Holiday Nursing

Published

Hello to All...I am writing this note with a heavy heart...When I became a nurse, almost three years ago, I knew that I would be working every other weekend and Holiday...This year is going to be a tough year..Unfortunately I will be working both in a three day span of time...I am scheduled to work Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after..What a bummer...I work 3-1130pm and apparently my hospital has a policy (for which I have never seen nor anyone on staff has ever heard of before) that Christmas eve is the holiday and if Christmas day falls on your weekend you are responsible to work also...I find this "policy" unacceptable...Especially since most of the staff on the other weekend have all three days off!...I am curious to here what your policy is and what your take is on this situation?...Fortunately, I work with some great colleagues that, thankfully, have a heart and I have been able to peer swap..However, there are several of us in this situation and not all have been able to peer swap...I have to say that I feel really, unappreciated by my nurse manager (she is new and in years past the nurse manager has "tweeked" things; but of course it's been almost a decade since this last happened)..Especially knowing that I rarely get a dinner break and often do not get off work anywhere from 15mins to 1 hour late (It is looked bad upon to sign out late or with No Dinner, so often I just "pick and choose my battles"..It adds up over time)!..I know we should all band together and say something about the Holidays, no breaks, and getting out late but unfortunately the unit I work has a high turnover rate (due to acuity & fast pace) and I am, believe it or not, one of the senior staff and the newer/younger nurses are afraid to say anything (they often say they will but do not, myself and a few other senior staff members look like the "complainers")...I am feeling bitter and unappreciated..Am I wrong?:down::crying2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Im sorry your feeling taken advantage of! I too am working all the holidays this year. All except Thanksgiving. I am on Christmas Eve, Christmas, NYE & New Years. Some people are working none because they "requested them all off" I am new, so didnt know I had to request them off I was told it was a rotation.From your post, I have to ask, do you work on my floor? lol. I think we prob work at the same place. I was not able to peer swap.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

dON'T BLAME YOU!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I have worked in my current unit for over 4 yrs and this will be my 4th Christmas working...I'm also scheduled Christmas night shift as well(which isn't the holiday for fulltimers but is weekend program hours--yet I don't get the 8hr differential.)

I will be going to speak to my boss once the schedule is released as the two newest hires in our unit are NOT scheduled to work any part of Christmas!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well...someone has to work the holidays. I doubt that many people thought they would have holidays and weekends off when they enrolled in nursing school...if they did, they were misled, in denial, or something!

Every place I have ever worked had required you to work the holiday if it fell on your normal weekend. Some nurses like having holidays on or off in a block. If your family is far away and you have to work either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, that certainly makes it hard to visit family.

My family has always been happy to celebrate holidays when everyone (or almost everyone) can be there. My kids used to love it when Santa Clause came on the 23rd instead of the 24th! How you and your family react to you working the holidays is up to you (and them).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Yeah - we all face this problem. Agree, asking co-workers to trade is the best way. Sometimes thats not an option.

I'm sorry that you have to work XMas.

I've been a nurse in several places/states and it seems like all places have similar policies.

BTW - I'm on call Thanksgiving weekend (four days) at hospitals 50 miles from my home.

So...we are celebrating this weekend. SOmetimes you just have to compromise or work around things.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

My hospital policy is the same, if it is your holiday on and your weekend, you will be working a stretch. We work every other holiday, so for Thanksgiving, which is both my weekend and my holiday, I will be working a long stretch. Same goes for new years. Luckily, Christmas is both my holiday and my weekend off, so I get a long stretch off there.

Personally, I can't complain. My family is hundreds of miles away, so working long stretches over some holidays and getting long stretches off on others means I can actually go visit my family over the holidays.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in chemical dependency detox/psych.

Yeah, it stinks. I worked similar schedules for the last couple of years, and this year I am celebrating my freedom. I switched to working casual, so I'm giving myself some much-deserved vacations. Do you have small children? That makes it so hard...my own were so sad to not see Mommy at various holidays.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

On our floor the major holidays are counted as Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and day. We needed to choose which 2 or 3 we would prefer to work and then the mgr took the volunteers first and assigned after that. If Christmas is your weekend, but you worked it last year, you are off this year. Some of the nurses without kids volunteered for Christmas. I told the younger nurses I would gladly do New Years Eve and day so they could be off. Our schedule isn't out yet so not sure of how it is really going to be scheduled.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

On my unit, we have a rotation. Included in the rotation are "Thanksgiving Eve", Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. Every year you work one Eve, one Day, and have one holiday off. So this year, I work Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and I have all of New Years off. Next year, I get Thanksgiving off, work Christmas Day and New Years Eve.

Night shift used to self-schedule, same requirement of one Eve and one Day, but this year they went to a rotation. Their rotation puts both the Eve and the Day on the same holiday, then they get the other two holidays off.

Your holiday overrides your weekend, so if you are normally off that weekend, you work your holiday (and, if it is your weekend, but your holiday off, you don't work the holiday, but you might have to work the next day (such as Boxing Day)).

We are also allowed to switch shifts among ourselves.

I like our system. There is no favoritism, and you know in January what holidays you will be working for the rest of the year, so you can plan ahead.

Sorry to all of you who aren't getting fair treatment. Nobody wants to work holidays, so everyone should take an equal turn.

:paw:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

I live in a city away from my family. We celebrate the event, not the day, so whenever we are together it is a holiday. Do not focus on the date.

Meanwhile, you need to discuss with your supervisor how you feel to see if there is an alternative solution.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Having worked more holidays than I can remember, I feel that too many nurses make themselves miserable over this. Who says celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving has to be on that particular day? The only time, in my mind, where it's not movable is if people are coming from out of town and can't adjust their schedule at all. But really, it's an arbitrary day that was picked on our calendar.

yes it's nice to be home when we want to be, but that's the nature of our work. Someone has to work and sometimes it's us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion