The best perk of being an RT is lots of days off

One thing I really like about working as an RT is 12 hour shifts. If you are going to have to be there for eight hours you might as well stay an extra four. It may get tough sometimes near the end of some busy nights, but the reward for working those four extra hours is more days off.

Basically, I work so I can get days off. And however much you might enjoy being an RT, or an RN, or whatever you do at the hospital, not working is much better than working.

Even if it's an extremely slow night where you have plenty of time to balance your checkbook, finish off two novels and gossip with your pals, that still doesn't beat not working.

Where I work there are only two of us who work the bulk of the night shift hours, so we got together about eight years ago and agreed upon a schedule where I get six days off in a row every other week, and he gets five days off every other week plus every Friday off.

Right now I'm on the tail end of six off. It's nice because it's like a mini vacation without taking any days off.

In the summer when I want to stretch out my six days, I only need to burn 24 PTO hours and I get ten days off. In essence, I calculated last summer that I burned only four days of PTO to get 40 days off in June and July. That's 40 days off right in the heart of summer.

We do have to work every other weekend, but so what. When you work at a hospital, it's far more relaxing and enjoyable working on the weekends than during the week anyway. In fact, if it weren't for graduations and weddings, I'd volunteer to work every weekend.

Anyway, 40 days off in June and July is pretty awesome. There aren't many jobs that give you this much flexability. I suppose, if you are pondering being an RT, this is a pretty darn good incentive.

And, considering it's been very busy at work lately, it makes me appreciate these days off all the more. Days off are nice.