Vacation Time

[jmcan999]

I need advice on how to handle the issue of taking vacation time at my hospital. I am relatively new at my job so seniority is an issue but it seems that I can't take even half the vacation time that is alloted each year. Since our hospital operates on a paid time off "PTO" model, we get approximately 7 weeks off a year. This includes sick time. In addition, we accrue hours for holiday time since we never actually have any additional time off during a holiday week like the rest of the professional working world. For example, you may be scheduled off for the holiday but you still work the same 37.5 hours you do every week. I've requested several times to use holiday time and am told they "can't do it" due to staffing issues. I was lucky enough to get a week off in June. But my request to use 2 weeks time in October was denied, again, due to staffing issues. So, I am coming up on working a year and have only been able to use 2 of my 7 weeks vacation, and not one holiday hour. To add insult, i'm told if we don't use our time and it accrues above a certain number of hours...we lose it. No pay, no time off. I took this job because of the great vacation benefit. THE JOB IS STRESSFUL!!! I need the time off and quite frankly I've earned it. I'm so disgusted with this and stunned. I came from a healthcare facility (as a dietitian) where I was respected and treated, as well as regarded as a valuable employee and a professional. Nursing is a second career and it is so clear now why there is such a shortage of nurses, why burnout is high and retention is low. I get the sense that management regards us all as "pains in the butt" and I really get an unspoken message that they don't think we actually deserve that time. Sorry for such a long rant. I would really appreciate any thoughful advice on how to address this issue. Should I find another job, consider organizing a union?

[lvnandmomx3]

I think I would have a converstion with your unit manager and explain the situation, it this does not work then I would contact HR. I know it is hard to get exactly the time you want off, and being and being lower down on the senority list others would have more priority for request, but if you are on the verge of loosing hr sthat you have accrued do to non usage then you should be entitiled to use the time. Units are always going to have "staff issues" and if they know they are going to have those issue this far ahead (for October) then that shoud be a red flag to hire more staff or atleast per diem to cover vacation and or sick time, but I know that is not real life reality....... I wish there was an easy answer for you, If you are truly unhappy and do not see a solution in the future to your issue I would look for another job.

[glasgow3]

Countercontrol is a beautiful concept: If administration can predict short staffing several months in advance, you should be able to likewise predict a 2 week "illness". :chuckle

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

Seven weeks is an amazing amount of PTO. They are apparently able to offer it because not everyone can take it. Nice little racket.

Unfortunately, seniority rules the roost pretty much everywhere. Holidays however should be exempt from the seniority system. They should be given on a rotating basis. It's totally unfair to have to work every holiday.

I agree about the frank discussion with management about your concerns. It does sound as though you were deceived. There has to be a reasonable compromise here. Of course you could start calling off but then you will probably be required to furnish a doctor's note after a couple of days absence.

[RN1989]

Vacation? What's that?

As far as a request being denied...every facility I have been at, whether staff of management, has a policy regarding how many people can take off at one time. If someone has already requested off for the same time period then the next person in line will be denied. Long periods of time off also get denied for lack of time in their PTO account. People can have a pending approval but if they use all their PTO time before that vacation gets there - then the vacation is not approved because the employee has been absent from work too many times. Most people eat up their extended vacation ability by taking off for someone's birthday, family "emergency" that really wasn't, etc.

[mom2michael, MSN, RN, NP]

Have you asked your manager or unit scheduling person what's up? Perhaps there is a reason. Maybe you can't take THAT week in Oct but there might be another alternative week you can take near the same time? Maybe it has to do with several on vacation at once? Maybe you could vacation at an *odd* time of the year when not many want or need vacation.

It takes awhile to move up that totem pole of seniority and sometimes it can be crazy frustrating but sometimes all you gotta do is ask some questions and be a little bit more flexible and you might get what you still want and need.

Good luck!!!!

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

I am shocked that you get 7 weeks a year!!! I just scanned your original post so I dont know if you mentioned this or not---does the vacation roll over?? If so thats OK save that time for when you may need it, injury/accident/etc. If it does not roll over and you want to get it, take a bit of it each week, if you only work for ex 32 hours a week, take 8 hours PTO every week. if you work 36 hours a week take 4 PTO a week, at least you will have a bit nicer of pay checks ...

Another solution would be to request off shorter chunks of time, say June 10-14, just take more mini vacations, it will give you enough time to refresh and relax and wont strain your unit in regards to staffing.

[GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN]

We have the same set up, the REALITY is quite different. You usually get 1-2 weeks off as vacation PTO, you will never get 7 weeks off, even without ever using a sick day. You may get a PTO day here and there by request, then you will be offered a day off if the census drops-- using of course your own PTO. Our facility offeres PTO cash in a couple of times a year- you can cash it in , since you won't be vacationing with it. Then you will use some for sick PTO, but even if you have X sick days, you better not use them , maybe one or two or you'll get a warning. Our PTO rolls over, and you can use it to deduct parking fees, once you hit 500 hours, you are forced to use it, they basically give you a LOA til the amnt drops , such a farce ....

[Freedom42]

Student here. For what it's worth, I'm surprised -- and disappointed -- that some folks are shocked that a nurse gets 7 weeks off (theoretically, anyway) in the form of paid time off. That's not much of a benefit, even if you get to use it all.

As a Teamster in another industry, I was guaranteed six weeks of vacation time per year plus four weeks of sick time (short-term disability insurance, paid for by my employer, kicked in for anything I needed beyond that). I received four paid personal days that I could use whenever I wanted. Holidays? I had the option of working on holidays or taking the day off. If I worked the holiday, the first eight hours were double-time; after that, the hourly wage kept going up. If I were called in on my vacation, by the way, I was entitled to quadruple time. So you can bet that rarely happened. And we weren't allowed to carry over more than two weeks of vacation time from one year to the next, per contract, and only if both parties agreed.

That's why I hope my first job is at a union hospital. There's no point in having seven weeks of PTO if you have no contract to guarantee that you actually get it. When they don't let you take that time, they are effectively denying you payment and forcing you to take a salary cut. That's hardly a benefit.