Published
A reporter is looking for input from nurses regarding the following issues for working during the religious/observed holidays such as Christmas, Christmas Eve, Hanukkah, etc.
If you choose to post a comment, please include your degree/certifications, specialty, place of employment (not name but type of facility), years of employment at current job.
Thanks for your input and Happy Holidays!!
Feel free to add any other discussion comments re. working on the holidays.
Edited to add a link to a form for you to submit your responses if you want to do so privately.
RN, BSN. Emergency Dept. Level 1 Trauma Center. Been here a few months, but the same as my other hospital was
I work OR, so we're a little different- no scheduled cases on holidays or weekends. The way it works is we are divided into 3 teams, with each team doing one summer and one winter holiday. The holidays rotate each year, so everyone works 1 Christmas in 3 years, 1 Thanksgiving in 3 years, and 1 New Years in 3 years. Each person is scheduled for work or call, rarely both.
We do have one specialty team that is their own entity, and for summer holidays, it's a ranking of 1-3, with the scheduler doing their best to meet everyone's first choice (usually not a problem as certain people do prefer certain holidays). For winter holidays, it's a sign up for your preferred holiday based on who worked Christmas the year before gets first choice, Thanksgiving second, New Years third, and those who didn't work a holiday (either because they weren't working then or because each year, 3 people get to skip a holiday) are stuck with what's left.
All staff are permitted to switch as they wish. Often, our Jewish nurses will happily trade their holiday and work Christmas. Others like the 1.5x pay and will work multiple holidays.
nowim clean
296 Posts
We rotate the holidays. We work 12 hours and to me it is just another day, if anything the holidays messes my schedule up I am that person who likes to work my track with no beaks in it but due to holidays I have had to bust my track up even though I was willing to Christmas eve and Christmas day new years eve new years day was told no I had to rotate.