How Many Hours Do Nurses Work?

By Martina Mascali, Monster Contributor

Are you interested in a nursing career and are asking yourself “how many hours do nurses work?” On average the answer is 30 to 40 hours per week with shifts of eight to 16 hours per day, but that is not always the case. Since nurses provide care to patients in a multitude of settings, labor laws change from state to state, and the nation faces an ongoing nursing shortage, there isn’t just one simple answer to what a nurse schedule looks like.

Nurses are essential in our society, and we need more of them. They are needed in all sorts of facilities, from schools which are only nine months out of the year to 24/7 urgent care clinics. This job is as demanding as it is rewarding, and it usually comes with great benefits, including vacation and paid time off (PTO).

learn this article, we show you how a nurse schedule can change, average days of PTO, when and where mandatory overtime applies to nurses, plus more helpful information to answer “how many hours do nurses work?”.

How Many Hours Do Nurses Work in a Day?

Full-time nurses may work eight, 10, 12 or even 16-hour shifts depending on their facility’s policies and nursing labor state laws regarding overtime. In settings where patient care is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12-hour shifts are the most common schedule, as is working weekends and nights. In schools, doctor’s offices, clinics, and other limited hours facilities, nurses usually work shorter shifts during regular business hours.

How Many Hours Do Nurses Work in a Week?

While full-time nurses typically work 36 to 40 hours per week, part-time nurses work less than 30 hours. Ask us “how many days a week do nurses work?” and we’ll once again remind you that the response lies in the nurse schedule and is contingent on your work environment and state laws. Let’s take a closer look at some scheduling examples:

  • 8-hour shifts, 5 days/40 hours a week
  • 10-hour shifts, 4 days/40 hours a week
  • 12-hours shifts, 3 days/36 hours a week

Now that we know that the answer to “how many days do nurses work?” is in most cases three to five days per week, let’s move onto solving another question many people have: “do nurses have weekends off?”.

Working nights and weekends is common for nurses but not guaranteed. There are in fact numerous positions that allow nurses to have weekends off, like those in clinics, physician offices, elementary and high schools. Moreover, choosing the latter option and working as a school nurse allows you to also have the entire summer off, as well as other holidays included in the school calendar.

What Is a Typical Nurse Schedule?

Your nurse schedule will vary depending on the shift pattern you follow in your workplace. Typically, those on 12-hour shifts work from 7am to 7pm if working during the day, or from 7pm to 7am if working nights and have four days off per week. Nurses working eight-hour and 10-hour shifts are often employed under regular business hours on Monday to Friday and occasionally on Saturdays too.

While certain nursing positions, such as school nurses, have a reasonably stable schedule, keep in mind that other nurses’ schedules can change quite often, and even go over 40-hours per week to include mandatory or volunteer overtime hours. According to a workplace survey by the American Nurses Foundation most nurses prefer to work eight-hour shifts (40%) and 12-hour shifts (37%). Over 20% are asked daily and more than 30% are asked weekly to cover additional shifts.

What Is On-Call and How Does Being On-Call Work?

Working on-call shifts means being available and ready to go to work on an as-needed basis. As a nurse on-call, you typically don’t have to physically go in to work unless you’re called in. You can’t take your mind off work completely and you need to stay close to your place of work and always reachable by phone.

Doing things like travelling out of town or enjoying a beer with friend are off-limits. If you have children, pets, or other relatives, make plans to have someone step in and care for them if you are called in. Being on-call is not a chance for extra PTO, you’re essentially working during this time and should behave accordingly.

Nursing Labor Laws and Overtime for Nurses

Before we go deep into answering common questions about overtime for nurses, let’s remember that there are nursing positions with a very regular schedule that rarely or never have to work overtime. If instead you want to make extra money and build your nursing resume, working overtime is a great way to do so.

Nurses are often offered additional shifts due mainly to the gap between the supply and demand of registered nurses in our country. If you are interested in becoming a nurse, here we answered a few common questions related to the question “how many hours do nurses work?” below:

  • How many hours can a nurse work straight?

The greatest number of hours a nurse is allowed to work in certain situations and in most U.S. states is 16 hours.

  • Can nurses be forced to extend their scheduled shift?

Because in most parts of the U.S. nurses fall into the category of workers on which employers can enforce mandatory overtime, the short answer to this question is yes - but not in all situations. Increasing working hours by too much can lead to a decrease in the quality of patient care, the employee’s work-life balance and workplace satisfactions. For this reason, numerous U.S. states and workplaces have either prohibited or limited mandatory overtime for nurses, except in emergencies.

  • Which states prohibit or limiting mandatory overtime for nurses?

There are currently 18 states where mandatory overtime for nurses is either illegal or has limits. They are: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. In most of these states the maximum shift length a nurse can work is 12 hours, but there are always exceptions, such as in emergencies like a disease outbreak or natural disaster, or completing a procedure in full.

Does a Nurse’s Pay Differ Depending on Their Work Schedule?

Yes and no. It all depends on your employment contract. As a salaried nurses, your paycheck won’t change depending on your work schedule, no matter how many hours you work in a day or week.

For wage employees, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has established that instead that if you work overtime, you must be paid 1.5 times your regular hourly pay rate. To find out the average salary for a nursing position in your current town or any other major location across the country, consult Monster’s Salary Tool.

How Does PTO Work for Nurses?

One of the greatest benefits you’ll receive when working as a nurse in most places is a PTO policy. From your first year of work nurses are given an average of 17 days paid vacation, and that increases to 21 days after five years and to 24 after ten years.

Moreover, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employee Benefits Survey, compared to workers in other fields, registered nurses have on average a better access to employee benefits. That includes not only great PTO policies but also retirement benefits, tuition reimbursement, healthcare, and life insurance.

Use Monster For More Career Advice and to Find Your Next Job

Now that we’ve answered “how many hours do nurses work?”, join Monster to find your next nursing job faster and easier than ever before. Create your profile for free, tell us more about the jobs you’re looking for and upload your resume to be showcased to hiring managers.