Every other weekend- what century are we in?

[lizva101]

Every other weekend is just inhumane. We are expected to be caregivers and give our lives to service --- yet -- we also HAVE to work every other weekend. We are still although healthcare providers, part of the human race , who have family, and other interests necessary to maintain a healthy psych. There would be a lot stress in the field if it wasn't about who can cut it and who can't, if it were more humane. Not to mention --- Come on people. This is a profession, not a rat race based on who can stay up for 12 hours and hack an every other weekend job. Give me a

break.

I am so fumming -- The only non every other weekend position is OR, PACU, or day surgery.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH MANAGERS/LEADERS THAT THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT EVERY OTHER IS NOT GOOD FOR RETENTION.

I know the argument -- not enough staff. give me a break. Thats what per diem nurses are for. Make per diem positions less attractive, and gain more Staff Nurses. I mean come on, you don't have to be mensa to see the results increase retention, decrease nurse burn out.

Some prefer weekends -- great. Let them work workends people.

If it was a male dominated profession Let me ask You ----

Would they note that perhaps requiring every other weekend was a bit - shall we say nonprogressive?

Would they allow for every 3rd weekend option?

Just a point to ponder.

There are enough nurses, just not enough willing to work in an archaic work environment.

My next project -- To research effects of nursing morale, retention, performance by increasing some say over their schedule by oh 35%, specifically, reducing the number of required weekends. Think of it, half of lives (in weekend terms) are lost.

[lizva101]

It is so laughable to me that the people who wrote back are the people who enjoy weekends, and are also saying --- If you don't like it then change professions/locations.

Thanks for supporting my argument.

It is also interesting to me that there is offered so many weekend incentives, yes, they are great bonuses, and increase the monetary reward quite a bit, yet people are still required to pick them up --- and frequently.

I know, gasp - what not work every other weekend? when I reread my post - I do the gasp. But yet that affects my job satisfaction and fuels my thoughts for alternatives. Is it so bad to consider something that is little more realistic? Staffing is there. Per Diem nurses are available. And there are nurses who prefer weekends.

Yes folks, I realize that people get sick 24/7. Do you realize there is a nursing shortage? And yes, you might as well work at a bank then, ok. Do you know how many nurses are employed in different professions other than nursing. This programmed thinking does not help to increase the number of nurses available to care for the increasing number of sick.

There is a lot of apathy towards this, but why do you think there are frequent job changes in nursing? Nurses gain invaluable specialized skills, then after 2 years, its off to another arena - many factors play a role, but ability to be available to family, apathy from management, etc. Nursing is a profession - I won't differ - but how much more respected as a profession would nurses be if they are not the victim of a broken healthcare system overseen by CEOs? And how much more time would be dedicated to training, advancement. Nursing is not just about where there is less management on duty, where there is extra pay is..

12's, 8's, requests for overtime, weekend incentives, but requiring EOW for as far as you can see? Doesn't that limit that number of nurses who are going to go for the position?

But then again, making requirements such as EOW, do help to keep nurses switching from one job to yet another, and that does help continue the cycle of the nursing shortage, and wala - you have offers of great weekend incentives!

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

I think that if facilities were really interested in retention, and interested in drawing non-working nurses back into hospital nursing, then very flexible scheduling would be done more than it is. Obviously, from the replies on this thread, everyone has different needs and wants, and some facilities are much more open to meeting those than others.

Why not offer a variety of shift options- 8's, 12's, even the occasional 4 hour shift (what's the difference between 8 and 12?) plus a variety of weekend options, from every weekend to every other to every third or fourth?

Lack of flexibility in scheduling may be one of those things pushing nurses out of the hospital; the OP got those suggestions, here, on this thread. Why not improve that flexibility and retain more hospital nurses? Oh, and get rid of managers like the DON that tencat mentioned, who have to be in absolute control of the schedule, no matter what anyone wants, and once it's written it's like the Ten Commandments written in stone; I've run into a couple of those managers myself, over the years.

Of course I'm not a manager myself, so my idea might not work, but I can't recall seeing anything like it tried much over the years, with the exception of the Baylor plans that were really popular a few years back; they seemed to work well while they were in place.

[NursKris82]

Inhumane?

That is quite dramatic!! Working every other weekend for 12 hours to make a total of 3 or 4 days a week, making over $20.00/ hour, working (in most cases) in an air conditioned hospital would be an absolute blessing to some. Americans are so spoiled! I am also an American, but I can hear some of my African friends right now talking about how much their families make back home and what they have to do to make it.

