To ask to work just one day per week?

[Felinewonderful]

Does anyone out there actually work one day per week?
I would like to request to drop my hours from 2 days to 1 day per week as I find my job as a nurse very stressful and would like to do a different job for another day or 2 per week. I want to do enough hours to keep my registration going and would like the security of the one day per week. Is this an unreasonable request? I feel I might get laughed at!

Do you have competencies and CPD you have to keep up to date? If so would you be able to manage to do so on one day a week?

CPD is 35 hours over 3 years and I have done enough already to last me for the next 3 years. The one day a week would involve the odd training day so I would meet the requirements. It would also cover the required number of nursing hours to keep registration.

I think it's a reasonable request but be prepared for them to say no depending on the type of ward/service you work on?

I'm going to be returning from maternity as a nurse on one day a week initially (probably moving up to two days eventually) and for my service that works fine and my employers were happy with that.

If your current employers were not able to give you just one day a week then agency work might suit you better and allow you to do enough to keep your registration?

Starla, how many hours were you doing before your maternity leave? I thought about agency but would really like the security of a guaranteed (small!) income.

The job that I'm going back to wasn't my 'main' full time job which has made it a bit easier to do less hours.

Pre maternity leave I had a zero hours contract with them but probably worked at least two shifts a week - sometimes more. Sorry to be a bit vague but giving specifics of the job would be a bit outing!

Should also say that I will be going back with a contracted 1 day a week so I will always have the work.

I know that when i looked at it the minimum I can do is 18hours If you do long shifts (I'm a healthcare worker in the nhs too) or possibly 16 hours if you do short shifts.
I know there is sometimes a minimum number of hours they want you to do to make it worthwhile for them to cover costs of mandatory training etc....expect that may vary between trusts/private sector.

Registered Nurses in my trust can't have contracts under 25 hours, so minimum of 2 long days.

I can't see them agreeing to you working one day with them so you can do more hours elsewhere!

There is no consistency popping in for one day unreasonable

**I can't see them agreeing to you working one day with them so you can do more hours elsewhere!“

^This. You request would definitely be turned down where I work

I work just over one day a week so I do 5 x12 hour shifts per 4 week rota as a nurse then I do another 3day a week job alongside it. I did this because I find it so stressful. At my workplace management wint let anyone work less than 15 hours unless on the Nurse bank.

Yep I sympathise as your doing a tough job but for colleagues its tricky and no doubt your hours could be amalgamated with other 'spare' hours at some point for a full time colleague or at least that how it worked in my Public S job.

I am a freelancer. (Had to go freelance many years ago). I can now choose.

I do one day a week at one job/client and another for Thurs/Fri one week a month. I volunteer for one day and do bits and pieces in between.

My trust would give you a one day a week contract we have a 50 % vacancy rate across all medical wards and they have changed the policy so you can have one day a week

Thanks for the replies, I currently do 15 hours and not sure what my trust policy is regarding the minimum number of contracted hours. I understand that the consistency would not be very good on one day a week but we are staffed by so many agency staff that there isn't much continuity anyway. I guess I can only ask and see what they say. If not, I guess I will do agency or leave nursing altogether.

I know teachers who work one day a week. They do it to keep up to date whilst otherwise being a SAHM. There are always needs for a one day cover in teaching though.

Just a thought -as a nurse might it be possible (and more lucrative) on supply?

Jenny it probably would be more lucrative!

Sounds like a too-low amount of hours. Do you not need to to work 16 hours to qualify for N.I.? (For your state pension.sick pay etc....) Or am I just making that up?

I know someone who until recently had a contract for one night shift a week on a less popular night. It worked well for years. The trust has got funny about it now so she and several others have ended up resigning and doing their preferred shifts on the bank.

Seems like a total false economy on the part of the trust to me!

Peipei You don't need to work a certain amount of hours to qualify for NI but you need to earn a minimum amount which I wouldn't earn on one day per week however I get child benefit so that covers NI contributions. Also I would get sick pay as I do now. Maybe it's a silly idea. It just seems strange that I could do it on bank/agency but not on a permanent contract when they are so desperate for nurses.

Some trusts are being quite short sighted about this imo. Dh's SIL worked one day a week for ages. They then decided they'd have a two-day week minimum. She now does the same one day a week as an agency nurse costing them considerably more.

In theory it would be better to have nurses working more days, but when you are chronically short it's madness to be creating more vacancies.

Lalalalyra, it does seem crazy to do that when there are chronic shortages and it costs the trust more!