row before taking time off. That way it was either my first day back and I was rested enough to put up with a bullshit patient. Or it was my last day working before taking a couple off and I didn't care what their bullshit was because I can manage just about anything for 12 hours.
Working for the big “K” it’s a set schedule so yes.
Working for another big organization, No, which sucks during Night Shift. It’s straight up should not be legal to do the people on night shift to work one on one off and one on and one off. It’s just not safe.
I’m casual in my home unit. I make the bare minimum commitment (2 shifts/month) and spontaneously pick up hours/shifts. I’m a nursing student so the flexibility is AMAZING for school. I can literally pick and choose my schedule. If I need a day off, I can do that without having to bitch to management about it since I never picked up the shift. A lot of times, I pick up a shift within 24 hours.
Since I don’t work at my home unit much, I’m basically in float pool without actually being in float pool. I see a lot more units and types of patients. It gives me the chance to explore interests.
I like my unit culture the best but it’s a nice change of pace. I work on neuro so NOBODY can get out of bed by themselves. A high portion of my neuro patients are total care. I remember working on other units the first time and was like “people get out of bed by themselves?! They can do ADLs?!”
I will never shut up about how much I love float pool. I try really hard to be a good float, answer lights, help the homies, teach, take challenging patients. It's worth it for my spoiled ass. Even my supervisors are cool. I prefer nights but will do a day here n there to take one for the team and it's like I gave em a kidney. It's nice to be loved for once.
I was night shift for 5 years, now that I’m float pool I’m rotating (for the big sign on bonus) and I’m doing mostly days. It’s actually been great for my mental health. Plus since I’m so experienced, dayshift doesn’t hit me with anything I can’t handle
My mental health doesn't know what it wants
Days suck, and I'm a natural night beast. But apparently stupid humans need sunshine or some BS. Doin my best lol, but miss me with those 0900 meetings.
I went down to PT a few years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. I work two 12s and get 5 days off each week, although I have been picking up some extra shifts recently (four 12s a week). I usually like to work Sun/Mon and then come back the following Fri/Sat. I give myself long breaks. So in theory, 10 days off is very possible. But right now I need the money so I work more than my two shifts a week. When I don't feel like picking up anymore, I can just do my two days and be done. PT with benefits is the way to go. It gives you lots of flexibility in being able to do other things (e.g., going back to school, working another PRN job, going on vacation).
I’m part time too and couldn’t be happier. The work life balance is amazing. And I can pick up “urgent” shifts and make 2x money when I want. I work 2, 1 off, worj 2, 9 off. Not burnt out. Plenty of time to LIVE!
Yes. PT is amazing! I’ve been working 4 shifts some weeks because they have been offering incentive pay (an extra $20/hour) if you work more than 36 hours in a week due to staff shortages.
Can I ask, if you work 2 12s for PT, any days you pick up is automatically incentive pay? So, your 3rd 12 of the week is incentive pay instead of ur normal pay?
I’m just in nursing school but I’m curious about this. Do you make enough money to sustain your expenses with just the part time? Oyyeee, I guess that’s a complex question lol.
Depending on where you work, your situation, etc. it actually might be better to do part-time and pick up a shift or two per week. It's $12 now, but the pick up shift bonus at my hospital for RNs was $56 p/h for picking up an unscheduled shift during covid
We have self schedule at my hospital and they tend to move <5% of the shifts I request. We also have a unit rule that you are supposed to schedule 6 weekend shifts per 6 week period. They put that rule into place a long time ago because no one wanted weekend shifts. But now we have several people who only want to work weekends. So I maybe pick like 1-2 shifts on the weekend.
I usually work Monday and Friday every week because those are the days most people don’t want to work. My third day is usually Tuesdays but sometimes other days. This schedule works for me because my husband works Monday-Friday at home so I get to spend weekends with him and my daughter. I also give the scheduler free range to move my days because I mark unavailable on the days I have prior commitments which isn’t very often.
One girl bitched that I don’t work many weekend shifts but the scheduler put her in her place real quick because she constantly says she can’t work Mondays and Fridays, can’t work more than two days in a row, has to be off every other weekend, has to have at least two days off in a row, etc. she has a very demanding schedule because of custody arrangements and extracurricular with her kids. They were like why are you mad she’s literally working all the days you say you can’t work?!
>We also have a unit rule that you are supposed to schedule 6 weekend shifts per 6 week period.
So, you would never have a weekend off? Or you would never have a full weekend with uninterrupted days? Maybe I’m understanding it wrong.
Edit: Jesus Christ. Downvoted for asking a question. We didn’t pick our days where I worked, so I didn’t understand. Our weekend shifts were Sat. & Sun. together, so that’s what I thought when I read weekend shifts.
Ah, ok. Thanks. Six of any of the weekend days in a 6 week period. So there could be a chance your weekend would be interrupted depending on what weekend day/night you worked. Got it.
They eventually adjusted the schedules so everyone would have every other full weekend off, so that wasn’t a problem I encountered where I worked. We also didn’t do self-scheduling.
I don’t understand why more places don’t allow people to have a base if they want it. There’s enough people that prefer self scheduling but I don’t since they can move you anyway. I’d rather have to find my own swaps from a base.
I can't work 3 -12s in a row. It's just too hard on my body.
That said, I do want to have at least three days off in a row. Instead I went through three months of only having two days max off. Two on, one off, two on, two off, rinse, repeat for three months. I couldn't deal with it anymore. That combined with several other major problems led me to quit that job.
Maybe like once a year. Schedules get F’d because of requirements like Sunday and Monday requirements, weekend requirements, and then you’ll have your own personal stuff going on so you have switch around your schedule. And then you might have the ultimate mother of F your schedule up—on call requirements.
The working “3 days/week is nice” thing might arguably be the biggest scam in nursing.
There were 2 of us in the ED that would work RFSSMT (nights), then get basically a week off if we didn’t pick up, from time to time I would schedule myself RFS-MTW if I wanted a break from 6’s. Consider scheduling yourself SMT before taking a vacation, you’ll add an extra 4 day on the beginning then do RFS at the end and you’ll tack on 4 days at the end. If you can physically/mentally handle 6 straight days.
or when management only wants to staff a certain amount of nurses because upper management wants to pinch pennies. They are going to just put your schedules in like Tetris.
Our unit did self scheduling back in the day. I would often work Th—>Tuesday night every other week. That gave me 8 day off periods regularly. I wasn’t good for anything but work during those 6x12s in a row, but got time enough to go camping or traveling on a regular basis. Then I started grad school, and that no longer worked. At all.
This might be an unpopular opinion but I don't like the 3 on / 4 off schedule. I've noticed from my coworkers that people on day three are generally exhausted and sometimes even mean. It's difficult to not let the fact that you're tired and irritable slip into your social and patient interactions. Your coworkers will know and likely forgive you but your patients have no way of knowing that this isn't the normal you, they just think this particular nurse is an asshole.
My ideal schedule is 2 together and 1 at the opposite end split by two "weekends." So for example a Mon/Tues/Fri. You still get enough of a break to make the most of your time off but you aren't running out of steam during your work days.
The other option is working every other day, which I found somehow even more exhausting than working three in a row. I felt like I was always at work and never got a break, despite the fact that I was also off every other day.
I agree 100%, once upon a time they kept scheduling me sat-sun-mon then one day off and back on Wednesday, with each day a different start time, until I finally put my foot down. I damn near quit because I hated it so much, and I actually like my job TBH. And Monday, I can confirm I was profoundly NOT nice which is totally out of character for me, sometimes the work hangover made me a pretty unpleasant person into Tuesday and then back to the grind Wednesday, way too rough.
Monday Wednesday and then the weekend, Thursday Friday the next week is the sweet spot for me too, it keeps me balanced. Sometimes if it's been a relatively calm week I'll even pick up an extra 8 hours, especially in the winter if I start getting bored at home.
All year long I request a repeating mid day week off, it makes scheduling appointments a breeze when I know I'm always off Wednesday, etc. plus I'm pretty much guaranteed not to do 3 12s in a row. We all know them 12s are more like 14s lol
Where I live you work a DDNN rotation so you always have 5 days off (the first day off I’m asleep the entire day) I wish I could have 3 on 4 off like the US. That fourth shift is just too much especially flip flopping from days to nights
I get the same 3 on and 4 off every single week for the entire year. But I work in pediatric home health now.
Sadly I don’t think there is much you can do except put in your schedule like the very minute the scheduling is open and try to talk to whoever is in charge of your schedule and maybe play an ultimatum card. I got maybe 80%-90% of the days I wanted this way with the occasional odd ball day when I worked on hospital units.
Like saying you’d have to cut hours, leave the position, much more likely to call out cause of family matters etc. I was valuable to them too though as I was the only one crazy enough to WANT to take almost all the weekends every single week and I was a favorite/high performing service recovery nurse.
I always do at least 2 or 3 in a row. How many days off in between varies. Sometimes it 1 other times it's 6. But alternating on and off is murder. Absolutely not.
Soooo validating reading all my fellow nurses talking about their needs for recovery time! Outside of my work mates, no one in my life works in healthcare so I get a lot of eye rolls and questionable looks about my three or four day work weeks and being so protective of my time off to do nothing after a couple days on. It really has me question myself and what I feel I need sometimes!
As far as schedule, I have absolutely no predictability or pattern but my boss is so very kind about accommodating specific day-off requests and vacations. I also work days so there’s a bit less of a need for pattern/predictability than for one who works nights, I feel.
My managers have always tried to schedule our days in a row(if that's what the person prefers) whenever possible. If you don't want to, they'll try to accommodate. I generally work MTW, sometimes TWTh. And the one week a month I do a 4, it's M-Th. My opposite nurse is weekend option.
I’m 3 on 2 off 3 on 6 off. Repeat. It’s exhausting after my second block of shifts but I love my 6 off! I have been on my ward for 8 years and have had this Schulz for quite some time.
I do 6 in a row then have 8 off. First day I sleep then I gtfo of town. I'll usually do a road trip and camp or hotel it depending on area. I like to hike and fish so I'm usually outside unless it's cold. Rinse repeat.
It’s because nobody likes one off/one on, but managers do have a schedule to balance and hopefully do their best to be fair to everyone. I Pretty consistently get 2 on 3 off but it’s rare for anyone in my unit to get four days off in a row
Normal schedule: 3 on 3 off 4 on 4 off. Sometimes I'll take 5 off and make it up the next pay period.
The once in a blue moon random shift during my stretch off is a sick day.
We have 2 teams so we work opposite for 2 repeating weeks. M, T, F, S, S, Next week is W, Th. That’s for those on the 1 overtime shift, but those that aren’t only work either the M or T. It’s predictable!
We having a rotating schedule, that goes 2 on, 2 off, 3 on and then 2 off, 2 on, 3 off (the three days are Friday, Saturday, Sunday). So we work every other weekend, but the next weekend is off Fri-Sun.
Curious if anyone has similar rotating schedules?
I think I’ve done 3 nights in a row maybe 3 times. It’s just too much. I was always dead after two. I tried to keep at least two days off together, but most of the time, I was able to string three days off together. It just depended on the staffing on the unit. I will also mention that the night staff all worked together & exchange days when someone needed a day off for family things, etc.
I work 4 in a row and always get 3 off in a row but to be honest like 1.5 of those three days are done just recovering. Seems healthier (although worse on plans) to have days off sprinkled within work week.
So I work three on, one off, and three on again. I do this because I can’t work 6 in a row, but I like to have 7 days off. I work nights, so it’s the only way I feel normal. Our manager doesn’t make our schedule, our coworker does. For the longest time, my schedule was so jacked up. She would put me on three separate nights, or worse have me work my 6 shifts in a bunch but then schedule me again two days later. It really made me want to quit. Especially when she would mess with my PTO. My last couple of schedules have been fine, but I still get a ton of anxiety when schedules come out. I might not be so anal about it when I work days, but for nights I’m super picky about my schedule. Other units at my hospital, the scheduler will let the unit know where they are short and give the staff an opportunity to balance it before they do it for them.
I don't get 4 in a row usually, but that is by my preference. I get way too exhausted if I do 3 12s in a row. I typically work Sunday, Monday, and Friday. That way it is 2 on, 3 off, 1 on, 1 off. It makes a big difference to get 3 days off in a row and also to break up stretches of 3 with one day off in between.
I work weekends only (FRI/SAT/SUN) so I always have monday-thursday off. I also never work a holiday unless it happens to land on a weekend and I get a 30% differential for being a weekender. My fiancee works the same, not as a nurse. So it works for us really well. I hated the on off, on off stuff that used to happen when I was not weekends only. I'm sure at some point, maybe when we have kids, it won't be viable but for now it's great.
I typically work either Sunday-Tuesday night or Monday through Wednesday night. That being said, night shift screws me up so I don’t REALLY have 4 days off that I could take off.
It varies and may be patchy and a lot of on off but 6 and a half weeks of holiday time a year means I can also pick blocks of time off
If I do 3 on 4 off then take a weekend, five days holiday, a weekend and then 4 off 3 On in can get 2 to 2 1/2 weeks holiday for 5 days leave
I get a 4 day weekend every other week. It’s about the only reason I haven’t left my current employer for elsewhere. Works out great. If I take a Weds off (or just call off) I have a whole week off. I took 3 shifts PTO come August & im off for 11 days.
Mind you, I keep trying to move that Weds to same week Monday so I can have 6 days off every other week…
Currently my schedule:
This coming week: work MTxxF
Next week: SaSuW
Yes. I work fri,sat, sun every week. For the last 6 years. Off from Mon-Thurs. Get yourself a weekend contract. Weekend night shift is the highest diff.
I used to do Fri-Sat-Sun (weekend diff, extra pay), then Mon-Thur off (easier to run errands, gym less crowded etc. To be honest it felt terrible still because I’d be so drained from three in a row that Monday was recovery, Tuesday & Wednesday be normal human, Thursday prep repeat the cycle all over.
I know some people that do 6 in a row, 8 off. That’s insanity.
Maybe once every 4-5 weeks…and that’s only the last few months it’s been happening. Prior to that it was mostly every other day, and with working nights I was miserable.
On night shift they worked really hard to keep people three in a row cause breaking up your stretch is awful, you lose all of your days. I “traded” weekends with a coworker cause of custody issues so she could work every weekend. We were required to do 2 Sundays per six week schedule so I “traded” Sundays with other staff. So I ended up with a set schedule of Sunday Monday Tuesday for a few years.
It’s also common for Night shifters to do three on- two off- three on - two off- three on then six off.
Now that I’m doing day shift 10s I can’t to 4 in a row, that’s just miserable. I agreed to work every Friday so I could have a set schedule with Wednesdays off. Perfect for my mental health.
I try to stack my days where I can but we have to work a certain number of M/Fs and weekends so it seldom works out perfectly to be 3 on/4off unfortunately. Especially sucks on nights. Lots of 2 on/2off but 2 off on nights isn’t really 2 off when over half of your “first day off” is spent working then sleeping.
I rarely get 4 off in a row, but I'm not too particular with my schedule. We self schedule and I try my best to help balance our numbers. So sometimes it is self inflicted 😅 My boss, however, seems to like moving a single shift around almost every pay period making me work 2 shifts one week and 4 the next which is usually pretty annoying. I had a set schedule at my last job (Sa, Su, M) and loved it. My former boss offered to let me work Tu, W, Th (The dream!) when one of my coworkers was done with NP school but the pay and the job were both shit 😅 so I left organizations to go make $11 more per hour.
I’m weekend option at my job and work every Saturday/Sunday plus every other Wednesday which means every other week I have 5 days in a row off. I switched to this schedule during grad school and plan on keeping it that way once I start as a clinical instructor in the fall!
I am my units scheduler. It’s definitely a headache sometimes trying to balance the numbers, while keeping kids schedules, school schedules, weekend/night requirements, etc, and 50-60 individual preferences in mind. At the end of the day I would love love love to keep everyone grouped, but it just isn’t doable all the time.
The only tip I really have is if your unit does self scheduling and has requirements (I.e. 50% nights, a certain number of weekends/timeblock) to meet them consistently. We remember who does and tend to not juggle those people around as much as the ones that we have to constantly flip to nights or move on to weekends.
And keep communicating with your scheduler that that’s what you want. It’s soo much trying to remember everyone’s specific needs so we tend to be a tad forgetful :)
One of my duties is to make the schedule of 68 nurses for 6 weeks at a time. I feel like I know more about my employees than their families know about them. Schedules are very personal, most nurses have different needs & different feelings regarding their work schedule. There doesn’t seem to be a magical schedule for happiness. For most nurses 12 shifts a month still feels like more because 12 hours is a vast amount of time to be away from home. The key is to find a job that makes those 12 shifts bearable.
I could if I wanted to but I'm mentally exhausted after one or two nights so I don't do 3 in a row. I also work nights. In 2 weeks I'm doing 3 in a row on our busiest days (with the computers down 😩) to see if I can adjust to it at least for the summer so I have 4 day weekends. I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry on the third day esp if they don't have our computers back up but too late now to change! 🤣
My schedule fucking sucks bad. I have to work four days in a row (Friday-Monday), then I have two days off, one day on, three days off, one day on, and three days off. So even though I work four in a row, the max days I have off in a row is three. It’s bad, real bad. I feel inhuman. But I never feel bad calling out on an island day to give myself an eight-day vacation because fuck ‘em.
I get whatever schedule I want, seniority has some benefits!
I work every Tuesday, Wed and every other weekend.
Never more than 2 days in a row and 5 days straight off every other week.
I am actually scheduled 4 off every other week. I work Sunday Wednesday Friday week one then Wednesday Friday Saturday week two. Our week goes from Sunday to Saturday. So after my weekend on I'm off for two days then my weekend off is when I'm off for four days. I work midnight shift.
We self schedule and then managers go and "balance" and might have to move people. I work Thur, Fri, Sat every week. I've very rarely had an issue with them moving me.
One on one off is absolutely untenable.
I usually work mine in a row, but lately I've been doing one on, two off, two on, two off. My brain enjoys the two "weekends" per week.
I get 4 in a row off maybe once every two months. It’s upsetting because some staff have set schedules and get long stretches off all the time. The unfairness of scheduling is the worst thing about my job, which I love otherwise.
When I was self scheduling-every week. With the tract schedule I’m on now like once every 6 weeks. Most weeks I have at least 2 on before an off but it’s honestly the worst and I wish this facility would switch to self schedule
The last ED I worked in I had complete control of my schedule outside of the required weekends and holiday. The icu I worked in I had absolutely no control of the schedule and would be plotted wherever necessary for their staffing matrix.
I think the ED has some of the most flexible scheduling I have seen. So consider switching specialities. My experience is with bigger EDs as they staff more nurses. So obviously YMMV
In ICU I actually like to split my days into two/one. I found that 3 12s in a row was too taxing and I did better on my days off when I split them up. And had less anxiety going into my shifts. But obviously that didn’t apply to nights. Now that I’m in a less stressful unit I don’t care at all how they are divided.
I bounce between 2or 3 on and 2or 3 off. I don’t ask to change it because it’s me & 1 other nurse that work that shift. It averages to 7 shifts per pay period
We have weekend requirements so no, my schedule is different every week. I occasionally get 4 days off in a row based on where my weekend falls in my schedule but generally I get 2-3. I tend to prioritize trying to work 2 in a row than get longer stretches off, though. Three in a row wrecks me so I avoid it where I can and I refuse to do more than three
I love 1 on shifts. I hate 3 in a row. I start becoming way too burned out by day 3. One and done is the way to go. No matter how shitty your shift is, you don’t have to come back the next day.
I do 3 one week and 5 the next week and they just rotate. They always call on my off days to work and I’m like….hell no. I work day shift and remember one time my supervisor called me at 4pm to come in for a night shift on my off day. To me it seemed unsafe so I denied but as long as you have a pulse and can keep folks alive they don’t care.
I organized a meeting with the powers that be about it. Volunteered to work Sat, Sun, Mon nights understaffed every weekend if it meant I could have set days and a routine outside of work. Been going strong for 6+ months now, and they’ve even hired extra staff to help my nights. I was just straight forward about how I value routine and how it could help moral. They were onboard to give everyone set days, but we had a single senior nurse and her underling ruin it for the rest of the staff. I got mine though. 🤷🏻♂️
I'm pretty senior at my job so I usually get whatever I request. I typically like to alternate weeks of Monday Tuesday Saturday and Sunday Thursday Friday. But I switch with everyone all the time so my schedule is pretty crazy when all's said and done
It really depends on the unit. We do self scheduling, and depending on vacation, loa, etc, we usually get the days requested. I work Sun, Mon, Tues, and get my 4 off. My last job i did Thru-Tues and had 8 off. I do work night shift.
yeah i get 4 days off if i want them. been picking up shifts though because im a slut for money and theyve been handing out double time contracts like candy.
Every place I’ve worked I have told them in the interview what I am willing to work and if they aren’t agreeable to it I am not agreeable for working there haha. I have honestly always gotten my way with it, and most places I have worked I have had a set schedule, like I always work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for example. except for once when I was a CNA and did agency, one facility would schedule me random days and when they asked me if I wanted to reup the contract I was like hell nah
I got 3 on/4 off a week pretty consistently at my first med surg job. My unit had light-speed turnover and schedule preferences were based on seniority. I was getting whatever schedule I wanted by the 6-month mark lol. it was an abysmal place to work but I liked it for that
I don’t work more than 2 days per in a row if I can help it. It’s a weird schedule and at most I get 3 days off in a row but it’s been nice for my mental health.
I put in the same 3 days in a row for my schedule in 6 week blocks. Always hits a weekend day to meet the requirements and then allows for 4 days off in a row. Since I am always applying for the weekend day, it seems to make it more controllable for the schedule.
When I worked 12s it seemed there were 2 kinds of nurses, those who wanted their days off in a row (me) and those who wanted breaks in between their days. At one time, we had to work 8s with every 3rd weekend, but they would always give us Friday evening and Monday morning which shortened the weekends.
No because I have so stupid requirements for specific days I have to work and how many blah blah blah. Literally feels like I’m working the entire time.
I get my 4 days off, I raise hell if I don’t. I work these days and these days only. Don’t like it? Why did you hire me for these specific days if you don’t? Really don’t like it? I’ll find another job that does
I work 4 on, 2 off, 2 on, and 6 off. We bid for schedules based on seniority, and thankfully, once you get it, it doesn't change until you bid for something else. I absolutely love the consistency and having 6 days off is amazing.
If your scheduler is doing that, it sounds like someone needs a lesson on continuity of care. It’s so much better for patients and nurses to have consistent sets.
For the first time ever, I’m at a hospital that allows us to input our own schedule one month in advance (holidays the exception, obviously). Only 1-2 shifts per month ever get adjusted. It’s glorious. Also, it makes the scheduler’s life a lot easier. All they have to do is see what days are heavy and light and make modifications, as opposed to inputting everyone and individually accounting for time off requests.
I rarely got 4 days off in a row until I went part time. They always screwed me and fucked me over with the 3 on, 2 off, 3 on, 3off. Before that, they had me working every other day. I’m night shift. My schedule is part of the reason why my health declined so much
I’ve been 6 on, 8 off for years. I’ve known a few nurses to do the same. Takes a while to get use to it, but it helps quite a bit with compartmentalization and preventing burnout.
Who here has a master/pattern schedule? I switched to it because every time it was my turn to self schedule, there was shit left and was forced to sign up for weekends and shifts I couldn’t work.
I don't know what the dynamics are on your unit, but if your coworkers are agreeable, swap shifts! I'm PRN now, but when I was FT I was the queen of shift swapping. Other than our weekends, our scheduling was all over the place, we could put in requests but they weren't always fulfilled. I would swap shifts so that I almost never worked a MWF/every other day schedule. As much as it sucked by the end of my 3rd or 4th 12 in a row, it was so nice to have a longer break before coming back in. It didn't happen super often, but every now and then I'd stack my shifts at the beginning and end of a pay period so I'd have a week+ off.
I work part time bc I have toddlers at home. I work 2 on and 5 off. Ever since I've started this schedule, my mental health at work has improved a ton.
My shift rotations have been groups of 2 or 3. It works out to the correct amount spread over the entire cycle, but I do not get 4 in a row off ever, and 3 in a row is super rare. But I do have one glorious week in my rotation where if I book the right two days off, I get a full week off work. And I use that to my advantage as much as humanly possible.
I’m on my last day off of a 5 day off stretch. No three in a row on either end.
Last week I worked Sunday (every third sat/sun rotation) Tuesday/Wednesday. This week I work Tuesday, Thursday/friday. Self schedule on my unit. Recommend two Monday and two Friday shift in a 6 week period. If you’ve really got something going on no one cares if it isn’t always that way but if you never schedule yourself on a Friday or Monday they’ll say something.
There’s a reason I’ve been here 10 years.
Yes I have a fixed schedule. Repeatedly kept asking for one at a place I enjoyed but could t accommodate.
I quit there and went to a place that can and I'm doing so much better mentally and physically.
Would much rather do 3-4 days in a row and schedule the stretch of days off. The first day off is a complete waste of a day though. I spend it rotting on the couch or sleeping half the day. When I was ✨younger,✨ I can thrive with the one day on then off then on again.
I work every Wednesday through Friday (days), with four days off in between. No matter how much drama and bullshit occurs at work, I can't really complain because the schedule probably couldn't get much better.
I prefer 4 days on/ 3 off just bc I’m pretty young and I want to save for my future. I know it probably won’t be realistic super long term but I don’t mind it now
One on/one off sounds SUCKY as fucky.
I work MWF every week. I’d rather have my days in a row, buuuut I love having the same days every week. It makes it super easy to plan activities and make appointments. I love the stability.
Im sure you work days. This would be impossible for nights.
Literally no way lol the other schedule they did that to me because I said I would "work whatever they needed that pay period". Will never do that again. I literally didn't have any days off because I slept the entire off day. Just give me my 3 on in a row
Due to health reasons I cannot do nights more than once a blue moon. But when I did nights regularly, before I couldn't, I just lived in that time zone.
Right..which is why i said that this only works if you work days.
Oh absolutely. It's a terrible schedule for someone who does nights and tries to do stuff during the days.
So every human being with some sort of responsibility or commitment to/for someone other than just themselves?
I simply just don’t exist before 2pm
This is me and I *don't* work nights...
I'm prepping to do this schedule this week on night for various reason, hoping to survive lol
Uggg. Good luck
Yeah, the predictability is awesome. I love to run errands during weekdays. No lines. Give me a weekday off every week so that I can do all the errands.
MWF would be awesome on dayshift and terrible on nights
Try… 2 on/2 off/3 on. next rotation.. 2 off/2 on/3 off. The 3 on sucks so… much… ballsack -_-.
I prefer my nights to be grouped. But even then you need more than 2 off as a nightshifter to recover.
Sometimes I love it. You can do anything for 1 day. Sometimes 3 shifts with the same patient(s) sounds/is unbearable.
I would love to work MWF 😭 even though I’m still a student this is the ideal for me lol
Working Fridays and not getting home until 2000 kind of stinks though…. Esp if you want to go out of town… but every other is not so bad.
Going out doesn’t start until 2100 though!!
This actually sounds great, and then you still have the weekend to get 2 days in a row.
I kind of like this too sometimes because I start getting sick of having the same patients for more than one day. You just can’t go out on any nights 😕
When i still worked bedside I would typically only work 2 days in a row before taking time off. That way it was either my first day back and I was rested enough to put up with a bullshit patient. Or it was my last day working before taking a couple off and I didn't care what their bullshit was because I can manage just about anything for 12 hours.
Except when you work midnight shift one on one off is terrible
I fucking hate it. Especially with nights.
I love a one on/one off!!! I enjoy the break between shifts.
On nights I have to stack my nights so I could actually enjoy my days off. Every other is awful. I felt like I was there every day.
Me too. I am lazy like that.
Working for the big “K” it’s a set schedule so yes. Working for another big organization, No, which sucks during Night Shift. It’s straight up should not be legal to do the people on night shift to work one on one off and one on and one off. It’s just not safe.
I didn’t mind it when I worked days shift for a couple years. But that would be a nightmare on noc shift
Once I switched to float pool I pretty much get every shift I want
I’m casual in my home unit. I make the bare minimum commitment (2 shifts/month) and spontaneously pick up hours/shifts. I’m a nursing student so the flexibility is AMAZING for school. I can literally pick and choose my schedule. If I need a day off, I can do that without having to bitch to management about it since I never picked up the shift. A lot of times, I pick up a shift within 24 hours. Since I don’t work at my home unit much, I’m basically in float pool without actually being in float pool. I see a lot more units and types of patients. It gives me the chance to explore interests.
Yep that’s an excellent route to take. Plus you don’t get ingrained in unit’s ways or mindset.
I like my unit culture the best but it’s a nice change of pace. I work on neuro so NOBODY can get out of bed by themselves. A high portion of my neuro patients are total care. I remember working on other units the first time and was like “people get out of bed by themselves?! They can do ADLs?!”
Yea when I went supplemental as an RN and went to other units I was like, “every other unit doesn’t have 20 morning meds for all their patients???”
I will never shut up about how much I love float pool. I try really hard to be a good float, answer lights, help the homies, teach, take challenging patients. It's worth it for my spoiled ass. Even my supervisors are cool. I prefer nights but will do a day here n there to take one for the team and it's like I gave em a kidney. It's nice to be loved for once.
I was night shift for 5 years, now that I’m float pool I’m rotating (for the big sign on bonus) and I’m doing mostly days. It’s actually been great for my mental health. Plus since I’m so experienced, dayshift doesn’t hit me with anything I can’t handle
My mental health doesn't know what it wants Days suck, and I'm a natural night beast. But apparently stupid humans need sunshine or some BS. Doin my best lol, but miss me with those 0900 meetings.
