Would you do this so others could get vacation...

Nurses General Nursing

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We have a large unit, over 80 nurses. Our unit want us to all pick up 8 hours a month so that the very low seniour people can get vacation. My beef is I have worked there for 18 years and why should I work extra so others can get vacation? Last year we did this and we not only worked the extra, but we were taken off of our 12's! Now, if I wanted to work 4 days a week, I would work 4 days a week. What a PITA to find a sitter! I was under the impression that you could not be prescheduled ET unless there is a staffing issue, which there isn't, only people who want more vacationt time. does this sound right to you?

If you were a higher seniour person, would you be pleased to do this or unhappy?

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

It shouldn't be mandatory and they shouldn't be giving everyone off time in the summer.

There might be enough people who want extra money to volunteer for the wholes in the shift during vacation time. That's what we do.

But allowing everyone off during the summer probably isn't a good idea, vacations should be staggered. There should be a better way.

Why should you work extra hours so your peers can get a vacation? Because it's a nice thing to do. When a fellow-charge nurse goes on vacation, it's understood that the rest of us are going to be inconvienced a bit and work extra to fill the wholes, it's just what we do for each other.

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Am I understanding correctly that only the part-time employees on the unit are having to pick up extra shifts? If so, then I at least understand why they do not pay overtime. If you were required to work more than a full-time schedule, then I'd say overtime would be an issue. Most nurses that I know who are employed part time ( and I was one for many years) would not think it was a problem to pick up 8 extra hours per month for the summer months. Most would welcome the extra money unless they had other jobs full-time and this job was the fill in for the days off.

But, yes, I'd be upset if I had to rearrange my whole life--work a different shift than I was hired for, make different commuting arrangements if my usual transportation wouldn't work for the extra hours, or get a sitter for kids for extra time. I would go to the NM with a willingness to work the extra 8 hours, but explain that it would create a hardship unless we could come to a compromise on the shifts. Have you tried that?

When you were hired, was any mention made of your being expected to work extra shifts on occassion? I guess I would make the final decision on whether this was fair arrangement by your manager based on the understanding/contract when you were hired into the unit.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
We do have PRN's, no agency. But, our PRN get to pick and choose their time, not fill in when we need them. That is a whole other thread!

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as it SHOULD BE. Why should we work when YOU say we should? We get no bennies as PRN staff. SOOoo we work when we can/want to. It's totally fair. But you are right. It IS another thread. If you are unhappy, go PRN yourself.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

Our PRNs pick there schedule after out schedule is out, so then that doesn't help us at all if we are really short one day and way overstaffed in another...don't get your panties in a twist like you do sometimes. Dont ASSUME that someone can just go PRN.

I fully agree that it shouldn't be mandatory, I wouldn't mind picking up hours here and there if I can. My DH takes call and works 5/week, so it isn't easy to find someone to watch the kids.

Thanks for the thoughts guys :)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

No twisting here, and thank you , but you do not know me enough to know I was getting upset.....(I was not). I do think, however too many people expect a bit too much of PRN workers at times. WE are NOT saviors, but we do fill holes. We work when we want, for a reason and have made certain sacrifices in the process. There are TWO sides to every story, after all.

It sounds as if where you work,PRNs are picking their schedule AFTER YOU PICK/RECEIVE YOURS. Sound as if all is fair here. As to whether it helps you personally, or not, well another story. But don't get upset if PRNs work when they want and it does not suit you -----------

they get last pick after all, like they should. FTE come first in the dibs for scheduling. PRN DO fill holes, so they ARE helping. IF it's not enough, perhaps it is because your unit does not employ ENOUGH OF THEM.

You are benefitted. Along with that, goes the burden of having to work more than I do. But you are compensated for this, as well in being benefitted.

The way I see it, it's fair all around. Too many places try to mandate PRN work and then wonder why PRN staff don't sign up. Make it attractive, and they will come. I know, I have been PRN for 4 years now and could not be happier.

