Seniority?

[flashpoint]

We recently had two day shift nurses resign. When they posted that the positons were available, four nurses put in requests to transfer from nights. Out of the two that were hired, one has been there as an LPN for five years. The other has been there as a CNA for three and an LPN for about 6 weeks. The other two LPNs had been there for about two years. Is this fair? Does seniority simply go by length of service regardless of the postion or does it start over if you change titles? We have a housekeeper who has been there for ten years who is taking classes to be a CNA...should she get a day shift position over a night CNA who has been there for five years? How do most hospitals do it? Just curious...

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

Nope,, generallly it doesnt start over just because you change positions. We had a clerk that got her BSN, the hospital did some rearranging and were going to lay off a few(10 or so years ago), but guess who was going first. The RN that had been employed by the facility the least amount of time

Most will go by seniority only, unless there has been a problem with job performance or absenses.

[itsme]

With our union, if you start a position, (like going from cna to rn) then you start at the bottom. Our professional nurses have a different union than the CNA and I think maybe that is why.

[live4today, RN]

In my opinion...................If nurses were allowed to hire on their "shift of choice" as it benefits their lifestyle and/or family situation that thing called "seniority" wouldn't have to be on the minds of those who feel they are losing out. Simply accepting a shift just because "that's all they had to offer" is NOT a wise thing to do UNLESS you've weighed your options "pros and cons" and made that personal decision for yourself to go ahead and work the shift that you hate or dislike anyway. Starting out on a shift that is simply "not you" eventually comes back to bite employees such as you speak of in terms of "seniority". Me personally............NO WAY would I accept a job on a shift that was totally NOT ME. I must value and protect my own self over and above all else because if I'm not working the shift that I know is best for me, then I'm not going to be the nurse that I desire to be for those depending on my expertise.

Nurses are always railroaded into accepting shifts that are against their better judgment. Don't let the $$$ speak for you....YOU speak for you up front and personal during your interview. State what you want and stick to it. They don't offer it, go elsewhere. If you accept a shift that "is not you" and hope to switch shifts later based on how long you've slaved away for that facility, think again. They could care less, and why should they? We as nurses MUST stand up for ourselves from the get go when searching for employment. Afterall, it is OUR nursing license on the line if we say "Yes" to a shift that we really have a gut feeling against in the first place. We're just a number to the hospitals, but to each individual person....we're all we've got. So STOP accepting shifts that are NOT "YOU".

[louloubell1]

I'm not sure how our hospital does it, but the issue is coming up now as our night shift is overstaffed and days is seriously understaffed. Nobody wants to move off nights to go to days. Personally, I think that the length of time you have worked for a company should mean something, not just the length of time you have worked in the same position.

[AndyLyn]

I work in a small (100 bed) hospital, which is non-union. Advancements are (supposedly) given by seniority, length of service, not length of a given position. I'm per diem though, so my seniority stopped at 1.5 years, even though I've been there 5!