Inconvenient- yeah. Inhumane- not so much.

[daisydoll]

I hate working EOW and wish I could work 12 or 10 hour weekday shifts and have weekends off. Yes it is nice to have weekdays off once in a while, but most of my family and friends are working those days and are off on the weekend. So when I am working the weekend I don't see them and I feel like I am always missing out on something. I wouldn't mind working every third weekend (there are places that offer this), but EOW is excessive.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

I'm trying to figure out if OP is a new nurse who somehow during 4 years of nursing education didn't get the memo that acute care involves patients who require care 24/7/365 ... or just someone upset and venting over a specific schedule conflict.

If it's the second case, OP has my sympathy. It happens, and it sucks. My advice is to put on your best *happy* face and approach your coworkers with lets-make-a-deal. Explain your situation and be prepared to give a little to get a little. If all else fails, and this is a once in a lifetime important event (family, etc.) that you'd be missing if you worked your assigned schedule ... then be an adult and proactively decide what it's worth to you. Call off if you determine that's the best course of action for you. Chances are that one call off will not be a dealbreaker as far as your employment is concerned.

If it's the first case ... here's an opposing point of view.

Does the amount of whining from nurses regarding scheduling and nurses' insistence on "control" over scheduling and preference for 3- and/or 4-day workweeks contribute to a perception of nurses as blue-collar part-time workers by those outside of nursing? Just something to think about.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

When I hit a point in my nursing career that working every Christmas and weekend was annoying, I found another job. When I wanted to work 4 ten hour days and have 3 day weekends, I sought it out.

It is out there if you want it. It may take some digging. I have also found that your dream schedule may come with a pay cut. That was no problem for me and I've since made it up in raises. We just did without a few things for a couple years.

Having come from a profession with a really rigid schedule, I've found nursing pretty darn flexible.

[lpnflorida]

lizva101, what you are saying is not laughable. I am trying to think of what your position is and how you feel.

I can only speak for what I have seen or been a part of. My unit now has self scheduling, this came about 7 years after I started. While not a perfect system it does help some. Is annoying to some as a few of us adjusted long ago to working every other weekend and it works for whatever reason. The fly in the ointment then becomes the few who every darn schedule need this day off and then this one and oh they want all weekends off except this time they need to work the weekend as they have plans during the week. and oh by the way they want all their shifts in a row as they want to have 6 days off at a time, etc etc.. so who ends up getting moved about, well as any of us know it is usually the squeaky wheel which gets greased leaving the rest who try to schedule their personal lives as best they can based on a set schedule only to have to adjust again,,,... I could go on and on.

my motto, the only way I can ever affect change is to stick around and try to be a part of the solution, not the ones who move on to greener pastures. Course, sometimes moving on can be a good thing.

I will take this thread as simply venting, as we all wish for a perfect schedule in a perfect world, with perfect patients, with high paychecks and someday hope to retire.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

When I hit a point in my nursing career that working every Christmas and weekend was annoying, I found another job. When I wanted to work 4 ten hour days and have 3 day weekends, I sought it out.

It is out there if you want it. It may take some digging. I have also found that your dream schedule may come with a pay cut. That was no problem for me and I've since made it up in raises. We just did without a few things for a couple years.

Having come from a profession with a really rigid schedule, I've found nursing pretty darn flexible.

This happened with me as well . .. .there are many jobs out there where you do not have to work weekend or holidays. And many part-time positions still offer benefits. Nursing is very flexible.

I want to be available to my kids - so part-time it is. We budgeted for that. Kids are more important than cable tv.

steph

[Mulan]

Does the amount of whining from nurses regarding scheduling and nurses' insistence on "control" over scheduling and preference for 3- and/or 4-day workweeks contribute to a perception of nurses as blue-collar part-time workers by those outside of nursing? Just something to think about.

The amount of "whining" from nurses has nothing to do with it being perceived as a blue collar job. It is what it is, a blue collar job.

[rph3664]

I've known more than one woman who chose to work weekends only because she was divorced, the kids were with their dad, and they could be at home with them during the week.

They still got full benefits and pay, and it worked out for everybody.

I'm sure there are also divorced men who chose to work weekends for the same reasons.

[lizva101]

You are right. that was overstated and an inane choice of words. I definately apologize for that choice of words. thank you.

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

I haven't figured out why nursing doesn't do this--schedule nursing staff 5 days in a row with one day being a weekend (Sun-Thurs or Tues-Sat) every week. You get weekend coverage this way and two days off in a row.