But I have little kids!

live4today, RN · Oct 12, 2003

Where I currently work, we rotate every other holiday. This year I am off Thanksgiving, work Christmas, and off for New Years. Sounds fair to me because my granchildren have Christmas all the time since Gramma's working again. I shop for them all the time and LOVE IT!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2003

Originally posted by Rustyhammer
I start now by accepting shifts when co-workers want a day off for whatever reason. I'll pretty much work whenever and take the overtime pay but I'll also let them know "Sometime I'll need you to work for me, I'm going to want some time off for the holidays."
Paying your debts in advance is a great way to assure the holidays off.
-Russell

Good idea. I had a buddy on my last floor, we were always switching for each other. We were the first one each other asked. (Of course the better idea is to put in a schedule request way ahead of time, not on option on holidays of course.) Switching with your coworkers when able is always a good idea. Never know when you'll the the favor returned.

kimmicoobug · Oct 12, 2003

I am not asking for any holidays off this year. I am a newbie and young. I work the night shift and figure that I can come home from work, do the Christmas thing until about 1030 or so, catch some sleep, wake up and do dinner and maybe watch one of the kids' Xmas movies, and then go to work. Christmas is very important to me because of my two youngins', and I think I can balance both this year.

Dixen81 · Oct 12, 2003

People who gripe because they have to work holidays ought to stop and count their blessings; they could be one of our soldiers stationed overseas who don't get to be with their families AT ALL.

Focus more on what you DO have, instead of what you don't have, and then be thankful.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 12, 2003

One Christmas Eve I was headed to work for my 11-7 shift, feeling terribly sorry for myself having to be away from my family on this biggest holiday of the year, when I happened to drive past a 7/11 where there was one lone clerk and one customer buying a six-pack of beer. Then I thought to myself, hey, life could REALLY suck: instead of making 20-something an hour doing what I loved, I could be standing behind that counter, alone and bored, wiping off the Slurpee machine and risking getting robbed, all for minimum wage.

I've never complained about working holidays since.

Dixen81 · Oct 12, 2003

What a sad sight that must have been, mjlrn. I hope those people never had to spend Christmas like that again. Most of us are so much more blessed than we even realize. Thanks for sharing that.

BTW, I have a 23 yr. old, a 21 yr. old, a 4 yr. old; and then a 1 yr. old grandbaby. I know that I will have to work holidays, but we'll just celebrate around it. When I was a kid, we learned to celebrate around my Dad's Air Force schedule, and we were fine.

passing thru · Oct 12, 2003

""Oh to have an 8-5 job!! work 5 days a week and have

EVERY WEEKEND OFF and EVERY HOLIDAY TOO.""

I wonder if the student nurses are reading this thread....

if you are, this will be your life for the next thirty years.

Me, rubbing it in??? (Post # 18)

I WORK EVERY Holiday !! I'm a traveler ...

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 12, 2003

like said before...

it is not only nursing

so MANY professions/careers require us to work weekends/holidays and travel from family.

we are not alone...and none of us held at gunpoint to do it.

we can always change our situations/venues if what we are doing is not working for us.

Dixen81 · Oct 12, 2003

Originally posted by passing thru
""Oh to have an 8-5 job!! work 5 days a week and have

EVERY WEEKEND OFF and EVERY HOLIDAY TOO.""

I wonder if the student nurses are reading this thread....

if you are, this will be your life for the next thirty years.

Me, rubbing it in??? (Post # 18)

I WORK EVERY Holiday !! I'm a traveler ...

I'm a student nurse; I know exactly what I'm getting into...I think... (Things That Make You Go Eeewwww). :chuckle

bedpan · Oct 12, 2003

Student here too and yup, holidays and weekends do not bother me - as I said in another thread somewhere I have no life anyway

Am in my 40's and have had several different professions in my life - have worked more than a few holidays and weekends already - The way I see it is it comes with the territory

While I was growing up my Dad was a policeman - As a child I thought nothing of holding our holidays around his schedule

The important thing is to make the most of every second you get to spend with your family regardless of if it is a holiday or not

mother/babyRN, RN · Oct 12, 2003

IMHO, if you want to be a nurse, you have to be prepared to work the off times and , since you can pretty much pick your job and its perks or lack of them, just go ahead and work with it...As for travelers who work every holiday, you know that going in, don't you?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2003

Originally posted by passing thru
""Oh to have an 8-5 job!! work 5 days a week and have

EVERY WEEKEND OFF and EVERY HOLIDAY TOO.""

I wonder if the student nurses are reading this thread....

if you are, this will be your life for the next thirty years.

Me, rubbing it in??? (Post # 18)

I WORK EVERY Holiday !! I'm a traveler ...

Sorry Wanda I was a bit confused. Thought you were bragging that you had one of those nursing jobs. :)

Our Travelers don't have to work every holiday, and here in Florida there are a lot of Travelers. Some who are away from home don't care. Some have it built into their contract that they will NOT work this and that holiday (of course the manager can not hire those people who insist on having holidays off, it's up to the manager). I'm working with one Traveler who has Xmas off built into her contract. I'm not recentful, if she can negotiate her needs that's o.k. She has to work Thanksgiving. Plus they make a lot of money working holidays.