Vacation?

Vacation requests and maternity leaves are two separate issues. Your vacation request SHOULD not be affected. How HR and your manager handles it is the question.

As for me, I don't care if other nurses are granted maternity leave. I deserve my time off.

Unfortunately my request has been denied I was informed today due to the other employees being on maternity leave. I have the vacation planned and paid for so I'm not really sure what to do next.

Are you in a traditional 3 12s nursing job? If so I would be very very upset. One of the best things about nursing is being able to take long breaks and more vacations. If I was getting denied vacation requests that i put in 5 months ago, I would find a new job.

One week? Are you kidding me? They should be able to work around that- especially with five months notice. I think I would look for another job, too.

I don't understand why employers think it's a good idea to deny reasonable requests for time off because of "short staffing". It just makes staffing even worse, because good employees will move on almost every time.

It took them 5 months to deny you? That is unacceptable in my book. Just as I have a timeline for submitting my requests, my managers have a timeline in which they must answer. This would be a deal breaker for me.

I don't know your circumstances or the current job market where you live, but I would choose to write an official letter to management stating that since your request was made half a year in advance, you made the reasonable assumption that your reasonable request (1 lousy week!!) would be granted. Therefore you have made your plans and paid for them. If they choose to deny this reasonable request, they can consider this your letter of resignation.

Unfortunately my request has been denied I was informed today due to the other employees being on maternity leave. I have the vacation planned and paid for so I'm not really sure what to do next.

Other employees" being on maternity leave is" NOT a reason for you to be denied YOUR vacation request. It is up to the powers that be to cover the maternity leaves, not you.

Wait, let me get this straight. You put in a request for leave 5 months ago for 1-2 months from now giving them 7-8 months notice? Did they approve it when you first requested? I'd have a sit down with the director/manager/whoever and tell them that this is not acceptable. You've only requested one week. They can't find any coverage for 3 shifts (assuming that's your schedule)?

I agree that this is completely unreasonable.

I don't typically request time off but when I have it doesn't get "accepted" or denied officially with notice. We find out once our schedule comes out. Our maternity leaves are not covered by temp positions they just expect the rest of the staff to fill in the holes. I've been pretty burnt out and really was looking forward to the week off. I will speak with HR and see what the official policy and rules are. It's interesting to hear how other hospitals handle it. And I work 2 8s and 2 12s. Not even on the shift that the pregnant nurses are from which is making me extra frustrated.

No way would I be okay with that. Are you open 7 days a week and 24 hours a day? I would tell them that you've paid for it already and are entitled to vacation time. I would maybe even look up your PTO policy and workers rights for your state.