A question to nurses with children

loriangel14, RN · May 19, 2012

You really have to be ready to accept that people are sick and need care 24/7. Like others have said, it's not the end of the world if you celebrate the holiday on a different day.Where I work seniority has nothing to do with it.Each year you either work 24, 25, and 26th of December or you work 30th,31st,and New Year's Day.You switch each year.My charge nurse, who has 25 years of seniority does her turn at working Christmas every year (cheerfully too). You can actually make working Christmas morning a joyful thing.Nobody wants to be there Christmas day(including the patients) so wear your Santa hat and smile.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · May 19, 2012

It largely will depend on how your facility does holidays but there's no way you can count on "always" having a certain holiday off. Some facilities require you to work every other holiday others have different systems. When I worked in the hospital, holidays worked like this: A list went up a few months in advance with all the holidays- night before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. They were further split into "minor" holidays (Thanksgiving night, Christmas Eve day, Christmas night, New Years Eve Day, New Years Day night) and "major" holidays (night before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve night, Christmas Day, New Years Eve night, New Years Day). Everyone had to fill out the list and "rank" their holiday preferences from 1-6 with 1 being the holiday you most wanted to work and 6 being the holiday you least wanted to work. The general rule was that everyone was expected to work 1 minor and 1 major holiday but it rarely happened like that. Senior staff almost always got their top choices and there were several staff who worked New Years Eve/New Years Day every year. The most senior staff generally only had to work 1 holiday. In the 5 years I was there, I worked every Thanksgiving and part of every Christmas. I also worked every Easter and that didn't count as a holiday, if it was your weekend, you had to work out. I do not have children and I'm not particularly close to my family so I was willing to work those holidays for the sake of my colleagues who did. I usually traded with someone who wanted to celebrate Easter if it wasn't already my holiday. If there are Jewish nurses or other non-Christian nurses on staff, most of them will likely be more than willing to work Christmas and take the time and a half for a day that's just a regular day to them.

Mandychelle79, ASN, RN · May 19, 2012

We just celebrate when I am home. I typically work afternoon shift so I can spend the morning with my family and then go to work allowing them to go to my inlaw's without me. This year Im off Thanksgiving but will work on Christmas ( should get Christmas eve off). We celebrate with my mom and dad on a totally different day. To us the holiday isnt about the day, but the family getting together and celebrating.

ScarryBear,RN · May 19, 2012

I schedule myself midnight either going into the holiday or the night of the holiday. I nap a specific time of the day while things have lulled a bit.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · May 19, 2012

YOU are going into nursing. We work 24/7, 365 days a year. We work whether it is snowing or raining. Hurricane or tornadoes....there are patients that need to be care for. You will not be able to have "certain" holidays "always" off as I am sure there will always be someone who wants it off "always" too. I am born on Christmas and I have worked for more than my fair share of christmas and my birthday.

It drives me nuts when I hear this with new nurses....Know what you are signing up for there is a reason the salary looks so good on paper....we give up a lot and we work our buns off........I have been a RN since I was 18 years old.......and I am none the worse for working the holidays.

Children adapt. I always explained that Santa makes special trips for hospital people because we take care of those who need us and are sick....so Santa, easter bunny, tooth fairy make special allowances for us. When the were realsmallI would change the advent calendar to the "appropriate day". Missing midnight mass???....I know God forgives me and understands. Thanksgiving can be moved to another day. Families adjust. All of my family are nurses. My two sisters, two cousins and two Aunts........we eat at different days or we get to enjoy leftovers. It's what we do.

I have always worked nights since my children were small and so it's easier getting off in the morning and then taking a nap. A supportive spouse who also cooks is essential. If he can't? He will either learn to cook or wait.

Your kids will be fine if you are fine........I wish you good Luckin your journey!

Caffeine_IV · May 20, 2012

If you work in the hospital it is about give and take. Some holidays you will have to work unless someone will switch with you allll the time.

