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.

[lpnflorida]

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.

Now, while I say I was able to adjust to working everyother weekend. No way would I want to give up a full weekend off every other weekend.

We do have people on our unit though who do just as you suggested though. It works for them due to attending school or other reasons. Maybe that is the point to the entire thread. While we all work, we also have lives outside of work which we are trying to maintain as best we can.

More importantly the people who do staffing are number one looking out for the needs of the patients first,,, ( ok , ok don't throw rocks at me for that one lol:sofahider) second they try and look at peoples requests, within requests there are priorities such as medical appointments take precedence over getting my nails done. It boils down to sometimes we get the schedule we desire, sometimes we don't. I prefer set in stone schedule which perpertually rotates, as that way I know two years on such a such a date I can make a plan.n I use to say, give me even a crappy schedule and as long as it never changes I will adjust to it, and come to love it.:redbeathe

I believe in asking my co-workers to switch do to a need I might have and vs/versus............

[Megsd, BSN, RN]

Personally, I don't care about working weekends because I like the slower pace and the extra money. On my unit we finally have enough staff that people who have been there for two years or more have been switched to every third weekend. And you know what? I have heard a lot of them complain about it because they are missing that extra bit of money in their paychecks, and they don't have as many weekdays off.

As for the point about whether we would have to work such horrendous hours if it were a male-dominated profession, I present to you: the fire service. My fiance is a firefighter, and his department (along with most departments I am familiar with) works a 24-48 schedule. So he got to work this morning at 7am, he will leave tomorrow at 7am, and he'll be back on Saturday morning at 7am. So only one out of every 3 weekends does he have the whole weekend off. With my schedule, if there's something going on while I'm at work, at least I can catch the tail end of it when I get off. He misses the whole day. Not to mention, he is on call all the time, 24/7. He has had to go into work suddenly while we were at a wedding, during our Valentine's Day date, during Christmas dinner, and at 2 in the morning. Sure he gets to sleep and get paid, but sometimes he's up all night, sometimes he gets home several hours late, and if he trades with someone to get time off, he may have to work 48 hours straight.

Fortunately, our schedules work for us, because he always gets two days off in a row after he works, so it's always a "weekend." And sometimes our schedules match up and we have days off together.

I'm not saying that a nurse's schedule is wonderful and works for everyone, but I'd sure as heck rather work my schedule than his. Perhaps male-dominated professions are not so progressive sometimes either?

[Murse901, MSN, 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.

Because then you only get a full weekend off (both Sat and Sun) every 7 weeks. For people who want every other weekend off, or every 3rd weekend, there is no way they would agree to that schedule.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

People do not schedule when to get sick or admitted into the hospital, so, anyone working in healthcare can reasonably expect to give up some of their weekends, and even office nurses have to give up Saturdays to accomodate the community that works Monday through Friday. I don't think it is archaic, to be honest, I think it is fair. I worked at a psych hospital that gave weekends off in order of seniority. The newbies were stuck with days like Monday/Tuesday, Wednesday/Thursday for MANY, MANY years, and were basically forced to work all holidays because the senior staff wanted them off. The only way to obtain the weekends was when a senior person retired. Many who still work there can share stories of how many holidays they missed with their young children, family outings and quality time with significant others and spouses behind such an insensitive ruling. Now, THAT, I think is unfair. Based on having experienced this for 12 years, alternate weekends is much more humane for any health care worker that is new coming into their careers.

[lpnflorida]

panda, while in some respects I agree with you. I will also say waiting my turn until I had worked my 20 years in the facility so that I could finally not work holidays, was as I saw it a reward for sticking it out all those years I worked holidays, as I had reached the point in the facility where I was at the ceiling as far as raises beyond the every two year contact raise. I saw the every holiday off as again my reward for 20 years of service. Was it right? Had I paid my dues? yes,, however I enjoyed that benefit for one year before I moved and no longer have that benefit.

It simply was , what it was

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

maybe it's just me, but i'd much rather do a shift every other weekend than work monday through friday, 8:00 to 5:00..... i don't see what's inhumane about having to work every other weekend. as a future nurse, i know that i will have to work 12-hour shifts, i know i'll have to work weekends, and will have to work holidays as well..... crazy thing about hospitals - sick people don't magically get well for weekends and holidays! :wink2:

i'm with you. the monday through friday 9-5 option is great for those who want to work those hours, but the prospect of working hours like that horrifies me! dh took a job in the cath lab for a couple of years and it nearly ruined our lives!

if you think every other weekend is inhumane, please take a job where it's not one of the requirements. don't be one of those toxic co-workers who calls in sick every saturday night or sunday morning they're scheduled to work!

