working on Christmas?

sjrn85 · Nov 20, 2005

Oh, when I asked beforehand, they'd say, "Sure, just let me know whenever you need to be off." I'd tell them my working on the holiday was contingent on their helping me out in the future. Promises, promises, promises.

Besides, I was doing them the favor. One would think I shouldn't have had to shake them down later in the year for a day.

I don't really appreciate being blamed, here. They were the ones who didn't live up to their end of the bargain. I did those holidays in good faith...I can see how much that counts for these days. :angryfire

wooh, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2005

I don't really appreciate being blamed, here.

Believe me, I'm not blaming you. I've learned from hard experience that you have to get concrete promises in return. Not for a "future shift" but for "Jan 23 7p-7a." It doesn't pay to be nice, and promises to work for you at a later time will not be kept. And I totally agree, when you do someone a favor, you shouldn't have to do a shakedown to get it returned. But you always see the person that works for everybody, that's the person that has the hardest time getting someone to cover a shift when they need the help. There's got to be a better way, I just don't know what it is. Maybe an anonymous box of shifts that need to be traded. You start off with one entry of a shift you need someone to work, and you can't add anymore until you've bought another entry by working one of the shifts from the box. I'm sure that would somehow be taken advantage of too. And besides, shouldn't people with small children get to use the box more?hehe

TypicalFish · Nov 20, 2005

I agree. I had a friend say to me, in so many words, that those who have children should not have to work Christmas, and that those of us who don't have kids should have to work. That is an ignorant statement, IMHO.:angryfire

I have three teenage sons, but I still feel how upset i was when- in two separate jobs I was told that I had to work the holidays because I "didn't have a family" -what nerve! I always was glad to work for people who had small kids or religious needs, but I also felt like I "didn't count" when it came to this situation.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Nov 20, 2005

I don't have kids and I live far from "home" where my other relatives are. I have always been willing to work any or all other holidays, and weekends, except every other Christmas, and workign all others gives me enough drag to take off about a week when my Christmas rolls around.

Amazing how my coworkers have always understood that I don't get to go home to family if I am not completely off. I have only had to work two Christmases in 15 years with that system, and both those were the first year of employment before they got to know me. I will seriously work anything to get it off!

dorimar, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2005

Here is what i think.... It DOES TOO matter if you have kids. I have been doing this 20 years. When I first got my RN i was only 20 and obviously had no children. I was low man on the totem poll and did whatever they told me. I had no problem working WHATEVER was asked. It WAS hard working CHristmas when you've just left home and want to go back etc. However, I DID put in my time and NOW I have children and all I ask is to be there when they wake up in the morning on CHRISTMAS DAY( i work nights). For those of you that think it's not your problem .... Shame on you. You all had your childhoods too. Your are not just taking it from the parents, but from the children as well. I have worked many a New Years Eve, & other holidays to accommodate my Christmas morning. I know there are many that want new years eve off more. I Knew that when I went into nursing, I would have to work holidays, and I DID , and i continue to compromise. However, senioritiy SHOULD mean something. all these hospitals are doing everything for recruitment and nothing for retention. I have worked in the same unit for 7 years (and bust my ass). It is ICU and difficult to find trained personal (i have done ICU for 17 years i must add). Last year we hired a slew of new nurses with no ICU experience that I HELPED TRAIN. Several of the new nurses schedule this year is Thanksgiving eve night & New years Day night ( or similar combinations), while I am working Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve(hence won't be home Christmas morning) and new Years Eve. I DO think that seinority should count, and for those of you that don't stick to one place, it's easy to say it shouldn't. But to the hospitals that are begging for nurses, and can't understand the turnover..... quit coddeling the new nurses (IE recruitment bonus's , & cush holiday schedules) and do a little something for your nurses who have shown some loyalty to you.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Nov 20, 2005

If you are working Christmas Eve why won't you be home on Christmas morning? Sounds like as a night person you can have Christmas unless you work both christmas Eve and Day.

angel337, MSN, RN · Nov 20, 2005

Here is what i think.... It DOES TOO matter if you have kids. I have been doing this 20 years. When I first got my RN i was only 20 and obviously had no children. I was low man on the totem poll and did whatever they told me. I had no problem working WHATEVER was asked. It WAS hard working CHristmas when you've just left home and want to go back etc. However, I DID put in my time and NOW I have children and all I ask is to be there when they wake up in the morning on CHRISTMAS DAY( i work nights). For those of you that think it's not your problem .... Shame on you. You all had your childhoods too. Your are not just taking it from the parents, but from the children as well. I have worked many a New Years Eve, & other holidays to accommodate my Christmas morning. I know there are many that want new years eve off more. I Knew that when I went into nursing, I would have to work holidays, and I DID , and i continue to compromise. However, senioritiy SHOULD mean something. all these hospitals are doing everything for recruitment and nothing for retention. I have worked in the same unit for 7 years (and bust my ass). It is ICU and difficult to find trained personal (i have done ICU for 17 years i must add). Last year we hired a slew of new nurses with no ICU experience that I HELPED TRAIN. Several of the new nurses schedule this year is Thanksgiving eve night & New years Day night ( or similar combinations), while I am working Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve(hence won't be home Christmas morning) and new Years Eve. I DO think that seinority should count, and for those of you that don't stick to one place, it's easy to say it shouldn't. But to the hospitals that are begging for nurses, and can't understand the turnover..... quit coddeling the new nurses (IE recruitment bonus's , & cush holiday schedules) and do a little something for your nurses who have shown some loyalty to you.

