In our recent survey, over 2,500 nursing professionals shared their insights into the day-to-day (and sometimes, night-to-night) life of a nurse. We wanted to know more about where they were employed, when they worked, and what they liked or disliked about the average nursing shift. Here’s what they said.
Download the 2024 State of the Nursing Profession Guide
Where do nurses work?
Hospitals and inpatient centers were the most common places of employment among survey respondents (25%), followed by long-term care (11%) and ambulatory or outpatient care centers (11%).
RNs were most likely to work in a hospital setting, while LPNs were most often hired in long-term care. NPs reported that they typically work in family medicine and geriatrics, usually in a clinic or ambulatory setting.
What does an average nursing shift look like?
The length of the average nursing shift among respondents was either 8, 10, or 12 hours. These hours varied based on the nurse’s organization and the type of healthcare they provided. 70% of nurses said they work full-time, averaging 36 hours per week.
While most nurses worked three 12-hour shifts to get to a 36-hour full-time work week, certain specialties were more likely to work part-time or overtime. For example, sub-acute care nurses averaged 46-hour work weeks. Healthcare providers in sub-acute, corrections, hospice, and government worked the most overtime hours, averaging over 40 hours per week. Nurses working in colleges and schools worked the fewest number of hours, averaging 31 per week.
RNs, LPNs, and NPs working in hospitals, long-term care, and home care were most likely to work nights and weekends, while those who work in outpatient centers and clinics more often kept to regular business hours.
Only about 11% of nurses who responded to the survey worked night shifts, and 4% covered the evening hours only. Even units that operate 24 hours per day in hospitals and long-term care centers typically reduced their number of staff at night.
LPNs tended to have less flexibility in their schedule and were more likely to work nights, evenings, and longer shifts. Nurses in hospitals and long-term care were more likely to have night shift and weekend requirements, while those in clinics and outpatient centers said they’d have an easier time finding weekday shifts.
Pros and cons of the average day shift
We asked nurses “What do you like most and least about working the day shift?” Here’s what they said.
- “The best [is] when everything is going smoothly, [you] can go home on time. The worst is when they keep on adding cases with limited staffing. Not sure if you can go home on time [when there’s] nobody to relieve you.”
- Another said that they loved getting to help patients during personal care and mealtimes, but that the “worst part is that it can be so busy trying to get everything accomplished.”
Pros and cons of the average evening shift
We asked nurses “What do you like most and least about working the evening shift?” Here’s what they said.
- “[It] can be slower paced, and I usually have more time with each patient as I am usually seeing two patients for admissions. The evening makes getting emergent needs met [challenging]. I feel very high pressure to try and meet these needs with little to no office/management support.”
- “The best thing is that it’s not as hectic as day shifts. The worst is that it’s difficult to get adequate staff.”
Pros and cons of the average night shift
We asked nurses “What do you like most and least about working the night shift?” Here’s what they said.
- “Best: Less interruptions while caring for patients. More autonomy. Worst: Less help. Less technical staff (nurses’ aides) Less unit clerks (shared with 3 or 4 other units).”
- “I love the pace, and the peace. Not so many services or family members cycling through.”
- “The worst part of the night shift is that you spend most of the next day sleeping.”