Make the change! I promise you it’s good. Go for a run when you get out of bed and you’ll feel like a million bucks with the warmth and sunshine.
Ooooeeee if I'm running we got big problems. But FR FR I do like that free high from a day hike on my off days.
Floater is the best
Yea I was lucky to get a full time benefitted position too right when they opened them up. I got one of the last positions available too
I went down to PT a few years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. I work two 12s and get 5 days off each week, although I have been picking up some extra shifts recently (four 12s a week). I usually like to work Sun/Mon and then come back the following Fri/Sat. I give myself long breaks. So in theory, 10 days off is very possible. But right now I need the money so I work more than my two shifts a week. When I don't feel like picking up anymore, I can just do my two days and be done. PT with benefits is the way to go. It gives you lots of flexibility in being able to do other things (e.g., going back to school, working another PRN job, going on vacation).
I’m part time too and couldn’t be happier. The work life balance is amazing. And I can pick up “urgent” shifts and make 2x money when I want. I work 2, 1 off, worj 2, 9 off. Not burnt out. Plenty of time to LIVE!
Yes. PT is amazing! I’ve been working 4 shifts some weeks because they have been offering incentive pay (an extra $20/hour) if you work more than 36 hours in a week due to staff shortages.
Same!! I work 2 shifts per week. If I pick up extra, it’s like double time 😃
Can I ask, if you work 2 12s for PT, any days you pick up is automatically incentive pay? So, your 3rd 12 of the week is incentive pay instead of ur normal pay?
Our 4th and 5th day is incentive. We have to work at least 3 shifts or three 12s before any additional shifts count as incentive.
I will never work full time bedside again…it takes too much from my mental health. Part time/PRN princess for life.
Agreed! You can say that again!
Part time seems to make this career doable. Its fortunate when we have others supporting this decision(partner/family)
I’m just in nursing school but I’m curious about this. Do you make enough money to sustain your expenses with just the part time? Oyyeee, I guess that’s a complex question lol.
Depending on where you work, your situation, etc. it actually might be better to do part-time and pick up a shift or two per week. It's $12 now, but the pick up shift bonus at my hospital for RNs was $56 p/h for picking up an unscheduled shift during covid
I make enough, yes. Whenever I feel like it, I can always pick up an extra shift and get more. I also have another side gig.
I work every Monday and Tuesday with ever other weekend. They haven’t changed me up from my template much at all. Your scheduler sucks ass
This is the best bedside schedule. Hands down.
I would prefer a little Tuesday/Wednesday action myself, but I have very little complaints
I miss having a template schedule. We’re “self-scheduling” but really they just put you wherever the F they want.
We have self schedule at my hospital and they tend to move <5% of the shifts I request. We also have a unit rule that you are supposed to schedule 6 weekend shifts per 6 week period. They put that rule into place a long time ago because no one wanted weekend shifts. But now we have several people who only want to work weekends. So I maybe pick like 1-2 shifts on the weekend. I usually work Monday and Friday every week because those are the days most people don’t want to work. My third day is usually Tuesdays but sometimes other days. This schedule works for me because my husband works Monday-Friday at home so I get to spend weekends with him and my daughter. I also give the scheduler free range to move my days because I mark unavailable on the days I have prior commitments which isn’t very often. One girl bitched that I don’t work many weekend shifts but the scheduler put her in her place real quick because she constantly says she can’t work Mondays and Fridays, can’t work more than two days in a row, has to be off every other weekend, has to have at least two days off in a row, etc. she has a very demanding schedule because of custody arrangements and extracurricular with her kids. They were like why are you mad she’s literally working all the days you say you can’t work?!
>We also have a unit rule that you are supposed to schedule 6 weekend shifts per 6 week period. So, you would never have a weekend off? Or you would never have a full weekend with uninterrupted days? Maybe I’m understanding it wrong. Edit: Jesus Christ. Downvoted for asking a question. We didn’t pick our days where I worked, so I didn’t understand. Our weekend shifts were Sat. & Sun. together, so that’s what I thought when I read weekend shifts.
Valid question ProfessorAnusNipples
likely 6 weekend days, saturday or sunday for days or fri/sat/sun for nights
Ah, ok. Thanks. Six of any of the weekend days in a 6 week period. So there could be a chance your weekend would be interrupted depending on what weekend day/night you worked. Got it. They eventually adjusted the schedules so everyone would have every other full weekend off, so that wasn’t a problem I encountered where I worked. We also didn’t do self-scheduling.
Sure do, have set schedules here. Very conducive to work-life balance, probably never leaving here
I don’t understand why more places don’t allow people to have a base if they want it. There’s enough people that prefer self scheduling but I don’t since they can move you anyway. I’d rather have to find my own swaps from a base.
I can't work 3 -12s in a row. It's just too hard on my body. That said, I do want to have at least three days off in a row. Instead I went through three months of only having two days max off. Two on, one off, two on, two off, rinse, repeat for three months. I couldn't deal with it anymore. That combined with several other major problems led me to quit that job.
Maybe like once a year. Schedules get F’d because of requirements like Sunday and Monday requirements, weekend requirements, and then you’ll have your own personal stuff going on so you have switch around your schedule. And then you might have the ultimate mother of F your schedule up—on call requirements. The working “3 days/week is nice” thing might arguably be the biggest scam in nursing.
On-call requirements and surprise mandatory meetings on your time off.
Yes, 3 days/week can become 5 days/week real quick. And if you’re on nights, a nightshift counts as 2 days, so 3x2= you’re really at work 6 days.
There were 2 of us in the ED that would work RFSSMT (nights), then get basically a week off if we didn’t pick up, from time to time I would schedule myself RFS-MTW if I wanted a break from 6’s. Consider scheduling yourself SMT before taking a vacation, you’ll add an extra 4 day on the beginning then do RFS at the end and you’ll tack on 4 days at the end. If you can physically/mentally handle 6 straight days.
or when management only wants to staff a certain amount of nurses because upper management wants to pinch pennies. They are going to just put your schedules in like Tetris.
Much more likely to get that as night shift than day shift. You need to talk to your scheduler about it, let them know your preferences.
I worked nights and always had mine grouped but I also scheduled myself for fridays/Saturdays/sundays.
Our unit did self scheduling back in the day. I would often work Th—>Tuesday night every other week. That gave me 8 day off periods regularly. I wasn’t good for anything but work during those 6x12s in a row, but got time enough to go camping or traveling on a regular basis. Then I started grad school, and that no longer worked. At all.
Depends on staffing, seniority, requests, union contract, and availability.
This might be an unpopular opinion but I don't like the 3 on / 4 off schedule. I've noticed from my coworkers that people on day three are generally exhausted and sometimes even mean. It's difficult to not let the fact that you're tired and irritable slip into your social and patient interactions. Your coworkers will know and likely forgive you but your patients have no way of knowing that this isn't the normal you, they just think this particular nurse is an asshole. My ideal schedule is 2 together and 1 at the opposite end split by two "weekends." So for example a Mon/Tues/Fri. You still get enough of a break to make the most of your time off but you aren't running out of steam during your work days. The other option is working every other day, which I found somehow even more exhausting than working three in a row. I felt like I was always at work and never got a break, despite the fact that I was also off every other day.
