Modified self-scheduling has to go (IMHO)

[edogs334]

Every hospital at which I've worked- both as a tech and now a nurse- does modified self-scheduling. Meaning that you put in the days that you want to work (within the scheduling rules) as well as the days you want off and you may or may not get any or all of them. I'm sick and tired of having to work different days every week and not having regular days on/days off- all because different people want various days off each week. Why can't nurses just have set schedules (with weekend rotation if they don't already work a weekend day/night) and then plan their lives around those work days? Before everyone starts saying "well, nursing isn't a M-F, 9-5 profession," I've worked for ambulance companies (24/7 operations) where employees work the same shifts every day of the week and swap with colleagues if they need to take a day off. Furthermore, employees can go to the company scheduler and request a different schedule if they are going to do something like go back to school. I just don't see why hospitals can't have a similar scheduling system. It would be so much easier than having to work different days of the week to accommodate each others' needs for days off. For a single guy like me- it would be much easier to have a regular life outside of work.

[Isabelle49]

I don't think there is anything 'regular' about life in the medical field. After 26 years, I'm glad to be out of there.

[NCRNMDM, ASN, RN]

Self-shceduling sounds horrible, but when you consider the alternative, it starts to sound really great. My mom works at a hospital that self schedules, and I always said that I would hate it. I'm in nursing school, so naturally I'm curious about job openings and I browse hospital websites. One of the hospitals that I saw had a fixed schedule, nurses worked Monday-Friday 7A-7P or 7P-7A. That's right, five 12 hour shifts every week with only two days off between them. I don't think that's much better than self-scheduling.

[Sun_danc3rRN]

My schedule goes like this: work Fri, sat, sun, mon..off tues & weds work thurs, then off fri, sat, sun, mon...then work tues, off wed & thurs..then repeat. So I get 2 days off between a set of days worked, and I have one day out there on its own. I work 4 day weekends, but then I have off 4 day weekends. It can be annoying, but it will be the same forever. Makes it easier to plan. I know what weekends I am scheduled to work way ahead of time. And except for sick time or vacations I usually work with the same staff members, and I relieve or get relieved by the same staff members. That is kind of nice because to me it fosters even more teamwork on a shift and between day and night shifts.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

OP, I'm with you. I hated that my work life seemed to be dictated by soccer games and weddings that were other people's crises. I would have stayed forever at any place that gave a set schedule. I can live with structure, it is other people's chaos I hate.

There is a hospital near me that had 7/70 scheduling...7 10s, then 7 days off. People LOVED it; you could plan out years in advance.

[meandragonbrett]

So, go and work on a unit that doesn't self schedule?

Many of us enjoy having flexibility in choosing our work days :)

[merlee]

I've had permanent schedules and loved it. If there were special needs we tried to work it out with our own staff. It wasn't perfect, but for the most part it worked.

[Flo., BSN, RN]

I would love to know my schedule. It is so frustrating only being able to plan my life on short notice. I'm all for a permanent schedule.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

You know what's worse than not having a fixed schedule? Having a crappy fixed schedule.

[Sterren, BSN, RN]

Why don't you request the same thing every week then and trade for whatever days you don't get? Then you've got your fixed schedule. I have a coworker who has worked the same thing every week as long as I've known her, and that's how she does it.

I happen to love the freedom of self-scheduling and appreciate that nursing has a flexibility a lot of other jobs don't, that allows me to get wednesday off one week because my kid has a ballet recital, and saturday off the next week because we're going out of town.

If you want a set schedule then request one and trade for what you don't get, just as you're suggesting everyone else should do to accommodate your desire for a fixed schedule.

[Mom2boysRN]

I would have to agree. I now have a set schedule and I love it. I have the ability to trade days, give days to others, accept more as long as I don't go into OT,etc so there is some flexibility. At my old job we self scheduled by seniority which is perfect for people that have been there a long time, but since I was a later hire I ended up bouncing back and forth between the 7-3 and 3-11 shift or working a bunch of 4 hour shifts because almost every month one of the nurses that had been there longer decided to change what shift she worked.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

We switched to a set schedule and I did like it but then mgt came in and started making additional rules that screwed with it ...so we were stuck with a set schedule we didn't like and a policy that your hired into a schedule so you can't adjust your set schedule. grr....