so my availibility is mon to fri days due to i ask daycare hours.
and i just stated a new job and toke a casual position due to my limited availibility.
my employer called me and asked if i can work tommorw because somone is sick, i said yes. then she said the person you are filling in for works the next night, can you work nights?
me: no im sorry, im not able to , and its not in my availibility
employer: (curtly) may i ask why?
me: yes, i have daycare issued, my daycare is not open nights, and i dont know anyone in town to help me.
emplo: well are you trying?
me: yes, if you can find somone for the night shift, ill work that day if needed.
emplyo: well , the people here dont "Beliieve in NUrses working mon to fri days!"
me; well ok this is my availbitiyl wich i gave when i got hired. (politly) call me if you need me.
can she ask me why im not availible???? i should have said NO you may not!!!!! and 2nd. dont speak for all people when its you that thinks this. 3rd- nurses are people too, people who have daycare, and possibly
limiited availibility, was she implying because you are a nurse you should
not be a nurse if you can t work shift work or weekends? i love my job
"Think of what you could do with that extra $600!!"
Some people think in terms of dollars. Personally, I could think of a lot of uses for $600. Work an extra 12 hour shift to get it? Forget about it. I remember telling one of the aides about how I am planning on taking a 1 credit drawing class at the local community college, just because I am terrible at drawing and I've always wanted to learn. She said (more or less), "are you nuts??!? Just take a class and not even apply it to any sort of a degree??"
You might not have been talking to your manager on the phone. Our staffing clerks have been known to be very pushy and rude on the phone and to have called the same person three times in the space of a couple of hours... "just to see if you changed your mind". One clerk in particular is really awful. I work a 0.7 FTE for personal reasons and I DO NOT pick up extra hours, no matter what. I have a rotation for a reason and my life is arranged around those hours. She called me one day to offer me an OT shift and was astounded when I said no. She said, "But you have three days off. You could do an OT night shift no problem. And it's double time! Think of what you could do with that extra $600!!" Her tone of voice was just dripping with scorn. I work my nights and I work my weekends and it's not my fault the unit isn't properly staffed. It's also not my responsibility to fix it.
Our ward clerk must have two jobs . . . . . . I've had the same conversations.
Our unit clerk would often make the calls...sometimes it was one of the other nurses, but often just a clerk. They'd start at the front of the rolodex and work back. (or back to front just for a change) They had no idea what availability was...they just called. Anybody and everybody.
If you're per diem, you're per diem. Don't let it bother you!
I've worked casual at two differant hospitals and although they have a minimum requirement of hours to be worked per month, I told both when I wanted to work and they never questioned it. That's the beauty of being casual. You dictate your schedule! It's none of their business why you can't work certain days.
I agree... it was rude of her to even make the comment about mon-fri nurses. i have been a nurse for 6 years and worked that schedule almost the whole time. thats why i chose the job i chose, because of the day care situation.
Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
I wouldn't allow this comment to rent too much space within my head.
I love this line-I think it will be my new mantra.Thanks,commuter To the OP- I think your manager was drinking the Haterade They do have a tough job,one that I wouldn't have-but your time is yours to do with what you will...
I think it's unrealistic to go to nursing school and expect to graduate and walk straight into a FULL TIME, 9-5, M-F, no holiday job paying well at a hospital - but that's not what you did. You knew the rules going in and took a casual position. You're not doing anything wrong, so don't let her get to you.
I would have been MAD:devil:!!!! You were hired with the availability of M-F, days, so they should know that and NOT ask why you can't work...It makes me angry when they want to know WHY? None of their business in my opinion...Just "try" to blow it off and dont stress too much about it!!!!:icon_hug:
I always say, family first/ job second....I work just enough to live comfortably and if the job begins to intrude on my family/home life, its time to move on...sounds like you, like me, have our priorities in order...and theres no reason to defend that!
The whole point of being casual/per diem is that you work when you want to work. The downside is that if they are well-staffed with full-timers, as a per diem, you fill in gaps in the schedule and run the risk of not getting all the hours you want. At least that's the case where I work. Some people have two per diem jobs or are signed with an agency on the side... just in case.
While I can understand the caller's frustration, it is truly none of her business why you couldn't work the shift. You had no obligation to tell her the reason for not being able to work it; a simple "no" should suffice. The other person is being rude and pushy if they pursue it after a polite no.
november17, ASN, RN
1 Article; 980 Posts
Some people think in terms of dollars. Personally, I could think of a lot of uses for $600. Work an extra 12 hour shift to get it? Forget about it. I remember telling one of the aides about how I am planning on taking a 1 credit drawing class at the local community college, just because I am terrible at drawing and I've always wanted to learn. She said (more or less), "are you nuts??!? Just take a class and not even apply it to any sort of a degree??"