It hasn't been a big deal for me. I haven't missed my kids birthday and that's the most important to me. It helps if you are also willing to help your coworkers out sometimes with scheduling conflicts.

floridanurse1983 · May 20, 2012

what do you do when you have to work holidays? do you sacrifice your time with family on those special days or is there any way you can switch days with a co-worker? what about after a little senority? do you get to pick and choose a little more then? when i think about being a nurse i can only picture myself working in a hospital setting, which means crazy hours and schedules, right? i have three small children and there's certain holidays i want to be there for always. so what's a parent to do? how do you handle that situation? or should i just count on working in a doctor's office until they're older so i have a better schedule?

so cause i'm childless i gotta work all holidays or someone other than you? i believe you should switch holidays. you get thanksgiving off, i get xmas. that's only fair. just cause i don't have kids, i still have a family. a family i usually only see on holidays, unlike you who see your kids everyday. so how is that fair?

this is such a pet peeve of mine. i'm always expected to come in early cause susie has to take her kid to work. then i'm expected to stay late cause marcie has to pick hers up from school. then i have to cover cause mark has to stay home cause his kid is sick. i always get the shaft cause i don't have kids. just i don't have kids doesn't mean i don't have other responsibilities outside of work.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

So cause I'm childless I gotta work all holidays or someone other than you? I believe you should switch holidays. You get Thanksgiving off, I get Xmas. That's only fair. Just cause I don't have kids, I still have a family. A family I usually only see on holidays, unlike you who see your kids everyday. So how is that fair?
This is such a pet peeve of mine. I'm always expected to come in early cause Susie has to take her kid to work. Then I'm expected to stay late cause Marcie has to pick hers up from school. Then I have to cover cause Mark has to stay home cause his kid is sick. I always get the shaft cause I don't have kids. Just I don't have kids doesn't mean I don't have other responsibilities outside of work.

Someone once told me that the unit was "so lucky to have me, because there was no one waitiing for me at home so it did not matter if I worked overtime". Single people have lives too - just because we have not pro-created does not mean that we have to work every holiday

If you work in a hospital, you should expect to miss some holidays with your children.

wooh, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

I've got coworkers that whine every single time their weekend comes in the rotation. And every single time they have to work a holiday. And all I can think is, "You're a smart girl, did you not KNOW that hospitals were open 24/7/365?"

Kids LOVE getting to celebrate Christmas a day or two early. Kids really don't care. It's the stupid adults that are so attached to the exact day on the calendar.

anon456, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

You can celebrate the day before or the day after if needed. Most kids don't care-- as long as you take time to celebrate, that's what's important.

allnurses Guide · May 20, 2012

My kids are almost grown. Certain holidays I will sign up for every time. Put me down for Fourth of July. Put me down for Memorial Day and Labor Day and New Years Eve and New Years Day. But no, just because a co-worker has small children doesn't mean I am going to be willing to work Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve or Christmas for them. I am blessed enough for those days to be special to me too. The age of the kids or the lack thereof has NO bearing in whether or not someone should get a major holiday off before someone else. If you want those times off automatically you can go get a job in a doctors office or a school and accept the lower pay that comes with them. We all want time with our families and to have our fair opportunity to celebrate our traditions. Zero sympathy when it comes to having small children and having to deal with it. We ALL have to deal with it. I don't like having to work those days any more than someone with small kids and completely reject that holidays "mean more" to those with small children.

mama_d, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

I've been a nurse since our oldest was in diapers. I've only missed a birthday here and there, which is the worst, but sometimes there's no getting around it. By the time kids are old enough to realize that you're working on the day of a holiday and have it matter, there're also old enough to understand the situation and be okay with it. Honestly, I think it helps set a good example for them that in our profession we sometimes have to make sacrifices and be there for others (even though we're getting paid for it)...there's way too much entitled attitudes going around nowadays and presenting them with a matter of fact attitude towards such situations from the beginning just makes them more likely to carry that with them into adulthood.

Hope that made sense...I'm coming off a cruddy shift and more than ready for bed. :)