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?
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
After 31 years of bedside nursing...... I have worked more than my share. Unfortunately, it is a part of the job; as is driving through blizzards so my co-workers and friends can go home. For me.... it has always been a double hit as my birthday is on Christmas. My sisters are all nurses and we had to face it years ago that there were going to be holidays that we would not be at and acted like a grown up and went to work.
When my kids were small they didn't know exactly what day Christmas was on so I made sure the advent calender reflected my altered reality so christmas morning was when I was home. One year my daughter realized that I had made christmas one day late (damn that internet santa sleigh) She was terrified that we would miss Christmas so I remeinded her that Santa knows that her Mommy is a nurse and he understands that I need to care for people to make them better. So, Santa will stop at our house on the way BACK from the north pole! Just a little white lie to match the one about fat man in the red suit comming down the chimney. :)
It is just a reality of the job. When I was single I would offer to work Christmas so I could Party for New Years. I have always loved Halloween so I would offer other holidays so I could trick or treat! It's all about compromise......but also about fairness so if you worked christmas last year you should not have to work it this year. Unfortunately....there have obviously been issues and arguments hence the rules...... I personally have observed no matter how hard you try to make it fair someone will always be unhappy.
Just rememeber Christmas is just a day but the spirit is what counts and you can do that any day.......!:redbeathe
I think we all know that working some holidays and weekends is part of being a nurse. I did work at one place (a union facility), where I was shocked that the nurses that had been there for 2-3 years that were complaining if they got put on holidays or weekends, to the point they would go to the union and complain about "unfairness." Please. Just because you've been a nurse for a couple years doesn't mean you're immune to holidays.
We as nurses gotta take every punch,kick,and blow as it goes.I have been a nurse for 10 years now.My 1st Nursing job I cried,because I had to work Christmas with 2 small kids.An idea is to talk with your family and see if they can celebrate perhaps the day before with you.The good thing I also try to consider is that we do a great job at saving lives.If all of us are off on the Holidays who will our patients and community depend on.So I try to look at the positive and I wish you the best on on your holiday.
Specializes in Medical Surgical & Nursing Manaagement.
:uhoh3:From the original post I find that schedule very unfair. I go as far to discuss holidays on interview, I tell my applicants "its every other weekend and holidays. For Christmas and New Years we require that you work an Eve and a Day". Usually it works out and we allow for peer swapping. If we need bodies, we look back to last years holiday schedule and if you didn't work last year, you'll have to work this year. Thanksgiving has nothing to do with Christmas/New Years. Since the holidays this year fall on the weekend, the weekend requirement went out the window and the staff thought that was fair. Everyone has family so we tried very hard to make sure it was fair, i.e., an Eve and a Day. I would say 90% of the staff gets what they want!
I'd be happy with your policy, at least this year. I was to have that weekend off but in my facility they make a whole new "holiday schedule" based on who worked last year and then seniority. Since I'm new, I get to work, which also means I will work THREE weekend in a row since the holidays are on weekends this year. Nice huh?
I'm in pretty much the same boat...I am scheduled for the 24th, 25th, and 26th...and the 31st, 1st, and 2nd...plus the weekend before Chirstmas and the weekend after New Years.
My kids will be on Christmas vacation, so I will still have plenty of time with them. My husband works day shift, so I will have every evening with him. There are much worse things than working weekends.
same thing here for 22 yrs of hospital nursing. one thing really got my goat is easter is the only holiday (non holiday to the facility) i wanted, and invariably i was scheduled and the muslim girl got it off because she had a child....also muslim. she also got ramadan special days and had her dietary needs for that period scrupulously honored.
on christmas and thanksgiving we just had our own staff dinner in the conference room. turkey or ham, all the trimmings and invited the doctors, housekeepers, any others who might drop by. if the holiday was christmas we traded gifts unmarked and under $10. when the facility gives you lemons make lemonade it's all you can do.
If someone in our unit works the three days over the holiday, they get more days off over New Years. What is the OP working for the New Year and what did you work for Thanksgiving?
We pick our top three days off (we include Christmas eve and New year's eve) and almost everyone gets their top 2 choices off, high senior people will get three, the ones over 25 years only have to work one winter holiday. It is what it is.
But I love when someone who has been there a short period of time cries over their schedule...because they are working on a holiday. Boo hoo, pick a new profession then.
Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN
20,908 Posts
After 31 years of bedside nursing...... I have worked more than my share. Unfortunately, it is a part of the job; as is driving through blizzards so my co-workers and friends can go home. For me.... it has always been a double hit as my birthday is on Christmas. My sisters are all nurses and we had to face it years ago that there were going to be holidays that we would not be at and acted like a grown up and went to work.
When my kids were small they didn't know exactly what day Christmas was on so I made sure the advent calender reflected my altered reality so christmas morning was when I was home. One year my daughter realized that I had made christmas one day late (damn that internet santa sleigh) She was terrified that we would miss Christmas so I remeinded her that Santa knows that her Mommy is a nurse and he understands that I need to care for people to make them better. So, Santa will stop at our house on the way BACK from the north pole!
Just a little white lie to match the one about fat man in the red suit comming down the chimney. :)
It is just a reality of the job. When I was single I would offer to work Christmas so I could Party for New Years. I have always loved Halloween so I would offer other holidays so I could trick or treat! It's all about compromise......but also about fairness so if you worked christmas last year you should not have to work it this year. Unfortunately....there have obviously been issues and arguments hence the rules...... I personally have observed no matter how hard you try to make it fair someone will always be unhappy.
Just rememeber Christmas is just a day but the spirit is what counts and you can do that any day.......!:redbeathe