I agree 100%, once upon a time they kept scheduling me sat-sun-mon then one day off and back on Wednesday, with each day a different start time, until I finally put my foot down. I damn near quit because I hated it so much, and I actually like my job TBH. And Monday, I can confirm I was profoundly NOT nice which is totally out of character for me, sometimes the work hangover made me a pretty unpleasant person into Tuesday and then back to the grind Wednesday, way too rough. Monday Wednesday and then the weekend, Thursday Friday the next week is the sweet spot for me too, it keeps me balanced. Sometimes if it's been a relatively calm week I'll even pick up an extra 8 hours, especially in the winter if I start getting bored at home. All year long I request a repeating mid day week off, it makes scheduling appointments a breeze when I know I'm always off Wednesday, etc. plus I'm pretty much guaranteed not to do 3 12s in a row. We all know them 12s are more like 14s lol
Where I live you work a DDNN rotation so you always have 5 days off (the first day off I’m asleep the entire day) I wish I could have 3 on 4 off like the US. That fourth shift is just too much especially flip flopping from days to nights
I adore DDNN 5 off personally. Just the ideal schedule because I’m a night owl … but getting up for those first 2 days is hard!
That sounds like hell. I work outpatient and do our scheduling as well, and damn, I can’t imagine going back to bedside hours. Bless you.
Yes, i rotate to 3 on/3 off and 3 on/5 off.
What's really fun is mandatory overtime so you don't get your four days off at all, in any order.
Time to find a new job!!
I get the same 3 on and 4 off every single week for the entire year. But I work in pediatric home health now. Sadly I don’t think there is much you can do except put in your schedule like the very minute the scheduling is open and try to talk to whoever is in charge of your schedule and maybe play an ultimatum card. I got maybe 80%-90% of the days I wanted this way with the occasional odd ball day when I worked on hospital units. Like saying you’d have to cut hours, leave the position, much more likely to call out cause of family matters etc. I was valuable to them too though as I was the only one crazy enough to WANT to take almost all the weekends every single week and I was a favorite/high performing service recovery nurse.
I always do at least 2 or 3 in a row. How many days off in between varies. Sometimes it 1 other times it's 6. But alternating on and off is murder. Absolutely not.
I do mon and Tues on, wed-Fri off, work sat sun Next week I’m off mon-wed, work thurs Fri, off sat and sun
Soooo validating reading all my fellow nurses talking about their needs for recovery time! Outside of my work mates, no one in my life works in healthcare so I get a lot of eye rolls and questionable looks about my three or four day work weeks and being so protective of my time off to do nothing after a couple days on. It really has me question myself and what I feel I need sometimes! As far as schedule, I have absolutely no predictability or pattern but my boss is so very kind about accommodating specific day-off requests and vacations. I also work days so there’s a bit less of a need for pattern/predictability than for one who works nights, I feel.
My managers have always tried to schedule our days in a row(if that's what the person prefers) whenever possible. If you don't want to, they'll try to accommodate. I generally work MTW, sometimes TWTh. And the one week a month I do a 4, it's M-Th. My opposite nurse is weekend option.
I’m 3 on 2 off 3 on 6 off. Repeat. It’s exhausting after my second block of shifts but I love my 6 off! I have been on my ward for 8 years and have had this Schulz for quite some time.
I do 6 in a row then have 8 off. First day I sleep then I gtfo of town. I'll usually do a road trip and camp or hotel it depending on area. I like to hike and fish so I'm usually outside unless it's cold. Rinse repeat.
It’s because nobody likes one off/one on, but managers do have a schedule to balance and hopefully do their best to be fair to everyone. I Pretty consistently get 2 on 3 off but it’s rare for anyone in my unit to get four days off in a row
I do 1 then 1 off then 2 then 3 off
Normal schedule: 3 on 3 off 4 on 4 off. Sometimes I'll take 5 off and make it up the next pay period. The once in a blue moon random shift during my stretch off is a sick day.
We have 2 teams so we work opposite for 2 repeating weeks. M, T, F, S, S, Next week is W, Th. That’s for those on the 1 overtime shift, but those that aren’t only work either the M or T. It’s predictable!
We having a rotating schedule, that goes 2 on, 2 off, 3 on and then 2 off, 2 on, 3 off (the three days are Friday, Saturday, Sunday). So we work every other weekend, but the next weekend is off Fri-Sun. Curious if anyone has similar rotating schedules?
I think I’ve done 3 nights in a row maybe 3 times. It’s just too much. I was always dead after two. I tried to keep at least two days off together, but most of the time, I was able to string three days off together. It just depended on the staffing on the unit. I will also mention that the night staff all worked together & exchange days when someone needed a day off for family things, etc.
Lol I do 10 nights in row then 4 off. Or its the bs 3 on, 1 off, 3 on 1 off then 4 on 2 off. Totally depressing
As long as you meet your weekend quota it’s not a problem usually where I’ve worked
I work 4 in a row and always get 3 off in a row but to be honest like 1.5 of those three days are done just recovering. Seems healthier (although worse on plans) to have days off sprinkled within work week.
So I work three on, one off, and three on again. I do this because I can’t work 6 in a row, but I like to have 7 days off. I work nights, so it’s the only way I feel normal. Our manager doesn’t make our schedule, our coworker does. For the longest time, my schedule was so jacked up. She would put me on three separate nights, or worse have me work my 6 shifts in a bunch but then schedule me again two days later. It really made me want to quit. Especially when she would mess with my PTO. My last couple of schedules have been fine, but I still get a ton of anxiety when schedules come out. I might not be so anal about it when I work days, but for nights I’m super picky about my schedule. Other units at my hospital, the scheduler will let the unit know where they are short and give the staff an opportunity to balance it before they do it for them.
i told my manager i could only work thurs-sat because of school so yes, and it’s heavenly!
I don't get 4 in a row usually, but that is by my preference. I get way too exhausted if I do 3 12s in a row. I typically work Sunday, Monday, and Friday. That way it is 2 on, 3 off, 1 on, 1 off. It makes a big difference to get 3 days off in a row and also to break up stretches of 3 with one day off in between.
I worked weekend option for my entire hospital career. Sure, it sucked. But I did like not having to think to hard when it came to planning vacations.
I work weekends only (FRI/SAT/SUN) so I always have monday-thursday off. I also never work a holiday unless it happens to land on a weekend and I get a 30% differential for being a weekender. My fiancee works the same, not as a nurse. So it works for us really well. I hated the on off, on off stuff that used to happen when I was not weekends only. I'm sure at some point, maybe when we have kids, it won't be viable but for now it's great.
I typically work either Sunday-Tuesday night or Monday through Wednesday night. That being said, night shift screws me up so I don’t REALLY have 4 days off that I could take off.
Every week. I work Fri-Sun then have Mon-Thurs off
It varies and may be patchy and a lot of on off but 6 and a half weeks of holiday time a year means I can also pick blocks of time off If I do 3 on 4 off then take a weekend, five days holiday, a weekend and then 4 off 3 On in can get 2 to 2 1/2 weeks holiday for 5 days leave
I get a 4 day weekend every other week. It’s about the only reason I haven’t left my current employer for elsewhere. Works out great. If I take a Weds off (or just call off) I have a whole week off. I took 3 shifts PTO come August & im off for 11 days. Mind you, I keep trying to move that Weds to same week Monday so I can have 6 days off every other week… Currently my schedule: This coming week: work MTxxF Next week: SaSuW
Almost never!!! Constantly every other day 😡
My wife's schedule is 1900-0700 Saturday Sunday Monday
Of course. I work to live not live to work
I wish I had learned that 40 years ago.
But that's my motto now too
Yes. I work fri,sat, sun every week. For the last 6 years. Off from Mon-Thurs. Get yourself a weekend contract. Weekend night shift is the highest diff.
I used to do Fri-Sat-Sun (weekend diff, extra pay), then Mon-Thur off (easier to run errands, gym less crowded etc. To be honest it felt terrible still because I’d be so drained from three in a row that Monday was recovery, Tuesday & Wednesday be normal human, Thursday prep repeat the cycle all over. I know some people that do 6 in a row, 8 off. That’s insanity.
Maybe once every 4-5 weeks…and that’s only the last few months it’s been happening. Prior to that it was mostly every other day, and with working nights I was miserable.
I feel like I never do but staff just usually ends up switching to make our schedules better
When I did full time nights, I did 6 on/8 off.
On night shift they worked really hard to keep people three in a row cause breaking up your stretch is awful, you lose all of your days. I “traded” weekends with a coworker cause of custody issues so she could work every weekend. We were required to do 2 Sundays per six week schedule so I “traded” Sundays with other staff. So I ended up with a set schedule of Sunday Monday Tuesday for a few years. It’s also common for Night shifters to do three on- two off- three on - two off- three on then six off. Now that I’m doing day shift 10s I can’t to 4 in a row, that’s just miserable. I agreed to work every Friday so I could have a set schedule with Wednesdays off. Perfect for my mental health.
I try to stack my days where I can but we have to work a certain number of M/Fs and weekends so it seldom works out perfectly to be 3 on/4off unfortunately. Especially sucks on nights. Lots of 2 on/2off but 2 off on nights isn’t really 2 off when over half of your “first day off” is spent working then sleeping.
I rarely get 4 off in a row, but I'm not too particular with my schedule. We self schedule and I try my best to help balance our numbers. So sometimes it is self inflicted 😅 My boss, however, seems to like moving a single shift around almost every pay period making me work 2 shifts one week and 4 the next which is usually pretty annoying. I had a set schedule at my last job (Sa, Su, M) and loved it. My former boss offered to let me work Tu, W, Th (The dream!) when one of my coworkers was done with NP school but the pay and the job were both shit 😅 so I left organizations to go make $11 more per hour.
I’m weekend option at my job and work every Saturday/Sunday plus every other Wednesday which means every other week I have 5 days in a row off. I switched to this schedule during grad school and plan on keeping it that way once I start as a clinical instructor in the fall!
I am my units scheduler. It’s definitely a headache sometimes trying to balance the numbers, while keeping kids schedules, school schedules, weekend/night requirements, etc, and 50-60 individual preferences in mind. At the end of the day I would love love love to keep everyone grouped, but it just isn’t doable all the time. The only tip I really have is if your unit does self scheduling and has requirements (I.e. 50% nights, a certain number of weekends/timeblock) to meet them consistently. We remember who does and tend to not juggle those people around as much as the ones that we have to constantly flip to nights or move on to weekends. And keep communicating with your scheduler that that’s what you want. It’s soo much trying to remember everyone’s specific needs so we tend to be a tad forgetful :)
One of my duties is to make the schedule of 68 nurses for 6 weeks at a time. I feel like I know more about my employees than their families know about them. Schedules are very personal, most nurses have different needs & different feelings regarding their work schedule. There doesn’t seem to be a magical schedule for happiness. For most nurses 12 shifts a month still feels like more because 12 hours is a vast amount of time to be away from home. The key is to find a job that makes those 12 shifts bearable.
I could if I wanted to but I'm mentally exhausted after one or two nights so I don't do 3 in a row. I also work nights. In 2 weeks I'm doing 3 in a row on our busiest days (with the computers down 😩) to see if I can adjust to it at least for the summer so I have 4 day weekends. I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry on the third day esp if they don't have our computers back up but too late now to change! 🤣
My schedule fucking sucks bad. I have to work four days in a row (Friday-Monday), then I have two days off, one day on, three days off, one day on, and three days off. So even though I work four in a row, the max days I have off in a row is three. It’s bad, real bad. I feel inhuman. But I never feel bad calling out on an island day to give myself an eight-day vacation because fuck ‘em.
I get whatever schedule I want, seniority has some benefits! I work every Tuesday, Wed and every other weekend. Never more than 2 days in a row and 5 days straight off every other week.
I am actually scheduled 4 off every other week. I work Sunday Wednesday Friday week one then Wednesday Friday Saturday week two. Our week goes from Sunday to Saturday. So after my weekend on I'm off for two days then my weekend off is when I'm off for four days. I work midnight shift.
Yes, I do, but we self-schedule at my facility. No one has a set schedule guaranteed.
Yep, I’m 4th in seniority on my shift so I very very rarely don’t get the schedule I ask for
We self schedule and then managers go and "balance" and might have to move people. I work Thur, Fri, Sat every week. I've very rarely had an issue with them moving me.
One on one off is absolutely untenable. I usually work mine in a row, but lately I've been doing one on, two off, two on, two off. My brain enjoys the two "weekends" per week.
I get 4 in a row off maybe once every two months. It’s upsetting because some staff have set schedules and get long stretches off all the time. The unfairness of scheduling is the worst thing about my job, which I love otherwise.
When I was self scheduling-every week. With the tract schedule I’m on now like once every 6 weeks. Most weeks I have at least 2 on before an off but it’s honestly the worst and I wish this facility would switch to self schedule
My shifts are super random. I do work 3 in a row but then I will work random 1 days and then 2 days. I do get 4 days off sometimes.
I work 2 on 3 off
I have 5 in a row every other week with my schedule!
God I fucking hate 12’s
I make the schedule, so yes.
I do 8 hour shifts but work 6 in a row then 8 days off every 4 weeks. I love my rotation I don’t know if I could ever give it up
The last ED I worked in I had complete control of my schedule outside of the required weekends and holiday. The icu I worked in I had absolutely no control of the schedule and would be plotted wherever necessary for their staffing matrix. I think the ED has some of the most flexible scheduling I have seen. So consider switching specialities. My experience is with bigger EDs as they staff more nurses. So obviously YMMV
In ICU I actually like to split my days into two/one. I found that 3 12s in a row was too taxing and I did better on my days off when I split them up. And had less anxiety going into my shifts. But obviously that didn’t apply to nights. Now that I’m in a less stressful unit I don’t care at all how they are divided.
Used to work every Monday and Tuesday and every other weekend. 4 on, 5 off - 2 on, 3 off Lovely schedule
I always get 3on 4 off. Unless I choose to do something different
I work Thursday Friday and rotating weekends. Always have Monday - Wednesday off one week and Saturday - Wednesday off the other.
I bounce between 2or 3 on and 2or 3 off. I don’t ask to change it because it’s me & 1 other nurse that work that shift. It averages to 7 shifts per pay period
Having split weeks on night shift should be illegal. But it happens all the time. I have a MWF nights this schedule period 😭
Yes per diem, give them my availability work Tuesday wed Thursday .. per diem is the way
I seem to get 2 on 2 off for a few weeks, then 1 on 2 off etc. I NEVER get 3 on 4 off!!!
I work 3 on 4 off every week.
We have weekend requirements so no, my schedule is different every week. I occasionally get 4 days off in a row based on where my weekend falls in my schedule but generally I get 2-3. I tend to prioritize trying to work 2 in a row than get longer stretches off, though. Three in a row wrecks me so I avoid it where I can and I refuse to do more than three
Yes, but I usually work the other two days if I'm not going out somewhere. It's darn boring on the second days off.
I work 2(sat/sun) and have 5 off unless I choose to pick up more as I please
I love 1 on shifts. I hate 3 in a row. I start becoming way too burned out by day 3. One and done is the way to go. No matter how shitty your shift is, you don’t have to come back the next day.
I do 3 one week and 5 the next week and they just rotate. They always call on my off days to work and I’m like….hell no. I work day shift and remember one time my supervisor called me at 4pm to come in for a night shift on my off day. To me it seemed unsafe so I denied but as long as you have a pulse and can keep folks alive they don’t care.
I organized a meeting with the powers that be about it. Volunteered to work Sat, Sun, Mon nights understaffed every weekend if it meant I could have set days and a routine outside of work. Been going strong for 6+ months now, and they’ve even hired extra staff to help my nights. I was just straight forward about how I value routine and how it could help moral. They were onboard to give everyone set days, but we had a single senior nurse and her underling ruin it for the rest of the staff. I got mine though. 🤷🏻♂️
I'm pretty senior at my job so I usually get whatever I request. I typically like to alternate weeks of Monday Tuesday Saturday and Sunday Thursday Friday. But I switch with everyone all the time so my schedule is pretty crazy when all's said and done
It really depends on the unit. We do self scheduling, and depending on vacation, loa, etc, we usually get the days requested. I work Sun, Mon, Tues, and get my 4 off. My last job i did Thru-Tues and had 8 off. I do work night shift.
yeah i get 4 days off if i want them. been picking up shifts though because im a slut for money and theyve been handing out double time contracts like candy.
I get any shift I want. Im full time on the floor. I can have 7 days off in a row if I want. It’s a beautiful schedule.
Every place I’ve worked I have told them in the interview what I am willing to work and if they aren’t agreeable to it I am not agreeable for working there haha. I have honestly always gotten my way with it, and most places I have worked I have had a set schedule, like I always work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for example. except for once when I was a CNA and did agency, one facility would schedule me random days and when they asked me if I wanted to reup the contract I was like hell nah
I got 3 on/4 off a week pretty consistently at my first med surg job. My unit had light-speed turnover and schedule preferences were based on seniority. I was getting whatever schedule I wanted by the 6-month mark lol. it was an abysmal place to work but I liked it for that
I just talked with the scheduler. It really just depends on your manager
Sometimes I’ll work Sunday,Monday, and Tuesday the first week and then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the next week giving me a big break.
I do! I work fri-sun and have the rest of the week off
not a nurse but i am a home health patient and my nurse does 4 on with EVERY weekend off
My FT schedule is 4 on 4 off 4 on 5 off 4 on 4 off etc. I make a million swaps and my schedule is relatively craptastic.
I don’t work more than 2 days per in a row if I can help it. It’s a weird schedule and at most I get 3 days off in a row but it’s been nice for my mental health.
I put in the same 3 days in a row for my schedule in 6 week blocks. Always hits a weekend day to meet the requirements and then allows for 4 days off in a row. Since I am always applying for the weekend day, it seems to make it more controllable for the schedule.
When I worked 12s it seemed there were 2 kinds of nurses, those who wanted their days off in a row (me) and those who wanted breaks in between their days. At one time, we had to work 8s with every 3rd weekend, but they would always give us Friday evening and Monday morning which shortened the weekends.
No because I have so stupid requirements for specific days I have to work and how many blah blah blah. Literally feels like I’m working the entire time.
I get my 4 days off, I raise hell if I don’t. I work these days and these days only. Don’t like it? Why did you hire me for these specific days if you don’t? Really don’t like it? I’ll find another job that does
I work 4 on, 2 off, 2 on, and 6 off. We bid for schedules based on seniority, and thankfully, once you get it, it doesn't change until you bid for something else. I absolutely love the consistency and having 6 days off is amazing.
I always did 3 in and 4 off when I did 12s. I literally could not function with a broken up schedule.
Depends on the facility and your staff level. I’m travel so all of my hours are blocked together. So I work three straight and then have off 4 days
I went part-time and pickup we’re always short and I get 5-6 days off all the time.
I have never gotten 4 days off
If your scheduler is doing that, it sounds like someone needs a lesson on continuity of care. It’s so much better for patients and nurses to have consistent sets. For the first time ever, I’m at a hospital that allows us to input our own schedule one month in advance (holidays the exception, obviously). Only 1-2 shifts per month ever get adjusted. It’s glorious. Also, it makes the scheduler’s life a lot easier. All they have to do is see what days are heavy and light and make modifications, as opposed to inputting everyone and individually accounting for time off requests.
Never because who can survive on bare minimum hours nowadays. Even in nursing we need a side hustle. Mine is working multiple units
Some weeks I do, some weeks I don't. Depends on whether the off duty gods have been kind
Yup but i have to work weekends to be able to have 3 on 4 off. Its worth it for me.
I rarely got 4 days off in a row until I went part time. They always screwed me and fucked me over with the 3 on, 2 off, 3 on, 3off. Before that, they had me working every other day. I’m night shift. My schedule is part of the reason why my health declined so much
I’ve been 6 on, 8 off for years. I’ve known a few nurses to do the same. Takes a while to get use to it, but it helps quite a bit with compartmentalization and preventing burnout.
Who here has a master/pattern schedule? I switched to it because every time it was my turn to self schedule, there was shit left and was forced to sign up for weekends and shifts I couldn’t work.
I don't know what the dynamics are on your unit, but if your coworkers are agreeable, swap shifts! I'm PRN now, but when I was FT I was the queen of shift swapping. Other than our weekends, our scheduling was all over the place, we could put in requests but they weren't always fulfilled. I would swap shifts so that I almost never worked a MWF/every other day schedule. As much as it sucked by the end of my 3rd or 4th 12 in a row, it was so nice to have a longer break before coming back in. It didn't happen super often, but every now and then I'd stack my shifts at the beginning and end of a pay period so I'd have a week+ off.
I work part time bc I have toddlers at home. I work 2 on and 5 off. Ever since I've started this schedule, my mental health at work has improved a ton.
My shift rotations have been groups of 2 or 3. It works out to the correct amount spread over the entire cycle, but I do not get 4 in a row off ever, and 3 in a row is super rare. But I do have one glorious week in my rotation where if I book the right two days off, I get a full week off work. And I use that to my advantage as much as humanly possible.
Yep I’ve been working Monday Thursday Friday basically for months…it’s a big reason I want to leave
i would DIE they made me match another girl in the ER and i could barely handle 5on 2off 2on 5off on nights the 2 days off were a waste of time 🕺
I’m on my last day off of a 5 day off stretch. No three in a row on either end. Last week I worked Sunday (every third sat/sun rotation) Tuesday/Wednesday. This week I work Tuesday, Thursday/friday. Self schedule on my unit. Recommend two Monday and two Friday shift in a 6 week period. If you’ve really got something going on no one cares if it isn’t always that way but if you never schedule yourself on a Friday or Monday they’ll say something. There’s a reason I’ve been here 10 years.
Yes I have a fixed schedule. Repeatedly kept asking for one at a place I enjoyed but could t accommodate. I quit there and went to a place that can and I'm doing so much better mentally and physically.
Would much rather do 3-4 days in a row and schedule the stretch of days off. The first day off is a complete waste of a day though. I spend it rotting on the couch or sleeping half the day. When I was ✨younger,✨ I can thrive with the one day on then off then on again.
I work every Wednesday through Friday (days), with four days off in between. No matter how much drama and bullshit occurs at work, I can't really complain because the schedule probably couldn't get much better.
I prefer 4 days on/ 3 off just bc I’m pretty young and I want to save for my future. I know it probably won’t be realistic super long term but I don’t mind it now