KJM

There's definitely things to consider with weekend program depending on your personal life. Weekend program doesn't work for everyone. That being said, I have worked weekend program for 11 years. My weekend program is the same with 4 weekends off/year. Some pros for me are the higher pay, more days off during the week, the same benefits as working 40 hours/week, less interaction with management, and it just works better for me with my personal life overall. There are times that I miss events working weekends, but I also have an excuse for when there is something on a weekend I don't feel like attending. ?

So you were able to take the NCLEX and get licensed as an RN. Why were you allowed to take the NCLEX if you went to a school that wasn't supposed to be operating? How long were you working under an RN license before this all happened? Why are you on probation? I can understand not being able to work as an RN, but I don't understand the probation. We need more information to be able to give proper advice.

I have some additional questions before giving full advice. Your friends that are making more than you, do you all have the same amount of experience or have they been nurses for longer? That changes pay rates. Are they working at the same hospital or just within the same hospital system but at a different location? Location changes pay as well. Were you hired as a graduate nurse or a licensed nurse? If your pay was as a graduate nurse and you are now licensed, your pay should have gone up with that. I would check with HR or your manager about that if this applies. As a new nurse, you should stay in your position for at least a year before leaving. Having a year of experience will make it easier to get a different job if you choose to at that time.

We need some clarification on your schedule. You mention working Monday and Friday, but then also mention your coworker enjoys never working weekends. If you only work Monday and Friday, then you would also get to enjoy never working weekends. You accepted the position 3 years ago knowing exactly what your schedule and PTO would be. Has your PTO rate not changed in 3 years? Any job I have had there are tiers for PTO and the longer you work there, the more time you earn. There should never be an assumption or expectation that a coworker will switch days with you. Many people work specific schedules for a reason, so it may not be easy for others to change their schedule to accommodate switching with you. Your coworker not switching with you isn't preventing you from taking a longer vacation. Using 12 hours of PTO to take one day off would give you a week off of work. I would suggest talking to your manager and see if your schedule can be changed at all or if you could work additional hours to cover taking unpaid time off for a longer vacation. If there is no flexibility and you don't feel the schedule and PTO is working for you, then it may be time to consider employment elsewhere.