12 hour night shifts

Published

I work 2 12-hour night shifts per week as a charge nurse for two med-surg units and the ICU. The nurses self-schedule but charge nurses do not. The new schedule just came out and I am working my weekend (Sat-Sun night) and then the following Friday and Monday nights. The scheduler does not understand why I am upset. This essentially puts me on every weekend and we are only required to work every other weekend. Has anyone else had a problem like this and how did you handle it?

Specializes in Pedi.

When I worked in the hospital, Friday night was the weekend. You couldn't be scheduled Friday night if it wasn't your weekend. Night weekends were Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7p-7a and day weekends were Saturday and Sunday 7a-7p. If you worked permanent nights, you did work a 3 day weekend every time your weekend rolled around.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The weekend starts at midnight on Friday. So when I work Friday night, I am being paid 7 1/2 hours weekend pay, but it does not count as working a weekend.

I personally would not think "every other weekend" would commonly be taken to mean "every other Sa/Su plus some weekend hours [by their own definition] on the off weekend."

I'm more familiar w/ hospital weekends beginning on Friday @ 1900 and ending Sunday @1900. This results in going into work on a weekend evening (Sunday) at the end of one's weekend off - but never really had a reason to grumble about it because it was always very clear when the weekend started and when it ended. And weekend coverage has to be done some way - - that way is as good as any, IMO. It was consistent/fair. However, I do think working a Friday night at the start of one's weekend off is a different deal than coming in on Sunday night @ the end of one's weekend off, especially when the facility claims that their weekend begins during the Friday night shift.

What perturbs people is the obvious intent to do something based on a formality that has a different meaning than what makes sense. A grasp of the English language would indicate to people that when you have the weekend "off," that means that for that weekend, you actually do not work any hours that the facility considers weekend hours. If you do, then you don't have the whole weekend "off."

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in oncology, MS/tele/stepdown.

Most schedulers haven't worked nightshift in years or ever. They don't get it, so you have to spoon-feed it to them and hope they are willing to be flexible. I'm sure this is incredibly frustrating for you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The other charge nurses work full time so I am basically being plugged in where they don't want to work. Like a per-diem. Although our per-diem's are treated better. They self-schedule. I did speak with the scheduler (who has never worked a night shift in her life) and this looks like my permanent schedule. I normally would not care about working weekends as my husband is retired. But my family still works M-F, 9-5 jobs. So if I want to visit, it must be a weekend. Plus, all events are on weekends. Weddings, baby showers, etc. And I can't attend anything. My family is starting to think I am making it up that I always have to work!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in oncology, MS/tele/stepdown.

This would be a deal-breaker for me. I'd tell them they can address the schedule or address a vacancy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

That's pretty much where I am at. Sad since although I only work 2-12's/week at this point, I have been there longer than any other charge nurse. Seniority means nothing. And hospitals wonder why they struggle with retention.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

So, Ricia,

If your bottom line is that you would consider resigning in regard to this issue, would you seek employment elsewhere?

Have you addressed this with the manager/director and HR? If it's an issue you would resign over, I wouldn't do so without covering your bases/making a couple of last-ditch attempts at reason. This is pretty clear as I already pointed out: No straight thinker would posit that someone whose hired position includes every other weekend off should work some weekend hours [as defined and paid by the company itself] on *every* weekend off. It's not that hard to ask someone to answer for this.

You're not in a good bargaining position if you've been doing this all along and have just finally become fed up with it. But if it's been a more recent change, I would be discussing it in a business-like manner, myself, especially if it's something that is a deal-breaker for you. Keep in mind, it is likely they don't care if you resign. I wouldn't even talk to them about that. It also has absolutely nothing to do with whether they let so-and-so self-schedule or whether they treat these employees better than those employees or whether they care about long-time employees. That's all just whiny-talk that gives them opportunities to come up with more nonsense/excuses. Just talk to them about the facts, which are that you are working some weekend hours every single weekend - according to their very own definitions - and that is not in accordance with the agreed upon conditions of your position.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
They don't get it, so you have to spoon-feed it to them and hope they are willing to be flexible.

Speaking as someone who was responsible for approving schedules (after the scheduling committee constructed it) in a fairly large department, this statement is a bit unfair. We had a robust weekend program on nights, so most straight night shifters did not have to work many weekend days. However, there were so many different preferences, there were times that people did not get what they wanted. Some wanted 3 in a row...some, absolutely not. Some wanted 2 on, 1 off, 1 on. Some wanted every Tuesday off. Some didn't really care, but made requests now and then to attend functions with their child.

While the best effort was made to accommodate all those various preferences, there were times when people did not get what they wanted. If people didn't get what they wanted, it was not because I was not flexible or that I was not spoon fed; it is because the #1 priority is staffing the department, and sometimes that means some preferences are not reflected in the schedule.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

What about dropping being charge nurse? You could then self-schedule and this problem is solved.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My schedule for 2 years was Sat-Sun, Tues, Mon. Then on the last schedule, the Tues disappeared and was plugged in on all different days, including a Friday. So I spoke with the scheduler and asked if we could go back to my regular schedule, or 2 and 2, or 3 and 1. She seemed receptive. Then the next schedule came out and I was on 5 out of 6 weekends. So I spoke with my manager. I am awaiting the next schedule to see if it was resolved. If not, I will cut my hours so that I just work the weekend and may pick up extra when convenient.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Surgical, Home Infusions, HVU, PCU, Neuro.

Would you be able to change your status to per diem and then provide your availability to work? Or as someone suggested, quit charging and work the floor?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I considered Fri, Sat and Sun nights the weekend. Not germane to this discussion, but when I adopted my son, he had a lot of therapy app'ts: OT, PT, and Speech, plus another misc appt to be named later. So, I self-scheduled to work Fri, Sat, and Sun, got day care for the whole weekend. It worked great until one month, I forgot to fill out the schedule. It came out w/a perfectly normal schedule--every other weekend off, mid week shifts. YIKES. Went to the charge nurse, and said, "I can't work this schedule". She told, and I quote, "It's not the hospital's problem that you adopted a special needs child."

Next morning I went to the nurse manager and told her my tale of woe. After she picked her jaw up off the floor, she just said, I'll fix it. Next time I worked, it was fixed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion