Arrrgghhh...Team leaders...managers...schedules....

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

Okay, so I work the same nights every week- Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 7p-7a, and have for more than 7 years. For the last 3 schedules or so, management has screwed up my schedule again and again in order to "fill the holes" in the schedule. They've also fired two techs who helped to cover the days that now are uncovered. We now have two full time techs to cover 7 night shifts.

It's not that I don't want to be flexible, it's that 1. I have a family and I needed some stability. 2. I can't work back to back 12 hour shifts, it's just too hard on me. I am the sole driver in the family, with the only car. My wife has to go to two different doctors every month, and a slew of them every few months, so knowing my schedule is a necessity...as we know that doctor's appointment calendars fill up fast and she needs to know when the best time is to schedule her appointments.

I don't know, it seems common sense would prevail and someone would call me and say "dude, we need you to work this night instead of this one" and call me PRIOR to the new schedule coming out (which is usually less than one week in advance of the old one ending) to see that I actually can do it.

Having this schedule also allows me to pick up shifts (usually partial shifts, not full 12s) to help out the unit when I can.

Ugh...frustrating.

[fultzymom]

Yes, you would think they would call you first, but I know here they have changed things on people and not told them until after the schedule is posted. Then they will try to tell people that they either 1) have to find someone to trade or 2) call off and get an occurance. Good way to keep your employees faithful and happy.

[rn undisclosed name]

I hear you. I just got my schedule over the weekend and omg I couldn't believe how they scheduled me. I was scheduled when it wasn't even my weekend. Then I was put on to work for 4 12 hour days in a row. For me that is physically impossible. Maybe other people can do it but I'm not even going to attempt it. I know myself too well. I called the manager who did the schedule and she changed it. We self schedule ourselves and never have too much of a problem. I was the last to fill in my schedule and made it so that I was covering for the days they were short and I still got my days twisted around. I can't wait for my manager to come back from her leave of absence.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

Yes, you would think they would call you first, but I know here they have changed things on people and not told them until after the schedule is posted. Then they will try to tell people that they either 1) have to find someone to trade or 2) call off and get an occurance. Good way to keep your employees faithful and happy.

It's like someone says, well, we're shorthanded here. Let's see what we can do to tick even more employees off, so that we lose them and get even more understaffed! Think past the immediate future!

Vamedic, have you tried talking with them and negotiating what you can do over and above your regular commitment? Maybe if you can say "I can work this day, this day, and this day, but not that one or that one" will help.

[RN1989]

Where is this planet that things are done the right way? I want to go if you find it.

[oramar]

It's like someone says, well, we're shorthanded here. Let's see what we can do to tick even more employees off, so that we lose them and get even more understaffed! Think past the immediate future!

I am sitting at home eating bon bons and watching soaps. I could be a help to someone with staffing problems. Actually, I like taking care of people, don't mind difficult jobs, no stranger to hard, hard work, just refuse to deal with the insanity that goes a long with being a bedside nurse. Scheduling insanity is high up on the list of things that I refuse to deal with, to old and to comfortably well off to put up with the craziness. I hope you get your problems straightened out, I sympathize but am staying out of the fray.

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

Oh, yeah...and here's a kicker. As I stated before I normally work Sun/Tue/Fri, right? Well I have to recertify my PALS before the end of the year, so in mid August I put in a schedule request to have Tuesday night off because PALS recert is all day Tuesday and I'm not coming to work after being in class from 0800-1600, you know? So guess what those brainiacs did??:angryfire They put me on the schedule for Monday AND Tuesday night, :trout:luckily I was able to switch the Tuesday night for tonight with another tech but it still makes me want to smack the snot out of someone. So I go to my Team Leader (also the one who made this schedule) and asked her to fix it, showing her my schedule request, and she doesn't do it "because then we won't have a tech"....ugh. We don't have one 7 nights a week anyway, so what's the difference??

annnyyyyywaaaayyy....

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

Vamedic, have you tried talking with them and negotiating what you can do over and above your regular commitment? Maybe if you can say "I can work this day, this day, and this day, but not that one or that one" will help.

My commitment is 36 hours/ week, and I almost always do more than that anyway. I can't "up" my commitment to 40 because that "requires" me to be there at least 40 hours a week, and sometimes I can't do an extra 8 hour shift per pay period..it just isn't possible with my wife's schedule, my kids' schools, and my need for study time.

Thanks for listening everyone...

vamedic4

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

I know what you mean. Ive told my manager that I can work ANY days, just want them 3 in a row (I work nights). I offered to work every weekend, it didnt matter. But do I get it? NOOOOOOO. Im searching for another job. After 2.5 years of it, and with my seniority, Im finally sick of it and sick of the short-staffing. I feel for ya.