honeymoon during orientation

Dranger · Oct 23, 2015

1. Orientation is probation time, they can fire you for any reason.

2. If the unit is anything like mine where we DESPERATELY need staff and are chomping at the bit to get new nurses off orientation then you might have some pissed off coworkers.

dishes, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2015

If you are currently a student at the hospital, ask the hospital's NICU clinical educator and nurses if they have any concerns about new hires who have interrupted orientations. When I am training a nurse, I find it is more work for me when an orientee does not attend consecutive orientation. In my experience, orientees with interrupted orientations have more gaps in knowledge and take longer to synthesize information, than orientees who attend a succesive orientations.

BiotoBSNtoFNP · Oct 23, 2015

However, the question you're asking is very premature. First, you have to graduate, then you have to pass the NCLEX, then you have to get offered a job. Also, you have flexibility about what you're planning. You could move up the honeymoon, or schedule it later when you have PTO to pay for the time off.
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I agree, if the you are planning on taking the nclex in July, there is a very real chance you may not start work until after Sept.

The NICU job is not guaranteed yet? If you dont get that job (but I hope you do!), it can take over 6 months for a new grad to find a job. Then this whole thing would be irrelevant.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2015

My wedding was in the middle of orientation as well as another new grad. Both of us were given the time, mine was only a week, her was two weeks. Since we don't count in staffing numbers for nursing/patient rations, it was okay. Meaning, i also didn't take vacation time away from a staff member who may have wanted that time off, since I wasn't a part of staffing members. The most important thing is making sure ahead of time people know and can plan. I don't see it as a big deal wanting and requesting that time off. Many people do this, and it is not unheard of, weddings and honeymoons take months of preparation.

Please make sure that you plan accordingly and have some days between coming home from a honeymoon and going back to work. Just in case of plan delays, or other issues.

Congratulations and good luck with the job search

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2015

So apparently the answer to your question is that it is no big deal to request a vacation immediately after being hired, and that it would not be okay to ask for time off for your honeymoon during your orientation.

Hope that's clear.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 23, 2015

It would be far better to take the vacation BEFORE starting any orientation. So maybe if you are set firmly on having your honeymoon when you want, you can give your availability as a date AFTER that time. I know as a manager/preceptor, I would appreciate that rather than an interruption in orientation.

JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN · Oct 23, 2015

A former coworker of mine got married shortly after her orientation ended. She took 2 weeks or whatever it was of unpaid vacation time. However, we were pretty adequately staffed at the time and her absence didn't really hurt us too badly.

Like several PPs have said, if this job isn't set in stone yet, you are being a little premature. Don't assume that your timeline of finding a job is going to go exactly as planned. You may have a delay in licensure (I know getting my ATT was like pulling teeth) you may encounter a hiring freeze, you may get several offers, you may get none. There are a lot of variables in play.

If you DO get some callbacks and you have your heart set on taking your honeymoon right after the wedding, you have to tell the hiring manager during your interview. It may be shooting yourself in the foot but I can promise you that if you don't clear it with your NM first, he/she will be very unhappy when you drop that knowledge. They have the right to know your availability.

Congratulations on your pending graduation and wedding!

tmh_bamagrad · Oct 23, 2015

I graduated in May and got married in August. My employer knew when I interviewed that I was getting married and would be on honeymoon after the wedding which would fall during some portion of the 3 month orientation phase (started the end of June). They were extremely understanding and had no issues or delays in hiring me into their ICU. There is no way to know what could happen in your situation, but there sometimes is no reason to delay your planning for "what ifs." Plan and enjoy your honeymoon you will work out the rest. People seem to forget life goes on outside of work.

flying_ace2 · Oct 23, 2015

I graduated nursing school in May and was getting married in October. I started having job interviews before I graduated, like in March. I told the hiring managers AFTER my initial interviews, when they called to offer me a job, that I was getting married in October, and that our honeymoon was already booked and paid for (and it really was). I also said that I would be taking a total of 3 weeks off for both the wedding and honeymoon, and that it was non-negotiable. Since I wouldn't have any PTO at that point, I was absolutely willing to take the 3 weeks off with no pay. There are a lot of people who say to never take any time off during any type of orientation, but in EVERY job I've ever had, if I already had a vacation or something planned and let them know up front about it, they were willing to let me have the time off even if I didn't have the PTO (and I didn't mind not getting paid so I could go and enjoy my life!). My first nursing job was no exception - I got hired before I even graduated, started in September, and took my 3 weeks off in October. They just extended my orientation by 3 weeks on the back end. Totally, absolutely worth asking about in my opinion......after you actually have an offer :up:

Iknowwha2du · Oct 23, 2015

FYI you are in a field that you will have to sacrifice your personal happiness for. You will see this soon. You may want to hold off on the honeymoon until you get a guarantee job.

MunoRN, RN · Oct 23, 2015

I was offered a job prior to graduation, then in June I found out I would have to start the week of my wedding, so no honeymoon, it was either that or no job until a full year later. I ended up taking my NCLEX on a tuesday which I had to drive 6 hours to and from, started my job the next day and got married on saturday.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 23, 2015

OP it would do you well to remember, in a lot of markets jobs for new grads are very hard to find. If you DO get hired on, with the schedule you propose, it may make you "less desireable" to hire, if right off the bat, you want time off during orientation.

That is why I said, it may do you well to try and get hired on after the vacation.

Or if you get hired before, be very sure your manager would be ok with your taking the break you need. He/she may or may not be. And they may hire someone with more availability than you are willing to provide as a new grad/hire.