What Are The Hours Of Work? For A Registered Nurse

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When it comes to hourly work, most registered nurses work a set number of hours each day.

This including working 8-hour, 10-hour, 12-hour, or even 16-hour shifts.

Furthermore, based on where registered nurses work, they're required to operate at scheduled times of the day.

For instance, nurses frequently work in the morning, afternoon, or night shift rotations.

This ensures that an adequate amount of staff is always on duty. Moreover, it reduces over/under scheduling throughout the day.

Regarding healthcare settings, registered nurses operate in a variety of environments.

This includes hospitals, 24-hour clinics, urgent care centers, assisted living facilities, emergency care, hospice care, and nursing homes.

In each of these cases, healthcare facilities require medical care at all times of the day.

As a result, facilities require registered nurses to be on staff 24/7 to assist patients with illnesses, ailments, medical conditions, and injuries.

With that said, numerous healthcare settings have set hours each day.

For instance, doctors' offices and primary care practitioners generally operate during the day and evening.

As a result, they do not operate 24/7 compared to other healthcare facilities. In these instances, nurses have more defined hours.

For example, nurses can work Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 5 pm at a privately owned healthcare office/clinic.

However, depending on the facility, weekend hours may apply.

Beyond that, nurses that work in a specialized field have established hours based on their work and responsibilities.

These careers include blogging/writing, school nurses, nurse educators, research nurses, office nurses, telephone triage nurses, and various other fields.

In fact, there are over 75 different career specialties in nursing.

A Registered Nurse's Schedule is Dependent Upon:

Who the registered nurse works for
Whether they work in a high demand area
Specific scheduling requirements based on the needs of the facility
Current staffing shortages
Employee gaps during specific times of the day
Negotiated schedule before or during employment

In terms of the weekly schedule, registered nurses can be found working 8-hour shifts (5x) per week, 10-hour shifts (4x) per week, or 12-hour shifts (3x) per week.

RN's that work 8 or 10 hour days typically work around 40 hours per week.

However, nurses that work 12 hour days may end up working around 36 hours per week.

In either case, the 36 hour and 40 hour work weeks are commonly considered full-time work for registered nurses.

And there are pros and cons to each schedule depending on the individual working them.

Although less common, some nurses work 16-hour shifts in certain healthcare settings.

For nurses who work 16 hour days, these schedules are essentially the equivalent of working two 8 hour shifts.

With that said, all of these hourly variations do not account for any voluntary/required overtime.

Depending on the setting, some healthcare facilities require frequent overtime work.

This is especially true during certain circumstances such as a nursing shortage or in highly demanding professions.

Factors That Affect Overtime Schedules for Nurses

The demands of their job
Healthcare facility staff shortages
Emergencies (i.e., natural disasters that lead to a large number of injured civilians)
Special employer/patient needs
Nurse call outs

Overtime can be voluntary or mandatory depending on the facility's needs and can affect the number of hours an RN works during a given week/month.

With that said, not all professions require nurses to operate on a 24-hour schedule or need nurses to put in overtime.

For example, doctor's offices, rehabilitation centers, and some school districts typically have specific operating hours.

As a result, these places do not require any emergency or 24-hour care.

However, nurses will work overtime if another nurse calls out and leaves the office understaffed.

Without registered nurses, patients wouldn't receive the medical care they need.

In fact, patient health will decline due to a lack of adequate medical care and attention.

Doctors, physicians, and healthcare professionals are limited in their capacity to care for numerous patients independently.

Therefore always having registered nurses on staff is an essential part of the healthcare field.

Registered Nurse Responsibilities Include:

Monitoring their patient's condition
Recording patient symptoms and keeping records of their recovery status
Making patient assessments (non-diagnosis) of their medical condition ( i.e., injuries or sickness)
Assisting patients dealing with an ailment or trauma
Administering medications and/or specialized treatments
Assisting patients in rehabilitation programs
Monitoring medical machinery to ensure proper operation
Assisting doctors, healthcare specialists, and staff with daily tasks

And working alongside medical professionals by providing insights and valuable medical information to ensure the patient receives adequate medical care.

Hours for Part-time Registered Nurses

Regarding part-time employees, an employer may decide what is considered full-time and what is part-time work. That is, within the specific laws of their state for the employer shared responsibility provisions.

For example, according to the IRS, an employee who works an average of at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours of service per month is considered a full-time employee (7/20/2020).

