So I'm currently working in a surgical onco floor as a new grad nurse and my shift begins tomorrow. I just finished a month of didactics and now we will be sent to our units.
So my didactics went from 8a-5pm and I had weekends off. That meant I had all the time to attend Church every sunday and have some free time. So I was called as a member of the young women presidency in our ward and also was assigned a teaching assignment for the youth. So I accepted these callings because I have always wanted to do these before.
What I am very sad about it is that we start working with shifting schedule this week (just as all us nurses usually do) and ofc, I may not always have the time to go to church and attend to my calling (or teach) every weekend consistently and this makes me sad. I spoke with my bishop about this and he knows I am on a shifting schedule. He said I didnt need to be there all the time.
Im just worried I might get schedules that will require me not to attend church for a loooong period and it makes me honestly sad. How did you deal with shifting schedules and Church callings and responsibilities?
You do realize that holistic nursing care is the most effective? That means that people that have a spiritual need for healing as well as physical, mental, social etc.
Yes, I do have a spiritual need for healing. I will chose that for myself. I don't need your spiritual guiding for that purpose. Thank you very much.
Just because we are sad to miss our fellowship and love and support we receive at religious services does not give you the right to attack us. *fact* There is actually another life outside of nursing, we all don't worship the career of nursing 24/7 like you do.
You are correct. The problem is that you want your employer to accommodate your need at expense of other people who don't share your religious faith and who also want to spend their weekend time with their loved ones.
Why is your religious need to have weekends off superior of other people's need to have those days off?
You are correct. The problem is that you want your employer to accommodate your need at expense of other people who don't share your religious faith and who also want to spend their weekend time with their loved ones.
Why is your religious need to have weekends off superior of other people's need to have those days off?
Did you miss this part?
I have been a nurse for 31 years, worked every single scheduled weekend. never once called in or tried to get out of it!
I saw that part. I don't understand what she complained about.
If I were a nurse and I demanded my employer to have weekends off for being with my family, I bet the answer would be "others want to be with their family as well. You're not the only one."
I don't see why religious belief is different.
By the way, in one of your previous posts, you said
If one finds an activity that they love and want to participate in but it is in conflict with the work schedule how does one deal with it? Is the answer simply to "suck it up"? "You asked for it when you chose this career"? There is nothing more helpful that can be said?
My answer is "yes, just suck it up." My employer is not obligatory to accommodate to my need when that need is not uniquely my own nor is it life endangering to my loved ones.
The OP's need is metaphysical. I don't see why an employer should be responsible to cater OP's spiritual desire.
I hope that OP's employer would be able to allow her to have her weekends off so that she can gather with her people at her temple. Better yet, I hope that she would be able to find a good job with a LSD hospital so that she doesn't have to struggle with her obligation to her deity.
I like the fact that some employers have question "is there any accommodation that without which it can affect your work performance?" When an honest answer is given, there would be no surprise or disappointment from either party.
Accommodation is great. It shows that employers appreciate their employees. Nevertheless, enforcing accommodation is just ridiculous.
I am Vietnamese. According to my culture, lunar new year is sacred to many Vietnamese immigrants. Many employers are wonderful when they allow their Vietnamese employees to be off on the first 3 days of lunar new year. Nevertheless, other employers cannot accommodate due to the nature of their businesses.
Guess what. I have yet heard any lawsuit from Vietnamese employees in any profession that accuse their employers for cultural discrimination.
I guess I should encourage my people to sue those businesses for not offering accommodation, don't I?
When I apply for a job, I keep in mind that I will bring to my potential employer's attention the days I prefer to be off. If the employer cannot accommodate to my need, I have 2 choices: looking for a different one or sucking it up. I am not self employed. I voluntarily work for someone. I don't have a right to religious or cultural entitlement.
So I believe the question was specifically directed toward LDS nurses, says so in the heading. There's a reason for that and in reading responses from some people tossing in their random 2 cents makes that reason really clear...you don't understand completely what she's asking and why she's asking it.
She's not trying to evade Sunday shifts and she doesn't think her beliefs are more important than anyone else's. I'm also pretty sure she realizes her patients aren't in church and I'm positive she knows her job involves caring for others.
She's asking experienced active LDS nurses who have held similar callings while working occasionally/frequently on Sundays how they managed and if they were able to work it out and make it all successful. She's asking for tips/suggestions.
So if you're not an experienced active LDS nurse who's held similar callings while working occ/freq on Sundays... I just don't really see how what you have to say benefits the poster in any way.
BTW most jobs require 2 weekends a month, aka 4 weekend shifts. So working every Saturday would meet the requirement. And whoever said "your co workers would have to work more Sundays because of you" is an idiot.
Accommodation is great. It shows that employers appreciate their employees. Nevertheless, enforcing accommodation is just ridiculous.
I am Vietnamese. According to my culture, lunar new year is sacred to many Vietnamese immigrants. Many employers are wonderful when they allow their Vietnamese employees to be off on the first 3 days of lunar new year. Nevertheless, other employers cannot accommodate due to the nature of their businesses.
Guess what. I have yet heard any lawsuit from Vietnamese employees in any profession that accuse their employers for cultural discrimination.
I guess I should encourage my people to sue those businesses for not offering accommodation, don't I?
When I apply for a job, I keep in mind that I will bring to my potential employer's attention the days I prefer to be off. If the employer cannot accommodate to my need, I have 2 choices: looking for a different one or sucking it up. I am not self employed. I voluntarily work for someone. I don't have a right to religious or cultural entitlement.
I would gladly work for you so you could be off on your preferred days.
So for my previous post where I suggested there is probably more helpful advice than to just "suck it up"..... There ARE:
1. Find someone who you can switch with in a mutually beneficial way
2. Work evening/night shift
3. Find nursing jobs that don't involve weekends
Offer to work every Saturday - someone else might be pleased with this.
4. Be thankful that you only work 2 Sundays per month
5. If you find you are unfairly being scheduled for more than your share of weekends, perhaps look for another job.
None of those involve demanding special accomodations. The OP didn't expect that either.
Not single person here has suggested demanding special accommodations.
I don't know of any lawsuits filed by a nurse demanding special accommodations to get Sundays off.
I am former LDS so I understand where you're coming from. The church teaches that you should be in your Sunday meetings. If you're given a Sunday "calling," that's even harder. People who aren't LDS or haven't been LDS don't understand that the church teaches you have to "keep the Sabbath day holy." I used to feel an extreme amount of guilt when I worked a Sunday. It is not so easy when you are LDS, I'm glad you reached out specifically to other LDS people. (I hope my understanding is ok as a former LDS.)
I also recommend working a grave shift. It is a healthcare reality that we are required 24/7, 365 days a year and Sundays are part of that. Work Saturday nights, or Sunday nights; and you have your solution. I started doing that when I was still Mormon. I was tired at church, especially because it's 3 hours, but I was present. But Sunday afternoons are great for naps. Good luck and congrats on meeting your goal of finishing nursing school- hope to join you soon.
Accommodation is great. It shows that employers appreciate their employees. Nevertheless, enforcing accommodation is just ridiculous.
I am Vietnamese. According to my culture, lunar new year is sacred to many Vietnamese immigrants. Many employers are wonderful when they allow their Vietnamese employees to be off on the first 3 days of lunar new year. Nevertheless, other employers cannot accommodate due to the nature of their businesses.
Guess what. I have yet heard any lawsuit from Vietnamese employees in any profession that accuse their employers for cultural discrimination.
I guess I should encourage my people to sue those businesses for not offering accommodation, don't I?
When I apply for a job, I keep in mind that I will bring to my potential employer's attention the days I prefer to be off. If the employer cannot accommodate to my need, I have 2 choices: looking for a different one or sucking it up. I am not self employed. I voluntarily work for someone. I don't have a right to religious or cultural entitlement.
That's all well and good. Feel free to keep on with that mantra. The rest of us are protected by title VII. Also, cultural practices and distinct from religious ones and aren't one and the same (re:lunar new year). We live in a country where employment discrimination and accommodation are enforced by government agencies and by the civil courts. To suggest the EEOC is anything short of incredible is nonsense. They've been addressing institutional and case-by-case discrimination for decades and have won many battles on behalf of marginalized communities.
"On June 1, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court held in an 8-1 decision written by Justice Antonin Scalia that an employer may not refuse to hire an applicant if the employer was motivated by avoiding the need to accommodate a religious practice. Such behavior violates the prohibition on religious discrimination contained in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964"
Should you encourage your Vietnamese friends to sue employers who won't accommodate the lunar year time off? Not unless there is a religious component to their request, but as you framed this issue, it is a cultural practice.
Finally, employers are protected from ridiculous and costly accommodations by the undue hardship clause of Title VII. Which is something you'd know about if you actually took a minute to inform yourself on the matter before spewing your thoughts all over this thread. So it very well might be the case that an employer can't accommodate a request for certain days off, but that is going to be on a case by case basis. A large unit with 150 RNs would have a much more difficult time arguing that it is a burden compared to a small unit with 30-40 RNs.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
It is different because it is protected by law, and should be.
Your right to practice your religion is protected by law, and it should be. Your right to have every Sunday off to "practice your religion" is not protected, nor should it be. Other employees have the same rights to practice their religion as you do. So who is going to staff the ICU on the weekends?
If you believe you cannot practice your religion without attending services every Sunday, perhaps you ought not to take a job where the expectation is that you work every other weekend, or every third, or whatever.
Good luck and congrats on meeting your goal of finishing nursing school- hope to join you soon.
vetpharmtech
217 Posts
Yes, I do have a spiritual need for healing. I will chose that for myself. I don't need your spiritual guiding for that purpose. Thank you very much.
You are correct. The problem is that you want your employer to accommodate your need at expense of other people who don't share your religious faith and who also want to spend their weekend time with their loved ones.
Why is your religious need to have weekends off superior of other people's need to have those days off?