Have a good day now. :)

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Ours is set up like this; summer months; June July August (12-14 weeks). two people per day can request off giving 24-28 alloted vacation requests... 40 staff nurses. At least 12 staff RN's will NOT get a vacation this summer. May is already booked, yes by those who WILL get time off during the summer months, as ours gos by seniority. I'm not a new nurse, just new to this unit, so my question would be; "Why should I stay if I'm 12 of 12 on the bottom of the seniority list being turned down for vacation?

I have been a senior staff member and "paid my dues", in a place that ensured EVERYONE had one week of vacation, my new "home" is different.

So 12 of 12, I'm sure this is similar to your unit with the newer folk. What are you doing for retention? Why would new staff stay, collect a bank of time off, only to not be able to take time off with their kids and family? In this nursing shortage, and my experience, I can go ANYWHERE, so can your peers.

what can the staff, especially senior staff who have built your unit do, to correct this and why can't this problem be given to the staff instead of dictated by management? Surely with 80 nurses, you all can resolve this by working together to ensure that everyone can have a week off.

Plus, unless everyone is salary, until Bush changes this legislation about OT (a whole other thread), any hours over 40 is OT paid. period.

I have worked extra through the summer months for the past nine years to fill in "holes" because of vacations. The vacations were granted period, leaving one whole per shift, and the unit worked together to ensure that staffing was safe. It may sound over simplified, but it was simply, that simple.

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I have reread this thread and it still is not clear to me how a staff nurse can be mandated for 8 extra hours of work and not be paid overtime. As I stated in my earlier post, most facilities are saying 1 week's vacation after 6 months of work. That seems reasonable to me. If I had small children, I would maybe try for a long weekend or a couple of extra days off during the week so we could go somewhere as a family. I would expect to work a couple of extra shifts to "pay back" this time. I would not like to mandated wo any input in the situation. I really think this is a labor issue and one that needs to be clairified with the labor board in that state. I would think a release of some kind would have to be signed to forgo overtime. I think the idea of asking staff to sign for extra days at extra pay is one we have all worked with. I think PRN staff is exactly that, PRN. We have some PRN's who could and would come in on short notice, others had their schedule planned around other jobs or home issues. I was just thankful there were there when they could be, I did not expect them to cover for every unit emergency or need.

This facility is doing something underhanded and the employee's are just too used to "taking orders" to get to the bottom of this problem.

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It would completely SUCK not to get a vacation. While i think it is unfair to more senior nurses to have to pick up extra shifts, I think EVERYONE diserves their vacation. Like someone else said, if only the senior nurses are allowed summer vacation, then pretty soon you will have NO nurses left.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
It would completely SUCK not to get a vacation. While i think it is unfair to more senior nurses to have to pick up extra shifts, I think EVERYONE diserves their vacation. Like someone else said, if only the senior nurses are allowed summer vacation, then pretty soon you will have NO nurses left.

I agree completely!

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I have reread this thread and it still is not clear to me how a staff nurse can be mandated for 8 extra hours of work and not be paid overtime. .

Didn't she say only the part-time employees have to do this? ( post #6 in this thread) If so, there's no overtime involved.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.

The last time I checked the calender there was more then 12 to 14 weeks in a year.Everyone gets to take there vacation time-no one is saying they are not getting time off......Everyone does not always get their first choice or get the height of summer ......With the staffing shortage we can go anywhere but then you'll always be new and have no seniority...I don't understand how a newbie even would have the nerve to request 2 weeks in the summer-or how anyone would for example expect the same week in July every year...I don't care how big your institution is-you have to have coverage....If you consider your co-workers and try to build co-operative relationships with them you should be able to trade around time-we don't have any problem with that.No one has to work over time or a ridiculous number of days in a row..

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I think what she was saying that there are only 12-14 weeks for summer vacation and yes there are more times to take off but not if you have children in school. That is there vacation too, can't take them out of school, well yes, but then you have the school to deal with. When I worked in the hospital everyone was given 3 choices, hospital seniority ruled over floor seniority for vacations....Usually everyone got off, may not have been their 1st or 2nd but you did get a vacation. People were then asked to work overtime to make sure shifts were covered and then everyone got a vacation....most people were willing to help, they wanted their vacation too....never mandated... I was seniority but I still felt EVERYONE deserved a vacation.....

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