Furthermore, the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) says that employees who work more than 40 hours must be paid overtime.

Most professions (including nursing) generally consider 30 – 40 hours of work per week full-time status.

Registered nurses who are considered part-time may end up working 30 hours or less per week.

They may also receive lower hourly wages and fewer benefits due to their part-time status.

In some cases, part-time registered nurses only work 10 – 20 hours per week or on a fluctuating schedule.

With that said, travel nurses typically work on a per diem basis.

Furthermore, they generally operate on a contract basis at a healthcare facility for a specified amount of time.

As with registered nurses, travel nurses work part-time or full-time hours.

Finally, nurses can work for two different healthcare facilities, impacting their part-time/full time-status and salary.

Part-time work is possible in any nursing profession. However, it's more common in fields that don't require full-time work.

It's also common in high-demand fields that need as many nurses on staff as possible.

In fact, some nurses take on part-time work at a separate healthcare facility to earn extra income on the side.

Registered Nurse Hours During Nights, Weekends, and Holidays

As you can expect, the healthcare field is an essential part of the economy.

It requires healthcare professionals to provide care to patients regardless of the time or time of year.

As a result, registered nurses find themselves working evenings, nights, weekends.

Of course, this includes holidays because their work never shuts down, and caring for people is a 24/7 responsibility.

With that said, registered nurses working at personally owned doctor/primary care offices have different schedules.

Schools, medical offices, and rehabilitation centers also have set hours.

Essentially, these offices can close during the weekend and holidays based on the owner's decision.

While registered nurses' extra pay for working nights and weekends depends on the healthcare facility they work for, many states and facilities provide higher hourly rates for staff required to work during federally mandated holidays.

In fact, many nurses enjoy working holidays because they can earn extra income during mandated holidays.

What's more, registered nurses can receive additional overtime pay during busy holidays.

In short, registered nurses who work during holidays can receive holiday pay and overtime pay.

As far as nights and weekends go, some facilities offer higher pay for nurses who volunteer to work night and/or weekend shifts.

However, that is largely dependent upon the facility they work for.

Demand for Registered Nurse and Career Opportunities

As older RN's retire (the average age of nurses in the U.S. is around 50 years of age 7/29/2020) and the economy continually expands, the need for educated and qualified registered nurses will continue to rise.

Registered nurses are currently in high demand, and this demand is unlikely to change any time soon.

As a result, it provides nurses with plenty of opportunities to find a job and move their careers forward.

For students interested in starting a nursing career, the healthcare sector offers various specialties to accommodate most individuals.

In fact, these specialists offer everything from direct patient care to research, self-employment, education, and writing.

For instance, nursing students can become emergency room nurses, bloggers, forensic nurses, teachers, lawyer aides, researchers, and more.

And the high demand for registered nurses means that there are many opportunities for career advancement, great pay, and the ability to choose where you want to work.

The high demand also provides a high level of job security. With that said, some nurses will have to travel or relocate to find suitable work if they live in a rural environment.

It is expected that through 2020 there will be as many as 1.6 million job openings for nurses that will need to be filled to address the nursing shortage partially.

Moreover, the pandemic has created a significant need for additional staff, pushing the shortage up even further.

Why It's Hard To Get Into Certain Healthcare Fields

Depending on the field a registered nurse wants to work in, the competition for certain spots may remain reasonably high.

This is especially true among new nurses compared to those with higher education and/or more working experience.

Less experienced nurses that are willing to work entry-level positions and take jobs at locations in need of staffing will have the greatest opportunities.

As they gain the skills and experience required to fill experienced jobs, they will apply for better positions at local hospitals and healthcare organizations.

Eventually, this will lead to getting hired for desirable positions.

Reasons Nurses Have Difficulty Applying For Jobs

Applying for jobs with limited positions
Lacking experience in careers that require expertise
Applying at popular locations with lots of applications
Looking for jobs that don't properly match their skillset
Not meeting employer requirements (i.e., living within a certain distance)

There are several other reasons it's difficult for nurses to find work in specific fields. However, these are well-known examples.

With that said, there are plenty of positions offering jobs for nurses of all education/experience levels.

The difficulty in getting hired depends on the position being applied for, the location, and the nurse's background.

If a particular position requires experience, gain experience in a related field to improve the odds of getting hired.

This is especially true if the field has limited positions with many applicants and only hires the best.

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