This just infuriates me!

[StressedOutNurse85]

it's that time of the year fellow nurses...heading into early october...

which means (cue the horror music): holiday schedule time!!! :angryfire

that's right, my floor has already put up a list for us to write in our preferences between thanksgiving, christmas, and new years.

now, i'm realistic. i knew as soon as i started working in a hospital that i would be working holidays, and i don't have a problem with that. it does get stressful with the planning of early or late celebrations and my family being 6 hours away from me, but it's manageable.

however, i must say that i do have a problem with a co-worker of mine who has only worked in peds for 5 months. she worked on an adult neuro unit before in the same hospital and hired in the same time as i did, so she has seniority over the new nurses hired in this year (but not over our group that hired in when she did).

she has made it known to some of the nurses on the floor that she will be having her "ankle surgery" the week after thanksgiving, and will be off for 8 weeks. she also said as a direct quote "i'll probably be working thanksgiving then." excuse me, what?!?! more like you will be working thanksgiving. when asked about the timing of her surgery, she said "my parents are going to florida for the winter and i need them to drive me around." apparently, they are currently overseas now and will be home in that time gap. well isn't that convenient!!! the one holiday that 90% of our night shift staff wants off (christmas), you'll be recovering from your elective ankle surgery. let's not forget about new years as well! i seriously had to walk away from the girl before i flew off the handle on her. i'm just pissed about the whole situation. the following things are what i would love to say to her, but i'm too professional to do that in a work setting (maybe i should get her phone number:lol2: )

1)i don't see how there isn't a hospital policy on having elective surgeries between november and january! i guess i'll make a note to have a boob job done next december!

2)i'm sure your ass will be driving 2 weeks after your minor elective surgery, why don't you just admit that you planned it on purpose to get christmas and new years off?

3)very few nurses on this floor like you... your laziness and incompetence have repeatedly been reported to our nurse manager who doesn't have the backbone to fire you. i think it's safe to say that your co-workers are not going to welcome you back with open arms when you return from your mini-vacation.

4) this sort of follows #3. there aren't many nurses who jump for joy at the thought of working holidays. sure, we do it and we tolerate it...but that doesn't mean we like it. the holidays are a time that we want to spend with our families too! show some respect towards your co-workers and go through the process like all of us have to do!

ok, so i'm done now...i feel better, lol. i apologize for the swearing, i'm just so angry:angryfire i wouldn't have an issue if she hadn't been working due to her ankle (she's been working full-time), or if she was having nonelective surgery, or having a baby. all of those situations are completely understandable...her situation isn't.

[TweetiePieRN]

She said that it was for some sort of bone chip (I don't know all of the details). I understand that it's a surgery that probably has to be done, but the fact that she's been working the last 5 months with no problem and is now all of a sudden having it done the week after Thanksgiving? C'mon now, I'd say that's more than a coincidence. This also wasn't something that was scheduled a long time in advance either, because she had mentioned recently talking to our manager about it. Technically it probably would be 'non-elective', but it's just the principle of her working full time with no problems that gets me.

How do you know for sure that she has has "no problems"?

I had severe pelvic/pubic bone pain during the last trimester of my pregnancy. I was able to act functional at work, even though I was writhing in pain on the inside. I didn't want people to feel sorry for me or think I was incapable of working. I didn't complain about it either. I had a hard time walking, but you could not tell by looking at me.

There is no way for certain that you know for a fact that she is working "with no problems". Some people are great at hiding it...I'm one of them.

[oldiebutgoodie, RN]

Stressedout,

I think you need to get over this. Yes, these things happen, but someday it may be you. If things like this make you so angry on your floor, maybe you should think about moving into a Mon-Friday job in nursing (outpatient, for one).

But I also think hospitals should be more creative about holiday scheduling. Some people actually like working holidays, because it gives them the excuse to not cook for the drunken inlaws. Float pool nurses or agency nurses may like to work the holiday, because of the extra money. And if the hospital offers enough incentive, maybe staff nurses would step up.

But if I were you, I would just mind my own business, do my job, and quit worrying about other people's elective surgeries.

Oldiebutgoodie

[EmmaG, RN]

Bottom line... this is between the nurse and the manager. In other words, it's none of your business.

[TweetiePieRN]

Stressedout,

I think you need to get over this. Yes, these things happen, but someday it may be you. If things like this make you so angry on your floor, maybe you should think about moving into a Mon-Friday job in nursing (outpatient, for one).

But I also think hospitals should be more creative about holiday scheduling. Some people actually like working holidays, because it gives them the excuse to not cook for the drunken inlaws. Float pool nurses or agency nurses may like to work the holiday, because of the extra money. And if the hospital offers enough incentive, maybe staff nurses would step up.

But if I were you, I would just mind my own business, do my job, and quit worrying about other people's elective surgeries.

Oldiebutgoodie

You said exactly what I was thinking...but didn't include in my post! There's nothing more annoying/irritating than people who get up in other people's business and worry about things that don't include them. Thanks for posting!

[cmo421]

:balloons:

We all have such good ideas, yet we sometimes have difficult conveying them nicely. I think we all have felt the frustration when some seem to get all the days off they want, holidays off, great pick on vacation weeks,etc,,,,,. Sometimes ya just gotta vent. And sometimes we have to remember that everyone has lives outside of work, and they try to accomadate them as well, so what might seem a ply for the best days off, might just be what works for them at home.