I have not been a nurse near about as long as you have, but I can totally empathize with what you are saying. However, I feel that employers only care about one thing.......staffing there units. So I feel that I should also care about one thing.....my family first, job second. It is very important to me that my children experience the holidays the way I did growing up, and that is why I am going to seriously start looking for employment that does not require holidays. I feel that if I stay committed to hospital nursing too long, I will be bitter and resentful in the years to come due to the lack of respect that administration has for seasoned nurses. I love my career, but if I want to continue to love it I know I need to take more control over my own schedule.

fergus51 · Nov 20, 2005

No offense Dorimar, but I just completely disagree. It isn't the kids who are unhappy, it's the parents. My dad worked holidays when I grew up (he's a cop) and since my parents never emphasized the date rather than the holiday, it was never a big deal to celebrate a different day. I'm proud that my dad served the community even on holidays. Sacrificing for others is a pretty good lesson for kids to learn.

Now that I am a nurse and work holidays, I really don't care if you have kids or if you don't. I work more than my share and don't feel shame because I want to spend time with my family. You have made choices in your life and I've made choices in mine. If you don't feel valued at your current job, I hope you will find a place that does value you. Really, most of the parents in my unit aren't too mad about working Xmas eve because it means they will be home Xmas morning to open presents, then just take a nap and still enjoy Xmas dinner with the family. I think that's pretty good compared to the alternative of spending the whole Xmas season away from family like I have every year since I became a nurse (my choice) and it's why I don't feel guilty at all for getting it off this year to go home. Anyone who tries to make me feel ashamed is wasting her time.

SharonH, RN · Nov 20, 2005

Here is what i think.... It DOES TOO matter if you have kids. I have been doing this 20 years. When I first got my RN i was only 20 and obviously had no children. I was low man on the totem poll and did whatever they told me. I had no problem working WHATEVER was asked. It WAS hard working CHristmas when you've just left home and want to go back etc. However, I DID put in my time and NOW I have children and all I ask is to be there when they wake up in the morning on CHRISTMAS DAY( i work nights). For those of you that think it's not your problem .... Shame on you. You all had your childhoods too. Your are not just taking it from the parents, but from the children as well. I have worked many a New Years Eve, & other holidays to accommodate my Christmas morning. I know there are many that want new years eve off more. I Knew that when I went into nursing, I would have to work holidays, and I DID , and i continue to compromise. However, senioritiy SHOULD mean something. all these hospitals are doing everything for recruitment and nothing for retention. I have worked in the same unit for 7 years (and bust my ass). It is ICU and difficult to find trained personal (i have done ICU for 17 years i must add). Last year we hired a slew of new nurses with no ICU experience that I HELPED TRAIN. Several of the new nurses schedule this year is Thanksgiving eve night & New years Day night ( or similar combinations), while I am working Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve(hence won't be home Christmas morning) and new Years Eve. I DO think that seinority should count, and for those of you that don't stick to one place, it's easy to say it shouldn't. But to the hospitals that are begging for nurses, and can't understand the turnover..... quit coddeling the new nurses (IE recruitment bonus's , & cush holiday schedules) and do a little something for your nurses who have shown some loyalty to you.

Dorimar, I must agree with Fergus here. The kids will be fine, it is the parents who are making a big deal about Christmas morning, etc. Both my parents used to work some Christmases and I don't remember being crushed any more than the usual disappointment I felt when they weren't around. I in no way felt like "my childhood was taken away from me". Now that I am a mom of two small children myself, I feel that I really, really want to be with them on the holidays but I have had to work a couple of Christmases in the past. And guess what? They were fine! When I got home they were just as happy as if I had been there when they woke up.

grammyr · Nov 20, 2005

I prefer being off Christmas Eve. I have volunteered to work Christmas day for the past 4 years for the people who do have small kids at home. I have grandchildren and we do our Christmas some other day. They really like it because they have more than one Christmas.

RnRatchet · Nov 20, 2005

growing up we were always celebrating christmas whenever we could all be together.. sometimes early.. sometimes the day after.. my mom is a nurse so we sometimes stayed with our grandma on christmas day.. we had a great time playing with our cousins and we ended up having 2 christmases and loved it!

i'm a hospice nurse and we all take turns taking call on the holidays. i'm lucky to work with a great group of girls right now. we keep track over who worked what and then take turns. besides the paid holidays we also take into consideration other holidays too.. mother's day.. etc. usually one of us will just say.. i was off thanksgiving last year.. let me take call that day.. so.. even though i now work a job that i don't have to go into the office on the holiday my pager can still call me to a patient. most of our families feel terrible calling on a holiday.. it's usually only death calls or pain out of control. they want to be with just family as well and always apologize for calling us. bless them.. we tell them that's what we're there for though!

sjrn85 · Nov 20, 2005

The attitude posed by Dorimar is precisely one of the reasons I stopped doing all the holidays. This is not meant to flame her personally, but the post just is a perfect example of what I have put up with for 20+ years.

I was not involved in someone else's choice to have children and go into nursing, so it is not my responsibility to ensure that that person has his/her perfect vision of Christmas.

People without children have friends, lives, and rights. As someone else said, cowboy up and do your share, or get a job where holidays aren't an issue.

As far as nailing down a future date as a "trade" for working Christmas, I tried that. Amazing how "something came up" every time that date rolled around.

Having kids does not make someone entitled to being first in line for day shift, holidays off, and all of the other few perks that come along. :angryfire