Soooo...I worked Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. I have both off this year:p Our ER has tried really hard to be fair in who works what. Usually the newest staff work Christmas. That means that whoever was last hired is automatically on for Christmas. (which is why I worked it last year)
I had never worked Christmas before and it nearly broke my heart...But, after posting something here, I waaaaay got over it:D I recieved many replies that basically said "Christmas is any day you make it" I actually enjoyed working Christmas last year. Lot's of actually sick pt's! My family had Christmas the day AFTER and it was really fun.
This year in our unit was difficult. Here is the scoop. Two nurses were hired at exactly the same time. The Christmas shift was filled by nurses who volunteered to work except for one slot. So, our poor director had to choose one nurse to work. The first new nurse has "little kids" ages 2 and 3. The second new nurse has a husband who has been in Iraq for the past two Christmases and a new grandchild to see. The first nurse (with "little kids") was scheduled for Christmas. :chair: ohmyholycow...She pitched a FIT. Crying and throwing things in the break room about how "she has little kids" It was a scene. She went down the schedule and realized that many of us have both holidays off and really went crazy.
Anyhow...What do you think was "fair" She managed to throw enough of a hissy fit that our director posted the position as "open" and another nurse actually wanted to trade for Thanksgiving... I just thought the nurse throwing a hissy was ridiculous.
At our hospital even though you may get a holiday granted off, others(who'd requested the day off) may call in sick and you'll get mandated to work part of or all of a shift anyway! (No, nothing is done to those who call in).
In my opinion, if you call in sick on a holiday, you had better be dead and have the certificate to prove it.
I had to go in on Thanksgiving evening because one of the regular staff called in sick, and then I found out after 4 hours that 4 hours was all I was working not 8, which irritated me even more, and to top it all off it wasn't even my hospital but a sister hospital.
I don't really mind working the holiday. But what burns me is that I am a straight evening shift and they put me on days for Christmas. So I am going in at 7a. To me, its wrong and they should put day people on the day shifts. But I am new, and since I have to work the 22, 23, 25 and 26 (two twelves and eight and a four but not in that order) then next year better be an improvement.
Someone mentioned Christmas bonus for working on Christmas! What's that? J/K. We only get the regular holiday pay (time and a half). Hopefully they will feed us or something.
I'll be working 22-24 but I volunteered to work Christmas because I gave up years ago even fighting that fight. My husband (an RN at another facility) just sign up for all the holidays and schedule Christmas for sometime in December. As for the extra pay; yea, that's hilarious; we get 25% differential. Things are better now that I work in NICU but when I worked med/surg tele it was not the easiest shifts ever. They were horrible; all the very sickest patients, some abandoned by their families because there were celebrations going on, and staff cut to bare bones before the shift started and a couple more people called in.
In my opinion, if you call in sick on a holiday, you had better be dead and have the certificate to prove it.
Without a Dr's note, someone who calls in sick on a holiday (even a dumb one like Labor Day) gets counted as a no show.
I agree with the other posters that "parent status" shouldn't determine whether you work Christmas/Thanksgiving. Most managers at the hospital I work at put up request lists for holidays--the one shift you absolutely don't want to work and then 3-4 you're willing to...no promises, however. And if you had last Christmas or Thanksgiving off, plan on working that day this year. It's a pretty fair system, but I'd still hate to be the one who has to do the scheduling, LOL.
The first nurse (with "little kids") was scheduled for Christmas. :chair: ohmyholycow...She pitched a FIT. Crying and throwing things in the break room about how "she has little kids" It was a scene. She went down the schedule and realized that many of us have both holidays off and really went crazy.
Anyhow...What do you think was "fair" She managed to throw enough of a hissy fit that our director posted the position as "open" and another nurse actually wanted to trade for Thanksgiving... I just thought the nurse throwing a hissy was ridiculous.
Thoughts?
Did this nurse learn how to throw hissy fits from her kids? She is acting more like one of the little kids, not the mother. Lots of two year old have learned to get their way by throwing tantrums. Guess this nurse has learned this technique, as well. Shame on the manager for giving in.
In my 14 years in nursing, I have worked 11 Christmas days. The only reason I'm getting Dec 25 off this year is because I'm unemployed. (too many nurses, few jobs, where I live. I'm a traveler, between contracts).
OK, as a mother of an 8,6 and 4 year old, I would just like to say I can't stand the "but I have little kids" tantrum. I would never be so obnoxious as to think someone without children does not deserve to enjoy the holiday as much as I do.
When people try the "But you don't have kids" routine with me, I remind them that I was neither present when their children were conceived nor given a vote as to whether or not they should have children. However, I do usually volunteer to work holidays as my family is 8200 miles away.
yeah, it's starting already---where I work (corporation owned retirement"one stop shopping" center. Everything from Independent apts all the way to LTC) This is the only place I've ever worked that has a nurisng staff for weekdays (M-F) and a totally different staff for weekends.. I the holiday falls on M-F, and those are your normal days to work, you work. Same with weekends. (unless, of course, you can get someone to work for you , which DOES NOT HAPPEN)) It's a small enough facility that there are 3 nurses working days and eves, 2 nurses nocs. CNAs have a 4 on 2 off schedule.
Me? I'd rather work every other /every 3rd weekend, have days off during the week, and rotate holidays.
We've just been "bought out" by the largest retirement services corp in the country--I wonder if things'll change.
Throwing fits? Now, that's unprofessional. Someone should have told her in nursing school that nursing is a 24/7/365 day job. Hospitals don't close for holidays or vacations.
I don't like doing holidays but I realize that the hospital needs to be safely staffed. Our supervisor puts up a schedule and people mark what shift they want to work. For the most part it works out and she does try to put you on the shift you signed up for. I request Christmas Day off but I agree to work Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and day, Thanksgiving and I was scheduled Easter and July 4th. So I think it's fair that I should get one holiday off. Not to mention I work Mother's Day and Father's Day (I'm weekend option).
The supervisor has tried screwing over another supervisor over the holiday schedule. She works every weekend and works 2 extra days during the week. She requested Christmas Day off, and worked all the days I worked above but now they're making her work Christmas Day. And another thing, you never see the nurse managers working on holdiays. Would it kill them to come in?
:rotfl: :roll :chuckle
Mulan
2,228 Posts
In my opinion, if you call in sick on a holiday, you had better be dead and have the certificate to prove it.
I had to go in on Thanksgiving evening because one of the regular staff called in sick, and then I found out after 4 hours that 4 hours was all I was working not 8, which irritated me even more, and to top it all off it wasn't even my hospital but a sister hospital.