[minniemiteRN]

Sorry guys, this really isn't a NICU specific topic but I haven't posted anywhere but here before so I hope you don't mind...

Question is:
Do you have a weekend program and if so what are the rules/benefits?

The reason why I'm asking is our program is known as WOW and we are paid well for the region in which we work (fl) but the rules are extremely strict and with every contract we sign (we sign every 6 mos in april and oct) it gets worse. We used to be close to the regular staff aside from having to work every father's d, mothers d, easter, and so on... this year christmas eve, christmas, new years eve and day. The last two contracts though, they have added that we are only allowed one call in per 6 mos and 3 PTO days per quarter. We all have very small children and as you know not only do we get sick our little ones pick up everything coming and going and I still have to take my dd to daycare on fridays. As far as PTO we are losing the time we have earned because we are only allowed to rollover so much per year and it does not cash out at 100%. They are also doing such things as keeping track of our disciplinary actions and tardys in a separate book. It is beginning to look like their trying to get rid of the program by weeding us out by our own inability to follow their strict rules bc of our sick children and so on. What I don't understand though is, if that were the case why do they keep renewing our contracts?

Any input or opinions will be appreciated!

[cathys01]

Our unit has about 12 nurses with weekend contracts (we have about 75 nurses total including the PRNs). The contracts are for 1 year at a time, and during the first 6 months of each contract, no PTO can be taken at all. The pay is a straight $32 per hour plus shift diff, which is great for a newbie like me, but not so much for a experienced nurse who would be making that anyway.

I've been trying to get a weekend contract so that I can go back to school this semester to work toward my BSN, basically I was told that there are "no contracts available", but they'd love to have me work the weekends at my current rate of pay anyway. So that's what I'm doing, weekend days and one night per week. I guess the major upside of not having the contract is that I can still take time off if I need it and won't have my contract cancelled for a sick day. I'm still under my new grad orientation contract which ends in May...so they really have no incentive to offer me a higher paying contract for me to work hours I'd prefer to work anyway...

Yep, in your case it sounds like the weekenders are being disciplined more harshly than the "regular" nurses...doesn't sound quite fair.

[minniemiteRN]

Originally Posted by cathys01

Yep, in your case it sounds like the weekenders are being disciplined more harshly than the "regular" nurses...doesn't sound quite fair.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who see's it that way. It would be a little hard not to have any PTO days for the first 6 mos in your unit though...but you don't have to stick to all the other unreasonable rules. Well hopefully they will offer you a weekend contract soon. Good luck with school.

[wjf00]

I have a weekend only position and I would never leave it. I work 8 hour night shifts. I work Fri/Sat one weekend and Fri/Sat/Sun the other. I must work a minimum of 46 weekends a year. Otherwise fully benefited, no cancellation. Bonus is I get 10% extra for all hours worked, reguardless if it weekend or not. But I am under a Union contract, the terms cannot be changed at will, by anyone.

[SteveRN21]

On my unit, it's referred to as a Baylor position. You earn PTO based on # of hours worked, something like 8hrs per pay period. You can accumulate a max of 480 hours, which after that you can't accumulate any more. You ork every weekend, including every holiday that falls on a weekend. No weekend holidays = no holidays worked. Our unit is dumb in the fact that we have 3 call days per 6 week schedule, which we always end up working, due to persistently high census. So you have to pick up a day during the week. Hope this helps!

[minniemiteRN]

Originally Posted by SteveRN21

On my unit, it's referred to as a Baylor position. You earn PTO based on # of hours worked, something like 8hrs per pay period. You can accumulate a max of 480 hours, which after that you can't accumulate any more.

But you are able to take the PTO days you earn? See, the problem with my units program is not that we don't earn the appropriate amount of PTO, it is that we are only allowed to take 3 days a quarter and it is also a first come first serve, seniority, census, etc based thing as well so some quarters we don't get any requested PTO days the only used days are sick days and we only have 1 per 6 mos so we are stuck having to cash out at a lower percentage after we max out our hours to pervent losing the money/hours we rightfully earned even though we really are losing.

[steelcityrn]

480 hours? Over what period?

[SteveRN21]

You can take as many PTO days as you want, as long as you follow a few rules, such as no more than 2 rn's off any given day on PTO. No holiday PTO's though. Many of our Baylors take a week of PTO every few months. Once you hit 480 hours, you stop accumulating PTO.....it rolls over year to year until you drop below 480, then you start accruing it again.....