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

That's why I love where I work, I do a weekend once every 5 or 6 weeks, and even then, there are plenty of people willing to take the call off your hands.

I think the OP is right that for many years, administration has had nurses over a barrel regarding working conditions. Far too many nurses are still not willing to advocate for themselves and other nurses.

Change will only come when nurses stick together and start making it difficult for the PTB to screw us over.

My two cents.

[NurseExec]

We do a Baylor program on weekends, and my "regular" nurses work M-F 8 hour shifts. It works out pretty well, actually, and I haven't had a single nurse request to go back to an every other weekend schedule.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

panda, while in some respects I agree with you. I will also say waiting my turn until I had worked my 20 years in the facility so that I could finally not work holidays, was as I saw it a reward for sticking it out all those years I worked holidays, as I had reached the point in the facility where I was at the ceiling as far as raises beyond the every two year contact raise. I saw the every holiday off as again my reward for 20 years of service. Was it right? Had I paid my dues? yes,, however I enjoyed that benefit for one year before I moved and no longer have that benefit.

It simply was , what it was

I was not comfortable working under those conditions because this can take one's youth away. Most of us were young when we started, just beginning to have children and familes to raise, beginning new relationships, where courting to search for that right significant other takes time. Of course, anyone who is really worth their salt will understand that we are working to earn a living, but what about just having fun? Going to the family barbeque on the weekends, gathering with friends for 'girl talk' or the guys that wanted to just bond with their buddies? To know that you will have to work EVERY single weekend for YEARS (especially those that worked the night shift) in my eye was inhumane. I am not talking about 4 or 5 years, I am speaking of waiting as long as 20 for a great many. Very insensitive to the employees. It was a bit better for nurses after awhile, they eventually had days like Friday/Saturday, Saturday/Sunday or Sunday/Monday (after years of the nursing unions raising sand).

This particular state run psych hospital didn't require a great deal of work, but this resorted to people sneaking out and not being accounted for, leaving the remainder of the staff short and at risk for anything and possibly having to make the decision to cover for these folks if an incident happened, or to tell on them, because they had to receive the brunt of the violence of these psych patients (and believe me, this happened ALOT). I worked day shift for many years, so, I was not as affected by some of these behaviors, but I did see a great deal more for the last three years I worked there part time on evenings.

One of the main reasons I left that hospital was to simply have the alternate weekend option available to me. I got training as a CNA (psych techs did not have to have their certification), phlebotomist and medical assisting training and finally got hired in a regular hospital to work in their psych department. It was like heaven on earth to have alternate weekends off. In addition, I was able to meet my husband there. After about 5 years, I got training as a PCA and was able to go to the clinic and had weekends and holidays off, and even after I got my license, I was still fortunate enough to remain in that setting. If they ever did place me back on the floor, at least I know I could have a semblence of a life with my family.

Again, I do believe that as health care workers, especially licensed nurses, it can be expected that we will probably be working wild shifts, and rotating weekends. Civil service positions do not shut down on weekends...otherwise, we wouldn't have police, nurses, doctors, CNAs and others to serve those that are in emergent need. However, I think that alternate weekends can fairly compensate for the paths we have chosen.

[walkingon, CNA, LPN]

Pfffft. I'm an aide in a LTCF, and getting my first full weekend of the summer off this coming Labor Day weekend. I was ok with every other weekend, but ALL weekends is ridiculous. Hope my supervisor listened when I told her I couldn't do all weekends after I start back to school!

[Atheos]

Pfffft. I'm an aide in a LTCF, and getting my first full weekend of the summer off this coming Labor Day weekend. I was ok with every other weekend, but ALL weekends is ridiculous. Hope my supervisor listened when I told her I couldn't do all weekends after I start back to school!

I barely got my first M-F job after years of being an aide AND only because I do staffing now. It's only ok because I get to have a weekend double job as well!!!

If I had the physical energy to do it I would do a double every day. :)

[Nursebarebari]

Nursing is 24/7; I'm sure you know that before you put yourself into it. If you don't like working every other weekend, there are other alternatives. You can work in a clinic or a school, so I don't know why you are fussing. I have a husband and children, and I have no problem working every other weekend, three nights a week total. I get to spend plenty of time with my family and I love it.