Taking an unpaid vacation, is it possible?

[Wheaties]

Hi, I browsed the search function to look for answers to my question, and I've gotten a lot of good insight to my question.

The hospital I work in uses PTO (paid time off) for vacation. I know vacation time varies from person to person, and place to place. As for me I can get 30 days off per year of paid vacation if I work full-time during that year. OR 15 days every 6 months OR 7.5 days every 3 months.

But 30 days isn't enough for me. I want at least 42 days per year (6 weeks). It doesn't have to be 6 weeks consecutively, but probably divided into 2-3 weeks for each time off for vacation.

My question is, can I take more time off even though I used up or don't have anymore PTO hours? I love to travel, I actually just got back on my very first vacation, I went to Asia and it was wonderful.

It seems like trying to accumulate PTO hours seems too restrictive, which I don't mind, getting paid to go on vacation is nice, but at the same time if I can get more vacation time without getting paid I'd take it. It's not about the money for me. I don't care about getting paid for vacation.

Do people here go on unpaid vacation? Is it even possible to go on unpaid vacation? I have checked the hospital manual regarding vacation time, and all it talks about is PTO hours for vacation, and leave of absences for medical reasons, bereavement etc.

I know I have an obligation to the hospital I work in, as well as the patients, and I don't want to send the wrong message.

But at the same time my passion outside of work is traveling.

[studentmom77]

Wow I am really new to this I will be starting school this fall but have worked all my life (in a different field) and never had 30 paid days a year (which by my calculation is 6 wks too). The best I ever had was after 10 years at 1 company I got 4 wks (20 days) How long did it take you to earn that? and what is the standard vacation award for new RNs? BTW where I work you have to have PTO too I always try to ask for unpaid leave but they say no they just want to limit the amount of leave people have, but it drives everyone there crazy because there are part-timers that would kill to pick up the slack.

[SandraCVRN]

Wow I am really new to this I will be starting school this fall but have worked all my life (in a different field) and never had 30 paid days a year (which by my calculation is 6 wks too). The best I ever had was after 10 years at 1 company I got 4 wks (20 days) How long did it take you to earn that? and what is the standard vacation award for new RNs? BTW where I work you have to have PTO too I always try to ask for unpaid leave but they say no they just want to limit the amount of leave people have, but it drives everyone there crazy because there are part-timers that would kill to pick up the slack.

In most cases holidays and a few sick days are added to PTO, that's how you end up with 30 paid days. Like in the OR if we are closed on a Monday holiday we need to use PTO to get paid for that day where in an office setting you may get paid and not have to work. Sick..have to use PTO for the first 4 days (where I work) then EI (extened illness) kicks in. Clear as mud???

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Join the military - manning permitting I can take 30 days straight - I've done it in the past.

You earn 30 days (2.5 days for every 30 days served) a year, you earn leave while you're on leave, and there's no sick time - you get sick, you go to the doc, you get put on quarters, and you don't go to work. No vacation time used, no leave used. You end up SICK - say on bed rest with a problem pregnancy for five months, same thing - you're put on convalescent leave, you burn no time, and you EARN 2.5 days leave for every thirty you spend sick.

I was sick as crap for a week this past week, and I was on quarters for three days. No problems. Awesome. Oh, and the health care I needed (including a pricey Z-pack, a huge bottle of 800 mg Motrin - they gave me a STOCK BOTTLE with another refill on it - and Tessalon pearles) was free!

You can carry up to sixty days on the books - seventy-five if you've been deployed in the last twelve months - and if you're in use or lose, they HAVE to let you use it.

Great benefit. Missed it on the civilian side and am pleased I've gotten it back! I've never seen anything that comes close to it - unless you work overseas on the economy, where they've figured out that spending ninety percent of your adult life at work is not only stupid, but unhealthy!

Sorry - bit of a shameless plug.... :)