Holiday Scheduling

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Specializes in PACU, CARDIAC ICU, TRAUMA, SICU, LTC.

At the health care facility where I work, staff are required to work two out of three major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years). Last year, I "volunteered" to work Christmas; I was new to the facility so I knew there was no chance of not working it, so I signed up for Christmas Day, as well as New Year's Day. On Monday evening, while working my scheduled shift, the time scheduler made the following statement: "Anyone who doesn't have kids should volunteer to work Christmas." WRONG!! A discussion ensued. I am single, and have no children. However, I do have an immediate family, as well as a sizeable extended family whom I enjoy spending time with during the Christmas Holiday. So, "NO," I will not work every Christmas. The time scheduler walked away, with "her tail between her legs."

How is holiday scheduling done at your place of employment?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

By our contract, we all have to do one summer and one winter. And those are based on seniority with certain people mandated they won't be able to be in rotation to get it off due to the staffing mix. Those people are rotated year to year. The thing that stinks, is senior staff usually want Chrismtas off so you have a bunch of young nurses on and guess what happens? We get slammed with very high acuity patients that many of these young nurses aren't prepared to deal with. The senior staff who is working is usually stuck in charge, running in 5 different directions. It's not an ideal situation but it's mandated by contract, so not much choice. I've tried to pick up extra holidays for extra money and that is a huge hassle, again because of contract, I just don't do it anymore. I've never worked at a place like that.

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Specializes in multispecialty ICU, SICU including CV.

We are somewhat the same. We must work one of the 3 winter holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years) and one of the summer holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day). We have a preference sign up sheet as far as which one we would prefer to work and then the schedulers look at that and take the most senior staff's preferences first. Some staff very low on the totem pole end up working two of the three holidays for a few years. They also rotate the holidays and you don't have to work the same holiday you did last year unless that is your preference. It gets fairly complicated.

There is a loophole -- if you take your vacation week over one of the holidays, you automatically get it off and don't have to worry about that one.

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Don't you love being punished because you don't have kids?

I work PRN because I hate working the holidays. If by some miracle you get the day off you have to work the day before and the day after so you can't do anything anyway.

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Specializes in Hem/Onc, LTC, AL, Homecare, Mgmt, Psych.

The place I work at observes New years, Memorial day, 4th of July, Labor day, Thanksgiving, Christmas as holidays. We work every other holiday, and they rotate each year. So for the holidays you work one year, the next year will be the opposite rotation. By scheduling New years and Memorial day consecutively it all evens out.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Where I work we have so if you work over Christmas(24th,25th,26,) then you get New Years Eve/day off. The next year you do the opposite of what you did the year before. Seniority doesn't come into it, every one has to take a turn. Usually the rest of the holidays are no big deal and there is no trouble getting people to work.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

we're starting early this year -- it's only july!

we have 9 holidays a year and have to work every other one. so we get christmas off every other year. it's fair.

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Specializes in ICU.

I work every holiday out of choice - I like the time and a half pay and the low census! :)

Hopefully someday when I do want the occasional holiday off there will be someone like me wanting those hours that other people don't. I know my current co-workers appreciate it...I'm not counting on getting it in return, but it would sure be nice. Someday.

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.

I usually volunteer to work Christmas eve and Christmas day since my kids are grown and out of state. They usually all come home over the new year weekend, so we celebrate Christmas then. I don't mind and my coworkers love it.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.

I work prn. There are certain holidays required for me to work and choose from. I can either work Christmas or New Years. I work 12 hour nights. I am scheduling myself for New Years. No I dont have children but I have immediate family I would like to spend some time with. The holidays I am scheduling myself to work this year are Memorial Day, Day after Thanksgiving, and New Years Day. The day after Thanksgiving is one of the hard to fill days.

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I work in home health. If Christmas (for example) falls on a Monday and I normally work a Monday shift, I am expected to work the holiday. But I better not expect holiday pay. My employer doesn't like to pay holiday pay, just like they don't like to pay overtime, or show-up pay. I have thought about starting to take federal holidays off without pay. That will probably get me fired. Have to think about it a lot.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.
I work in home health. If Christmas (for example) falls on a Monday and I normally work a Monday shift, I am expected to work the holiday. But I better not expect holiday pay. My employer doesn't like to pay holiday pay, just like they don't like to pay overtime, or show-up pay. I have thought about starting to take federal holidays off without pay. That will probably get me fired. Have to think about it a lot.

This may be a risk you have to take but at least you thinking about it good luck to you.

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