How often do you take a vacation?

[PAERRN20]

I take one week long vacation a year....not enough!

[Spikey9001, BSN, RN]

5-6 weeks a year out of the city and out of phone range.

I have been taking at least 3 weeks like this since I was "poor" making $9/hr. quit making excuses and live life. Work to live, dont live to work...... It wont matter how much money you make if you keep spending everything and making excuses not to enjoy your life.

This is a really good but severely underrated post.

[SlightlyMental_RN]

This year I took a month off. Heaven. First time in years that I actually relaxed and left work behind.

[IowaKaren]

The PTO hours keep stacking up but if there is no one to work for you when you want time off, you don't get it off. I feel it's not right and really not my problem but guess it's no-ones problem from the way it seems There would be no problem getting it covered if they would allow overtime since some nurse would like the overtime but,... NO OVERTIME.

[meandragonbrett]

I just took an entire month off.

[caliotter3]

Every time I am unemployed is a vacation according to some. I call it unemployment, no pay check. My last three clients have had long stints in the hospital, three weeks or more, during which my agency didn't provide me with backup work. I have been so low on funds I didn't have money to put gas in the car to get to work when they finally sent me back to work.

[Crux1024]

I try to take 1 week of vacay about every 6 months. And I dont even plan to go anywhere. Just being away from work is a break!

Then they are random requested off days, or when i feel i need a break.

Cant take care of others if you dont take care of yourself.

[pinkiepie_RN]

I'm taking 9 days (3 weeks) of PTO in January to study abroad in Costa Rica as an elective + Spanish language for my Master's degree. I didn't take off any time over the summer and I've really just been getting 3, 4, 5 days off in a row with smart scheduling. :)

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

What's a vacation??

[MilSpecRN, BSN, RN]

I get 26 paid days off a year, plus 10 holidays and 14 sick days. I usually take a vacation in spring, one or two in summer, and another one in winter. I also use my sick days if needed. I also try to take a mini vacation monthly (I only get one weekend off a month) and go out of town with family

[getoverit, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I take 2 weeks off in February. 2 weeks again in June or July, then 2 weeks again in late September/early October. I also am lucky enough to have a 4 day weekend every week, sometimes it works out into 5-6 depending on when I go back.

You guys might hate me, but not as much as my wife does!! She doesn't get that much vacation and has to keep working while i'm hanging out at the house. I'll cook for her, clean, etc but I still probably won't get out of bed til long after she does!!

[sunnycalifRN]

I try to take 3 weeklong vacations each year. One thing I've learned from working in the hospital . . . you never know when illness may occur; so I'm not waiting for the "golden years" to do things and go places.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i've been taking 3-4 "vacations" a year. except for the cruise we took last may (heaven!) all of our vacations for the past five years have involved the care of aging parents. my mother-in-law is in a nursing home in boston, and dh and i both try to get up their in august when lobsters are cheap and in season. we stay with dh's sister and visit mamita in the afternoons and eat lobster every night -- usually just a long weekend. dh usually goes in feb or march without me. i go back to the midwest about 3 times a year to see my mother and follow up on any issues she's having. dh went with me last september, but usually i go by myself. she's got alzheimer's and is in assisted living, so the visits are quite stressful. visiting both mothers uses up most of my "vacation" time. it's sad!