Do nurses get holidays off?

Nurses General Nursing

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Some have kids, some don't. Some value Thanksgiving and Christmas over the New Years holidays. How often do you find yourselves working important holidays? I have a 2 YO and am looking forward to a nursing career, but if that means missing out on my daughters thanksgivings and christmases growing up it does make me think twice.

Specializes in Pediatrics.
merlee said:
As a Jewish person, I offered to work most Christmas eves and Christmases. I usually had off New Year's Eve and Day. Keep in mind that most of my family had off on Christmas, and they were at home waiting for me to get off so we could be together.

I probably worked or was on call nearly 30 years. And yet I had to beg to get off my own Holy Days, and can only recall ONE time when someone volunteered to work for me. AND I had to frequently use personal or vacation days to take those days off. My Holy Days are spent at the Temple for many hours in prayer, as well as the family gathering.

When I lived in Israel for a while, the issue was the Jewish holidays!!!

Your post reminds me of a year that Christmas fell on a saturday. Where I was working, we had a Jewish nurse who was very religious (she never worked Saturdays, but worked every Sunday to make up for it). It threw everyone for a loop because they were all counting on her to work for at least one of them. She graciuously offered to come in that night (she was a day nurse) and one nurse was patiently waiting for the sun to set, to relieve her :o

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Specializes in LDRP.

i love people that care about holidays. im a single 22 y/o with no kids and not much family. ill take all those double time days and let you guys stay at home with your kiddies while i rake in the dough!

im only required at my job to work one major holiday (thanksgiving, easter, christmas, new years) and two minors (MLK, Presidents, Memorial, Labor day, 4th of July).. i try to work most of them if i can, while i can.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
ashleyisawesome said:
i love people that care about holidays. im a single 22 y/o with no kids and not much family. ill take all those double time days and let you guys stay at home with your kiddies while i rake in the dough!

im only required at my job to work one major holiday (thanksgiving, easter, christmas, new years) and two minors (MLK, Presidents, Memorial, Labor day, 4th of July).. i try to work most of them if i can, while i can.

But not every facility has someone like you ready to do that. Nor should you ever be expected to do it just because you don't have kids or family--they should never take that for granted. You're entitled to a holiday as much as anyone else is, if you choose it.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

We only get time and a half for holidays. Hmmmmm for double time I might just volunteer for all Holidays and take the kids to do something fun with the extra money.

I don't mind working Holidays, When Football season comes around again and I get football and cheer schedules come out I will be more then happy to try and switch shifts to be able to attend the kids games and if that means working every weekend for 2 months I will be fine doing it. It means more to me to be able to cheer them on at their games and stuff. They were always bummed when I couldn't make a game (although they understood if I couldn't make them all I try to make most) and they would rather I be able to be at a game to cheer them on in the stands then be there for a holiday since the holiday would only need to be tweaked a little and we could still celebrate it. We can't make their game be a different day or time.

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mom2boysrn said:

i do know nurses that were able to trade to get the holidays they wanted off,but unless you work in a drs office expect to be working holidays, and don't expect your coworkers to take your holidays, most of mine also have children.

I work prn in 2 different facilities. Neither is open at night, on weekends, or holidays. It's not true that you must work at a doctor's office or school to have a schedule which doesn't include holidays.

I did work in a hospital for many years. I would pretty much work every holiday in order to guarantee having christmas off. I liked working on new years' day. I was never tempted to misbehave on new year's eve.:)

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

I didn't read anywhere in the OP that said she felt entitled to holidays off because she has a child. She just asked how it was and that she'd hate to miss out on most of the holidays.

Everyone with kids or without is not the same. Some people don't give a crap about the holidays kids or not and some people didn't really care UNTIL they were parents. Such hostility against people with children.

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Not hostility against people with children. Hostility against people with children that think those without children should work all the weekends and holidays and nights and everything else undesirable.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

No it isn't hostility against those with children at all. Those with children and those without are equal as far as work is concerned. Neither party deserves special treatment. When you agree to work somewhere, you are agreeing to their terms and conditions. End of story.

However, the debate arises when those with children don't see it that way. If you want 9 to 5 Mon to Fri always guaranteed, go work in an office or a bank.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I don't care myself if people want to celebrate the first making of pizzas, xmas or whatever.

And it's true that when ur single & don't have kids, the agency/facility always calls you asking you to come in, as if I have nothing better to do.

Newsflash people: I am single with no kids and my life is very busy at the mo! I actually had someone ask me one time: what do single people like you do everyday? (she was serious and I thought she was joking). She was honestly baffled that I could be busy and had a life - just a different life from her with her 6 screaming, undisciplined kids and a hubby who didn't (wouldn't) work (so glad I'm not in that situation!)

Here anyway, you can request some hols off, but in your first year, I wouldn't be doing that too much. You will p**s people off no end.

And you have to expect it too in a nursing career, as it's a 24 hour job. You must be prepared to make some sacrifices. But if ur time with your child is so important to you, then do not do nursing. I know people who had young kids & did nursing & they still spend quality time with their kids, they did however miss out on a few things.

Here is what I wrote to another poster re this subject not long ago:

I don't think I've put a message on this one yet, but here's my story:

I went into nursing because I thought - and was told by people who were nurses - that there wasn't a better education to get. I liked a&p, etc. And I had done carers work etc.

I busted my butt working whilst studying, and didn't get financial help from anyone whilst doing my last 6 week unpaid clinical. I gave up a lot to get my degree, friends dropped away (as I moved and was studying), a few relationships I had didn't survive.

I had to move to another state to get experience. After I moved back to my old state, I thought: this is it now, though I believe I am still learning the job - as we all do - I thought my stressful days were now over.

How completely and utterly wrong I was. The stress is unbelievable. I then thought maybe I won't work in hospitals for a while, I'll do nursing homes or low care jobs (low care assignments thru agencies are hard to get though). But after working in a nh the other week, where I had mainly demanding staff, older 'I'm entitled' patients, and a run in with a very foul rn, I have now had enough.

If anyone is young here, I urge you strongly to get out of nursing. You should try & get experience in another degree first or another area first, or if you've nearly fin nursing, still get experience in another area.

Nursing will burn you out, and wear you out to the nth degree. Friends stop calling you or inviting you out to events, (even the ones that are nurses who work days, or finish maybe at 6pm), they get tired of hearing you say 'I can't come to your birthday party cos I have to work'. Your feet, legs and hips will hurt or ache. You will probably end up with a bad back - I haven't - yet - but it's starting to ache more.

Many of my friends who are nurses have suffered the loss of relationships with hubbies & children, cos they were always at work. You probably won't get to go to many of your kids birthday parties & other events - because you're at work. You will miss them growing up. You will more often than not have to stay back - and not get paid for it either. You are always thinking re work and worrying in case you left anything undone, or made a mistake.

Nursing is a soul destroying profession. I know people who are in jobs besides nursing & they are really happy. They work nice hours (they don't get the pay) and all go out for drinks with each other, many of them (actually 99% of them) don't have a degree. They always seem to have money, but I suppose live on credit cards like the rest of us. They wear nice office clothes, and don't have to wear closed footwear all the time - I hate wearing closed shoes. They don't work in environments where it's hot all the time (the last nh I was in was so incredibly hot) and everyone complains about it. They are not always stressed (they probably don't know what stress is).

So that's my story up until now. Would I say nursing has been worth it? I have had some nice experiences, but on the balancing seesaw of life, I would say those nice experiences are very few & far between.

And don't forget: if you work a 10 hour shift, it will probably turn into more like 12 or 14 hours as you always seem to have to stay back, then there is travelling on top of that. And I've known people with partners who found it hard to juggle child care with their life of shiftwork - it's also harder if ur partner works shift work as well.

If ur young, my biggest piece of advice is: do not go into nursing. Get another career behind u first, then you can do nursing later maybe.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Quote
I didn't read anywhere in the OP that said she felt entitled to holidays off because she has a child. She just asked how it was and that she'd hate to miss out on most of the holidays.

Everyone with kids or without is not the same. Some people don't give a crap about the holidays kids or not and some people didn't really care UNTIL they were parents. Such hostility against people with children.

It's there because many of us have worked for decades listening to the "But I have kids!" refrain. When you have people tell you, as I did, that it was my responsibility to work holidays because I didn't have a husb. or kids, well, it makes you a little irritable about the topic.

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SuesquatchRN said:
You know, I didn't get the feeling that the OP thinks she deserves holidays off because she has kids, but simply that she would LIKE them and KNOWS that that's an issue.

WOW...I agree...what the heck is with all of the attacks about people who have children shouldn't expect the holidays off. etc.?! geez...

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Specializes in Psych.

I have kids - 4 of them, and I've never much cared about Holidays. I work evenings and nights, so I see my family when I'm off - and I enjoy school break more than most people I know. Thanksgiving, we had lunch. Christmas - I think - is the 26th this year. My husband works shifts too; it works for us because we work different shifts - but sleep the same shift. Someone is always home with the kids.

I left teaching for nursing. I love nursing, and I can't think of anything I would rather be. Except a nurse practitioner - which is what I'm going to school for.

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