[EmmaG, RN]

How do you know for sure that she has has "no problems"?

I had severe pelvic/pubic bone pain during the last trimester of my pregnancy. I was able to act functional at work, even though I was writhing in pain on the inside. I didn't want people to feel sorry for me or think I was incapable of working. I didn't complain about it either. I had a hard time walking, but you could not tell by looking at me.

There is no way for certain that you know for a fact that she is working "with no problems". Some people are great at hiding it...I'm one of them.

Excellent point. I hide it well too. I tend to retreat inward and just move on.

I worked for many months with a huge abdominal tumor that put a great deal of pressure on my bladder and assorted nerves and vessels, making it quite uncomfortable (to say the least). I also worked a very busy 12 hour day shift with an acute abscessed bowel that actually perforated during my shift. I finished the shift and ended up admitted emergently later that night to my own unit. My co-workers were stunned that they didn't recognize how sick I was; one said "I thought you were too quiet!"

[stomper]

Working holidays is part of being a nurse. I think we all knew that when we decided on our career. Yeah it may get frustrating sometimes, but I just remember that I may be the closest thing to a family that a patient may see on that holiday. I have 2 small children and don't mind working holidays at all. We just schedule our time around my work. I do have to agree with "nicunana" that I don't know of any elective ankle surgery. I think maybe there is more to it than just that? You mentioned that she is lazy and has been reported many times, maybe that is the real issue?

Yes, she may be in pain and she is working with the pain like nurses often do. By the way smanion your log on name caught my attention because the first 6 letters of your logon are the first 6 letters of my last name.

[Cattitude]

Hi and just to let you know even in the places where there is seniority and stuff it's expected that non-moms work the holidays because they don't have little ones!

I

Wow. I think this is maddening. I don't have kids and have dealt with infertility issues for more than 8-9 years. If my job did the above to me that would be a slap in the face and extremely unfair.

People without kids most certainly DO have families too:trout:.

As for the OP, I understand your frustration but honestly if I were to need surgery I might do the same thing. Now I'm not a lazy butt so I really wouldn't feel so guilty but at least she is working Turkey Day.

I know it stinks that we have to commit to working holidays but that is part of working in the hospital. I did it for 7 years and now I never do it since I went into HH. If it is a hardship for you and your family there are plenty of nursing jobs where you don't do holidays. Maybe it's time for an evaluation of your life?

[Glina]

Oh, get over it. Why do people get so upset by actions of the others and always wonder why those other people didn't think of them? She was just creative and played the game nicely and diplomatically and it is not her fault that you did not do the same thing. It is not a fair world and do not expect it to be. Only you have to think about yourself and not anybody else. She was just thinking about herself and not about anybody else.

[morgorm]

I just thought I would wade in here with a few things..... I do appreciate the need to vent ! Sometimes stuff just rubs me the wrong way and I go ballistic. Better I should write it down to you all than drive my poor long suffering hubby along on another rant;)

I did want to mention , since we are all not christians and don't celebrate the same set of holidays, that an alternating policy almost never works for those of us who don't celebrate on the more 'traditional' days. I did try to volunteer to work the christian holidays for folks if they would let me have my holidays off and that worked out pretty good for many jobs.

I have to agree with the posters here that mentioned another facet of nursing might be kinder for Holidays off.....I have found that to be very true.

[catlynLPN]

One of my co-workers got pushed down by one of the people we take care, and she received a fractured leg out of the incident.

This was around Christmas last year.

Our boss told her she just conveniently messed up everyone's holiday time. I thought that bordered on some kind of supervisory abuse towards employees but my co-worker didn't pursue it.

Anyway, I think the OP needs to calm down a little bit and think this thru.

A bone chip sounds pretty serious.

I fractured my foot in a very unusual place, it wasn't a large fracture but I had to stay off work 4 1/2 months before it was healed for me to be able to walk without pain. And the first two weeks back to work was horrible for me to get used to walking again. And yes, it happened in November and I was off during that Christmas. I would hate to think that my co-workers were as PO'd at me as the OP here is at her co-worker.

So things are not always as you think them to be.

[smanion525]

So I googled the phrase 'elective ankle surgery' and came up with several results. After you had mentioned it, I thought well technically it might be 'non-elective.' I'm not sure though, like I said, on what her situation is. All I know is that she didn't schedule this months in advance, and she's been working full time with no problems and bearing weight. When I had mentioned about her being lazy I was referring to her attitude towards taking admissions, not wanting to help others out, things like that.

I wasn't actually complaining about working during the holidays. The only thing I complained about was the fact that a co-worker was trying to cheat out of our holiday system. I mentioned that I am realistic when it comes to working holidays, and I knew when I started working in a hospital. I celebrate the holidays around when I work as well.

Don't take me the wrong way, I'm in no way implying that you shouldn't feel the way you feel. I just thought maybe if there were more to it, like being lazy and putting her work off on other people, maybe there were already some frustrations there and the whole surgery during holiday time just topped it all off. I didn't mean to sound like I was saying you shouldn't be upset or that you didn't work your holidays and all that... I was just stating my feelings on it.