Nurses that don't work holidays?

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2013

I'm a sophomore at a university and will be starting the BSN program next semester. I am very interested in nursing, but I feel like I should be more excited than I am. One of the things that's really holding me back is that I just know I am going to hate working holidays (I'm religious, my family is very close, and I plan on having children). I know that there are some jobs out there that don't require holidays, but I am aware that nursing is a 24/7 profession, and I don't want to be naive. Should I find a different career to pursue? Or should I stick with it and hope to find my niche?

Not all holidays that the hospitals observe are religious in nature. If you work Thanksgiving or New Years you likely won't be expected to work Christmas. Every workplace also does their holidays differently and you may have the opportunity to switch with someone... for example, I am not religious at all. One year the Fourth of July fell on my weekend so by default I was expected to work it. I had a wedding that I was in that weekend so I offered to work Easter weekend for one of my colleagues... she didn't care about working the 4th of July because she wasn't American and I didn't care about working Easter because I'm not religious. Also consider that you may be working nights which would not completely impede your ability to spend the holiday with your family. I once worked Christmas Eve night and still observed Christmas per usual with my family.

allnurses Guide · Oct 29, 2013

Free-standing Surgery Centers owned by the physicians themselves! They pay well and for the most part you do not work weekends or holidays! :yes:

wooh, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2013

All these suggestions are going to be easy-peasy for a new grad to get in this nursing glut! :rolleyes:

Rethink things. When someone is in a patient bed sick, they really don't need someone caring for them that's more worried about what the date is on the calendar than about the patient.

Nurses work holidays. They work nights. They work weekends. They clean poo and suck snot. They sometimes clean poo and suck snot on the nights of holidays that fall on weekends. And the ones that get away from those hours have usually put in time at the bedside doing those hours. With the economy the way it is, it's going to be even more of a challenge to get a job that doesn't involve those hours if you don't have experience on your resume. Especially when if a place wants an inexperienced person, they can hire a cheaper medical assistant.

Those of us still at the bedside really aren't in the mood to have even more of our coworkers whining about the hours. Nobody cares that you're "really religious" or have a "close family" or "small kids" or any of the many other reasons people have for not wanting to work holidays. Everybody has reasons to not want to work holidays. But if you want to get into nursing, it goes with the job.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Oct 29, 2013

All these suggestions are going to be easy-peasy for a new grad to get in this nursing glut!
Rethink things. When someone is in a patient bed sick, they really don't need someone caring for them that's more worried about what the date is on the calendar than about the patient.
Nurses work holidays. They work nights. They work weekends. They clean poo and suck snot. They sometimes clean poo and suck snot on the nights of holidays that fall on weekends. And the ones that get away from those hours have usually put in time at the bedside doing those hours. With the economy the way it is, it's going to be even more of a challenge to get a job that doesn't involve those hours if you don't have experience on your resume. Especially when if a place wants an inexperienced person, they can hire a cheaper medical assistant.
Those of us still at the bedside really aren't in the mood to have even more of our coworkers whining about the hours. Nobody cares that you're "really religious" or have a "close family" or "small kids" or any of the many other reasons people have for not wanting to work holidays. Everybody has reasons to not want to work holidays. But if you want to get into nursing, it goes with the job.

Blunt- but I have to agree. You will definitely come off as Princess Snowflake if you start in about working holidays before you are even done with school. People are ill and injured 24/7. Nurses are needed 24/7. Perhaps you need to re-think your career choice now if it's going to cramp your style too badly.

PS: I'm married to a preacher- so I guess you could say I'm religious, have four kids and a grandson. We're close. I have an 84 year old father who will not see too many more holidays. This year's schedule find me working Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day (night shifts) AND New Year's Eve AND New Year's Day (also nights). It is what it is.

cardiacfreak, ADN · Oct 29, 2013

I work nights so the holidays aren't so bad, you may lose sleep however. My kids are grown now but when they were little I worked at a LTC facility. The older nurses used to trade me days so I could have the holiday off with my children, I now do the same thing for the younger moms at my job, hopefully they too will pay it forward when they are older.

I used to work Christmas Eve night and when I got home we would open gifts and then I would go to bed. It was actually a pretty sweet deal because my husband was stuck putting everything together and putting batteries in all the toys. :sneaky:

allnurses Guide · Oct 29, 2013

I'm a sophomore at a university and will be starting the BSN program next semester. I am very interested in nursing, but I feel like I should be more excited than I am. One of the things that's really holding me back is that I just know I am going to hate working holidays (I'm religious, my family is very close, and I plan on having children). I know that there are some jobs out there that don't require holidays, but I am aware that nursing is a 24/7 profession, and I don't want to be naive. Should I find a different career to pursue? Or should I stick with it and hope to find my niche?

