First off...yes I love being a nurse...but I hate having to work the major holidays
This year I have been assigned X-mas Eve...which would be okay if there were only the 14 and 12yo, but the 4yo will not be able to wait until I get home X-mas Morning...he is up @ 5am...I work 1hr away and my shift doesn't end until 7am..I would much rather work Thanksgiving, X-mas day night, New Years Eve, whatever, but I hate X-mas eve
Call me a cry baby....but does anyone else love their job, but really despise this aspect of it??
I know this may sound bad to those with children, but I *always* get Xmas off, one way or another. I even had it written into a contract at one facility. I don't have kids, but it's really my favorite day of the year. And I'm a pagan, so it's not even as much the religious aspect (for us, the holiday is generally a few days earlier). I would, however, work Thanksgiving and New Years if necessary.
Thankfully tho, I work in clinics exclusively now that are no-holidays, no weekends. Works for me, even if the pay might be a few dollars less (if that).
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i agree- this is one of the things you just need to take into account when you choose to be a nurse (or cop, emt, etc...). also, i am always surprised when people feel they deserved more holidays off because they have kids....just a pet peeve. single people celebrate chrsitmas too. not saying you are saying this, just an attitude i have noticed a lot. we all pull our weight, thats what makes nurses so close knit and special. who do people think runs the hospitals on christmas, elves?
[color=#4b0082]i knew when i got into nursing that i'd be working weekends and holidays. it's part of the job. i've worked with people who don't seem to understand this, though, and feel that for some reason they deserve more time off over holidays than others. one year it was the grandmother who swore that her grown children and teenaged grandchildren would suffern permanent psychological harm if she wasn't home christmas eve to make her famous clam dip for the christmas eve festivities. of course, she also had to have thanksgiving off to host a family dinner, christmas day off because her family couldn't survive a holiday without her, new year's eve because her husband's work always had a big new year's eve party, and new year's day because she wanted to be able to really enjoy the nye party. other years it has been women with small children who insist that i ought to work their holiday shifts for them, and no they don't want to trade for a different holiday because they already have plans.
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[color=#4b0082]my point is that we all have people we care about with whom we'd like to spend the holidays. perhaps the holiday ought to be more about celebrating with the people we care about than the date on the calender?
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[color=#4b0082]we're having thanksgiving on friday this year because that's the day we can have my step daughter. and christmas on new year's day, because that's when we're off. if my step-daughter learns anything from this, it will be that i can make my famous pecan pies for a friday thanksgiving, and that her father's oyster stuffing tastes just as good on january 1 as it does on december 25. it's the family that counts, not the date.
I understand, this was very hard on my kids through my earlier years of nursing. Now that in mind, start a new family tradition and keep it each year, even if you're off..... a christmas breakfast! When you work, dad and kids are all involved in making a special christmas breakfast followed by your family's favorite thing to do... ours was watching national lampoons christmas vacation. This gives quality time, memories chatting while the anticipation for presents grows. It's harder at 5, so pick your kids favorite thing to do after breakfast.
Then.... it's time for presents. It really works, let your child keep peeking at the presents. You can even play a guessing game if they're itchy... I can shake one box and make three guesses as to what's in it....then on to the next one.... oh here's mom!
I know you'll find your own way to make the wait, a family plus, just forget that it's a minus and run with the idea....
I don't like working the Holidays but I know that it is part of the job, I am working a 12 on Christmas Eve night this year and have worked Christmas Eve nearly every year since becoming a nurse. Our boys have always just had to learn to wait until I came home for us to open their presents, the key has been to have them come in with their siblings or in with their Dad until I have come home, we also make them eat breakfast, I usually make muffins and hot chocolate when I get home, even my youngest children can wait, they may wake up early and come get in bed with my husband and watch TV but they learn and they wait. Older siblings serve as Santas by helping wrap presents and place them out under the tree, it has become a tradtion.
My husband and I were both EMTs and now both nurses and we actually enjoy the craziness that holiday schedules bring. We are different religions as well so it becomes a comedy of scheduling Chritsmas Dinner, Hannukah Dinner, the making of the Tamales, opening presents, celebrating birthdays, which relatives are in town, etc. We are major adrenaline junkies so we thrive on this stuff! I just told my Mom yesterday that although we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Grandma and the rest of her side of the family, the next day we are having open house at our place for everyone else that lives close to us or just feels like stopping by. We did it last year and everyone was happy to bring their leftovers and create new recipes or whatever. We kept it very casual and everyone had alot of fun!
I don't know if this would work for any of you guys, but this is what we do at my facility. First, let me say I work for my state, so being a state employee I get "holiday" time. For Christmas we get 2 holidays, Christmas Eve and Day. So what we do is we rotate every year. For instance, last year I may have been off my regular off days, which would be 2 plus my Christmas Holidays, giving me 4 days off, I would be off thru Christmas Eve, and return to work on Christmas Day. Then the other "half" of my shift would then start their Holiday time, being off Christmas Day and the following 3 days, giving them a 4 day Christmas vacation. Then the following year we will switch. If anyone of our employees quit, and a new nurse is hired in that position she/he takes that positon's holiday time as their starting point. It works out really well. No complaints, because you know that every other year you're going to have your favorite time off. If you can get your Nurse Manager, or the one who does the scheduling to see it, it is the most fair thing around. Also, another point, our Christmas schedule does not follow the regular schedule that we follow thruout the year. This switching of the holidays may totally redo your schedule. For instance, if Christmas Eve falls on your scheduled Saturday off, but you had Christmas Eve off last year, you may have to give up your Saturday this year. The holiday schedule goes according to what you had off last year. Anyway, just thought I'd tell ya what we do. It's fair and it works.
I was a unit manager, before children... and I used to staff this way: any new employees worked Christmas day. (and the staff that volunteered). All others, worked day before or after. Anyone who did work Christmas day, had the day before and day after off. Then employees were able to choose 1-2 of the remaining holidays...cause here in Louisiana.....Mardi Gras is a major holiday. Oh, AND we don't get time 1/2 or double time, weekend diff is all. So Christmas day with your family, is like a regular Saturday....thanks, HCA.
[color=#4b0082]i knew when i got into nursing that i'd be working weekends and holidays. it's part of the job. i've worked with people who don't seem to understand this, though, and feel that for some reason they deserve more time off over holidays than others. one year it was the grandmother who swore that her grown children and teenaged grandchildren would suffern permanent psychological harm if she wasn't home christmas eve to make her famous clam dip for the christmas eve festivities. of course, she also had to have thanksgiving off to host a family dinner, christmas day off because her family couldn't survive a holiday without her, new year's eve because her husband's work always had a big new year's eve party, and new year's day because she wanted to be able to really enjoy the nye party. other years it has been women with small children who insist that i ought to work their holiday shifts for them, and no they don't want to trade for a different holiday because they already have plans.
[color=#4b0082]my point is that we all have people we care about with whom we'd like to spend the holidays. perhaps the holiday ought to be more about celebrating with the people we care about than the date on the calender?
[color=#4b0082]we're having thanksgiving on friday this year because that's the day we can have my step daughter. and christmas on new year's day, because that's when we're off. if my step-daughter learns anything from this, it will be that i can make my famous pecan pies for a friday thanksgiving, and that her father's oyster stuffing tastes just as good on january 1 as it does on december 25. it's the family that counts, not the date.
very well put...... this is basically what i was trying to say in my previous
post. a few years ago, i had to work on christmas eve, which is when we usually have "santa" with the kids) so we decided to celebrate 2 nights early and let me tell you the kids weren't complaining a bit. they loved it, in fact, and wanted to know if santa could come early every year. i just told them that i had talked to santa and explained i wanted to spend christmas with them and that i had to work so santa agreed to come early for them. my daughter said "santa is cool for doing that isn't he?" of course i thought so
This year I am scheduled to X-mas eve and day and I have a small child. I understand that nurses have to work holidays, what I don't like is the fact that my hospital decided just this year that maybe we should get time and a half for 3 holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas DAY, and New Years DAY). Extra pay for holidays should have started a long time ago and should include more than 3 holidays. I've worked a factory job that paid DOUBLE time for working on TEN holidays (one being your b-day).
Initially when I started nursing school, I was a student, unmarried and no kids and wanted to work in labor/delivery...I had no idea how much family meant to me...well, by the time I finally finished (had to quit school for a while) I was married and was pregnant with my first child.... I began to work as a new grad, and started in a nursing home, and that was my first time having to work a major holiday...had to work thanksgiving...I hated it!!!!! So, when I decided to leave the nursing home (for many reasons) I got a job in a clinic....I LOVE the clinic atmosphere!!!! and love the clinic hours!!! My shift goes from 830-530 monday through friday, with weekends and holidays off...I moved to a new state and thought I'd try the hospital, and for various reasons, absolutely hated it...so back to the clinic scene I went...and I absolutely love it!!!!! I'm so sorry you have to work the holidays...I would hate it, too...
I have to say I don't like working the holidays but once I am at work and look at my patients that are spending the holiday hooked to iv's, foley's etc, it doesn't seem so bad. I feel fortunate that all my family members are at home and healthy celebrating. Everyone at work seems to be in a better mood than they normally are too.
I have worked evening shift for the last 14 years and it seems to work well with holidays. Even if you have to work Xmas day you have til 3p to spend with your family. It also gives you an excuse to not have a big shindig at your home on the holiday. I have even gone to New Year's party after work when I have worked New Years Eve. I had always dreaded not making it home by midnight but one night I spend midnight on the road by myself driving home and it wasn't that bad.
All student nurses just remember nursing is a 24/7 job if you work in a hospital, don't be surprised that you have to work holidays. If you can't stand the thought, then nursing might not be for you, or at least hospital nursing.
this is basically what i was trying to say in my previous 
featherzRN, MSN
1,012 Posts
I know this may sound bad to those with children, but I *always* get Xmas off, one way or another. I even had it written into a contract at one facility. I don't have kids, but it's really my favorite day of the year. And I'm a pagan, so it's not even as much the religious aspect (for us, the holiday is generally a few days earlier).
I would, however, work Thanksgiving and New Years if necessary.
Thankfully tho, I work in clinics exclusively now that are no-holidays, no weekends. Works for me, even if the pay might be a few dollars less (if that).