seniority

cindyln · Apr 4, 2003

well this is a big secret so if it gets out I will have to hunt you down and hurt you but the schedule maker at my place lets me make my own schedule and give it to her. I have been there 20 years. But that is the only bennie I get for seniority.

cindylouwho · Apr 4, 2003

we used to have self-scheduling and it was great but our assist. supervisor took it away from us and put us in time out like 2 year olds because she didn't have enough to do......I get stuck with every friday before my weekend off and some newer nurses get 3 and 4 day weekends......and they wonder why there's a nursing shortage.....I DON'T!!!!!!

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Apr 5, 2003

We go by seniority for holidays and vacations. We have a scheduler, but pretty much we have unlimited requests and she is great at her job!

NICU_Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 6, 2003

No matter how long you've worked at my facility, every holiday/vacation request is random and not guaranteed. This works well for me, being newer, but I feel for those who've been there for twenty years and end up working every holiday AND getting thier vacation requests vetoed. :>(

fergus51 · Apr 6, 2003

We use seniority to a point, but it isn't a system where the senior nurses are guaranteed all the good time off and the newbies have to take what's left. For major holidays we rotate each year (if you work Xmas one year you get it off the next) and summers are broken up so the senior nurses get first pick at when they want to take their holidays, but they can't take them all during prime vacation requested time (no "I want all summer off" type requests).

I like this system. If senior nurses got all the good time off, you wouldn't be able to keep the newer nurses and they are just as valuable for the future of the unit.

NiteNICUNurse, BSN, RN · Apr 7, 2003

In our unit being a senior nurse guarentees you an AWFUL schedule. Since there are only 6 full time charge and transport nurses on at nights and you have to have a least 2 charge and 2 transport RN's per night, imagine what our schedules look like!! We feel like we are punished for being transport and charge RN's! :angryfire Meanwhile the newer people can switch with one another and basically can have any schedule they want.

cindylouwho · Apr 7, 2003

to NIGHT NICU NURSE....that's exactly why I quit the transport team and I don't do charge anymore...they do get certain schedules that aren't always so good......management should play fair but I've yet to see that happen.....the louder you yell....the more you get....guess I need to tone it up a bit....

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Apr 8, 2003

Wow...everone in our unit is oriented to charge after 2 years experience, and we only have one transport nurse on. We are lucky in the aspect that if we don't have a transport nurse scheduled the flight nurses will take it.

Also for holidays, we put in our 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice, then she goes by seniority and plugs it in. Then she sees what gaps there are and asks people to deal with her....for instance, you could cover a 4 hour block on the holiday, most of the time we need 3a-7a filled, and then you would get your first choice off (this works great for the lower people.) We have never had a problem covering. Most people deal to get the day after Christmas off.

Vacation is limited to 2 weeks in the summer and we all pick up an extra 8 hours a month to allow for more people to get summer vacation, at least a week. Last year, we only had one nurse out of over 80 that didn't get any summer off.

We do pretty well in my unit, and seeing what you all are saying makes me even glader to be where I am!

nicubabe · Apr 9, 2003

in our place seniority only seems to count for the vacation schedule, but we all get at least one summer week off with a possibility of a second summer week if those with more seniority don't take them all. I've been there 17 years and am still only 4th from the bottom in seniority! The person who does our schedule tries to be pretty fair to everyone but there are those who always seem to get long weekends more often. We all do ground transports( some of us flights) and all take charge so that is not an issue.

NICURNMOM · Apr 13, 2003

I do the schedule at my NICU, and I finally made a set one! I had everyone tell me what their preferences were...how many days in a row, any specific day off the needed, etc. I did go b senority if there were conflicts. It has worked out well so far, but I have a small group of employees. Boy, I wish we went by seniority...I have the most, so I'd get it all!! LOL!

Sarah, RNBScN · Apr 13, 2003

Seniority counts for job transfers and vacation request.

Where I work, prime time vacation is June til September. Your request must be put in by March 15/03. You are allowed to ask for 2 wks. prime time. Any other requests, such as Christmas, etc...are granted according to seniority and they try to rotate it but it is mostly seniority so you know who works all the holidays...you got it.

Sarah