What Is a Weekend RN and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

As a weekend RN, you take shifts on the weekend when other nurses are unavailable, allowing hospitals and other care facilities to provide continuity of care and remain open 24/7. This is usually a part-time position, with most weekend RN's working two 8-12 hour shifts Saturday-Sunday each week. Some facilities also count Friday as a weekend day and offer a three-shift schedule instead. In this role, you may make patient visits, answer telephone calls to provide remote healthcare and address any medical emergencies that occur during your shift as a weekend nurse. As an RN, weekend work usually focuses on hospitals and hospice facilities, but you may find positions that involve traveling to visit patients outside of a clinical setting.

The primary qualifications for becoming a weekend RN are an associate degree in nursing and a license to work as a registered professional nurse in your state. Employers prefer applicants who have a bachelor's degree, but many also use this as a training program to help nurses meet experience requirements while still in school, so many are flexible on degree requirements. Weekend nurses usually work long shifts, so the ability to adjust your schedule each day is essential to success in this field. Fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a weekend RN requires communication skills, active listening skills, time management skills, and the ability to remain focused in high-pressure situations.