I had to go back and re-read the OP's question. I see nothing here that says she'll take a job and whine about it. She's a student, looking forward to the future and trying to plan. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm glad she is thinking about this ahead of time and asking for ideas.

This is a recurring theme in some of my posts but we are hurting for nurses here and I'll bet we aren't the only ones. Along with our hospital, we have a wound-care clinic that is only open M-F. No weekends. No holidays.

I mentioned the surgery center earlier because a good friend left her full-time job with us (consistently working overtime) and took a job per diem at a surgery center so she could be home with her kids and not have to work holidays.

Seriously, there is nothing wrong with trying to plan ahead. I wish her the best of luck in trying to figure out her future.

grad2012RN · Oct 29, 2013

Hi OP,

I interviewed for a nurse position in Public Health two weeks ago. They mentioned that I would have no weekend or holiday work. However, I don't know if this applies to all PH settings. Best wishes!

Orizza · Oct 29, 2013

All these suggestions are going to be easy-peasy for a new grad to get in this nursing glut! Rethink things. When someone is in a patient bed sick they really don't need someone caring for them that's more worried about what the date is on the calendar than about the patient. Nurses work holidays. They work nights. They work weekends. They clean poo and suck snot. They sometimes clean poo and suck snot on the nights of holidays that fall on weekends. And the ones that get away from those hours have usually put in time at the bedside doing those hours. With the economy the way it is, it's going to be even more of a challenge to get a job that doesn't involve those hours if you don't have experience on your resume. Especially when if a place wants an inexperienced person, they can hire a cheaper medical assistant. Those of us still at the bedside really aren't in the mood to have even more of our coworkers whining about the hours. Nobody cares that you're "really religious" or have a "close family" or "small kids" or any of the many other reasons people have for not wanting to work holidays. Everybody has reasons to not want to work holidays. But if you want to get into nursing, it goes with the job.[/quote']
This made me giggle. Patients aren't going to stop being sick because deity A did action B on day C.

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Oct 29, 2013

My dad has had the same job for 37 years now (truck driver, union company awesome benefits and leave package partially part of the times). Even with his seniority and vacation allotments our holidays got messed up growing up. We simply adjusted celebrations and spent the time being thankful for all the things we did have at were positives.

In nursing school I worked as an assistant and worked every holiday. On purpose (for the money :) ). My first year in nursing I worked all the holidays Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, and I was scheduled for the Sat/Sun combo Easter weekend, but ended up with Easter off unpaid because I'd had emergency surgery 5 days prior. Thanksgiving kinda sucked that first year, but my dog and I enjoyed sitting at home (I think she was especially a fan of the turkey breast in the crock pot the Wednesday of that week), watching movies and calling family to catch up individually. Christmas that year I worked 1500-2330 on the 24th, and my parents and brother drove down to visit me and spend Christmas Day at my house (I'd moved a few hours away for my first job). It wasn't perfect, but was perfectly imperfect.

I haven't worked a holiday in over a year. I work in the OR at a level I trauma center. Last fall/winter I was on orientation so I couldn't work holidays. Most staff in our department work one holiday a year, and are on 24 hour call (30 minute response time) a second holiday. If you take a specialty call then that's different - I am a specialty call and our call team decides our own holiday schedule (we can volunteer for holidays or take other people unwanted holidays). This is not the norm at level Is, we do things a bit differently than other places.

There are likely plenty of options for you, perhaps as easy as switching days with a coworker. You probably just need to be willing to plan ahead and be cooperative to what works for others too. Flexibility is really useful, and you never know, by the time you have kids you may be able to work out the holiday situation better.

I do agree with others, don't go into an interview and worry/stress about it and don't communicate huge issues with holidays in an interview. When you land a job, don't complain about it first thing. Get a feel for your unit, and get to know people, become less of an unknown, and then worry about it. No harm in asking about the holiday policy (though probably best after an interview/after starting a job).

wooh, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2013

This made me giggle. Patients aren't going to stop being sick because deity A did action B on day C.

Especially since in most cases, Deity A didn't actually do action B on day C. (For example, I have trouble imagining God getting mad I'm celebrating Christmas on December 26 instead of the 25th since Jesus was actually born sometime during the summer. I have even more trouble thinking a toddler is going to get mad if he has to celebrate Christmas a day early and GASP! get presents a day early.)

Orizza · Oct 29, 2013

No, next you're going to tell me he wasn't a white guy! O.O

SistaNurse · Oct 29, 2013

Try a public health/state/government run clinic.