weekend time off / routine "overtime" questions

ArwenEvenstar · Apr 5, 2008

I was a bedside hospital nurse for about 14 years. I worked either 3-11, 7p-7a, or 11p-7a. Anyways, 3-11 was aways a very hectic shift. I'd say it was the worst of the 3 shifts I did work. Yes, I hate to break it to you, but it was "normal" to finish the 3-11 shift sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 am or even later.

At the second hospital I worked at, the 3-11 nurses were really abused. Most of the staff was 12 hours with a handful of 3-11. Well, they would totally dump on the 3-11 nurse. For instance, we would have to take more or even all the admissions! Their reasoning? Since the 7a-7p nurses were in their final four hours between 3p-7p, they did not want to give them the admissions because they were wrapping things up. And they also did not want to give the 7p-7a nurses an admit when they were just arriving and starting the first few hours of their shift. So, the 3-11 nurse was given most/all the admits! I would sometimes get 4 or 5 admissions! I would drown in admit orders and paperwork! I complained to no avail. They would throw the "reasoning" in my face that it was not fair to give the 12 hour nurses an admit in either the first or last hours of their shift. So... I stopped working 3-11. Refused to put up with it anymore!

Yea, your schedule request problems also sound typical. Very typical.

Sorry if my reply is a bit cynical. I burned out of hospital nursing about 3 years ago -I ran from the bedside screaming....

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 5, 2008

My following response might not be helpful. . .I think you need to find another job.

You should have started the job hunt yesterday. The situation being described by you is ludicrous and shouldn't be tolerated if you have other options.

ktwlpn, LPN · Apr 5, 2008

when I worked med surg evenings we did sometimes run late but not every shift.As for scheduling-if you must work every other weekend then you must find someone to switch with to take a weekend day off-that's the usual routine.

shellsgogreen · Apr 5, 2008

if you have all your work done, i see no reason to be there late every night. i only stay back when i am behind on documenting, or to maybe help someone else out.

maybe a kind soul will help you out and switch w/ you for the day off that you need. :saint:

Riseupandnurse · Apr 6, 2008

Absolutely everyone has to stay an hour or two over every time they work. Since they added counting the Pxyises (2 of them on the floor!) bid this is even worse. Can't remember the last time I got out anywhere close to the schedule.

ArwenEvenstar · Apr 6, 2008

if you have all your work done, i see no reason to be there late every night. i only stay back when i am behind on documenting, or to maybe help someone else out.
that's the problem.... it is hard to get all your work done. i worked 3-11 med-surg for about 6 years at the first hospital i worked at. it was hectic. fresh post-ops, dressing changes, drains, ng tubes, huge amounts of iv antibiotics, blood transfusions, frequent prn meds for pain or nausea, etc. you took off running when the shift started and never stopped. often you had no time to chart...until much later. (typically, 3-11 would sit charting from midnight to 1 am!) plus on 3-11 you have visiting hours almost the entire shift and visitors can take up time. and at this particular hospital there was not much ancillary help on 3-11. for instance, we didn't even have transport! if a patient had to go for a x-ray or something, either the nurse's aid or nurse had to go with the patient. getting out on time was almost impossible.

fizz2Nurse · Apr 6, 2008

I'm a new nurse on a med surg floor. I work 3-11... I was just wondering is it normal to get out at 12:30-1:30 every night?? (Not just me as new nurse, but all the RN are there that late everynight)
Also what day off policies in other hospitals??? I have a wedding to go to in May and I put in my first request for a day off over a month in advance and got denied. Apparently, personal and vacation days are only good Monday to Friday. In order to get a weekend day off you have to find someone to switch. (Isn't that why there's scheduling person?) Is that typical? Grrrrr I hate this job already...

The day off thing is why if I only need one day off... I'll call in sick. Tht doesn't apply anymore because I strictly work agency now but as staff I couldn't get days off even weeks in advance. I called staffing once and told them that because of a family emergency I wouldn't be in on a certain day that was two days away. What followed was numerous calls and threats from my manager and staffing about being a no-show for a scheduled shift.

So when I returned to work, I just told my manager I'd be like everyone else. No advance warning, no planning ahead: I'll just set my phone alarm for three hours before shift and call in sick. That way I'm sick and they can screw themselves. I mean if you tell them way in advance and they act like a$$es, they should get what they deserve.

Funny, they never got upset about sick call.

Another reason why places can't keep staff......