VENT- vacation requests

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Specializes in WOC, Hospice, Home Health.

I've been at my current job almost 3 years. And not once, NOT ONCE in those 3 years have I been able to take a week of PTO during a time when my kid is on a school vacation. Not a Christmas break, not a spring break, not President's week, not a single week in the last 2 weeks of June, July, or August. Every year I accumulate 50 bazillion hours of PTO that I NEVER GET THE CHANCE TO USE!! And I just got the call that they are handling vacation requests for February-May and I did not get any of the weeks that I requested. I JUST WANT BE ABLE TO TAKE A VACATION WITH MY FAMILY! Now I would understanding if I was a new hire. Or been there a year. Or two years even. And it's not like people aren't leaving- we've hired a TON of new people AND had some retirements this year. WHAT DOES IT TAKE?! Last year I had to move my honeymoon because they couldn't "guarantee me time off" the week after my wedding.

SOOOOOO FRUSTRATED!

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Specializes in ER.

I hear ya. Although I'm at a new job (6 months) - they base everything on seniority and I am not in that group (20 years or more) of preferential treatment. If you're over 10 years you get X amount of time, greater than 6 years you get X amount of time. Basically because I'm new, I haven't gotten anything I've requested, I put requests in the order I would like, and I gave them FOUR options - 3 of which were times when the kids are out of school. I got the last one, which has no significance, just time off. I wish this place, like MANY other places, would treat everyone equally. I don't care if you're 20 or 60. If you have the PTO, let them use it. It's all about budgeted hours here, not what you have in PTO. Only so many hours can PTO be taken weekly. SO it's distributed based on seniority, and whatever is left is distributed by seniority. It's crap. I feel for ya. I would be mad to be in your position.

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yeah, it sucks - One nonmedical place I worked a senior person took off every Friday and most Mondays in June, July & August. (He had 5 weeks vacation time each year) No one else could get a long summer weekend without taking a whole weeks vaction.

Best plan I worked with: everyone had one vacation time off scheduled (requested). Then after everyone had one vacation scheduled, people could ask for additional vacation or days off. Of course senior folks were more likely to get their first choice, but they didn't get to pick a second vacation until everyone had one vacation slot assigned.

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Specializes in WOC, Hospice, Home Health.

Ours is all union contract, its a certain number of people that can have a given week, and 100 percent seniority. Technically someone can take 2 or 3 weeks in one 4 month "block" before anyone else gets anything

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In every place I've worked, union and non-union, it's been first come-first served. No matter who you are, if you request a particular block of time first, you get it. There are exceptions only if too many request that time, or if there are insufficient staff remaining to cover it.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Yikes. I would at least start to take mental health days off. You might try to write a letter to management and calmly lay out your problem. Obvious, not being able to take vacation with your family is a huge problem and their vacation policy obviously doesn't work (well it does for them, what do they care)? I have the option to request different days to work so I can get up to 7 days off without taking any time off. Can you pull switches to do the same thing? Then you can take vacation some other time if you want, just to get a break. Does management realize how expensive in the long run these idiotic policies are?

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Specializes in WOC, Hospice, Home Health.
Yikes. I would at least start to take mental health days off. You might try to write a letter to management and calmly lay out your problem. Obvious, not being able to take vacation with your family is a huge problem and their vacation policy obviously doesn't work (well it does for them, what do they care)? I have the option to request different days to work so I can get up to 7 days off without taking any time off. Can you pull switches to do the same thing? Then you can take vacation some other time if you want, just to get a break. Does management realize how expensive in the long run these idiotic policies are?

Unfortunately I'm home health with 8 hour shifts. I'm calmed down a bit now though and I'm going to try and attach some days to a weekend to make a 4 or 5 day stretch. The only problem is I won't know I'm approved until my boss makes the schedule about 2 weeks in advance- getting the "vacation week" is the only way to "guarantee" your PTO. We can request it any time, because all our sickdays-vacation-personal days are lumped, but it always depends on staffing if we get approved. And to have to buy airfare 2 weeks before we want to go somewhere (we want to do Disneyworld)- hella $$$

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Specializes in Utilization Management; Case Management.

I'm also at a union hospital...I'm BRAND SPANKING new tho. Do not have a family (husband+children) either. Your situation makes me weary of what could happen to me in years to come but in my area I've heard that similar policies exist so it may not matter much where I move...lol but I hope I wouldn't have to move either....

So...since I have not much to speak of in terms of experience with PTO...in life I've had a few experiences. In this existence the strong will be tested over and over to prove their strength. We aren't given happiness, success, love, or anything else we want...instead we are blessed with the opportunity to be happy, to be successful, to love and everything else we want.

Much positive energy and love to you and all the other nurses that share this load. We chose a profession of serving the world and giving as much as we can...it just seems today more ppl are in the business of taking advantage than giving. But how blessed are you to have a family, be amazing and give of yourself to no end : ) I hope that your managemnet will see that soon...maybe you are tasked in life to effect change in this situation.

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We at the Police Department bid for vacation with seniority. But everyone can only bid for one, two week period. And it goes down till the last person bids. Then later we get a second bid. That way everyone gets time off.

All the other leave (vacation) is on a available basis. I.e., if there are too many people scheduled to work then you can request the time off.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

First come first served. If more than one nurse asks for the same time it goes mainly on who asked first. We have an awesome shift manager who tries to meet all our needs though during hot vacation times to make sure we get what we need. I just put in my request for spring break and a weekend in July that I didn't get off last year. Technically I think we can't apply until after the 1st of the year but my wknd in July got taken by a nurse who had applied the October prior.

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Ok i'm going to tell you what i would do. I would march my orifice in to the DON's office or who ever's office and i would demand time off. It's your time off. Stand up and say something and show them proof. Say look at my hours look how many i have and tell them you need the time off. I understand first come first serve i understand all the reasons but you know if you think your FRUSTRATED! Now as you claim wait until they jack you over again.

So many people on here are so nice and so understanding it amazes me most seem they don't want to rock the boat and just take the crap their job dishes out i guess I'm the problem child. I know when to raise the BS flag and say lets back the being screwed over truck up. Being a nurse is great not having a life and being a nurse SUCKS !!! Get It?.

Most anyone can say is No you can't go right now but at least you get your point across and if you demand it. They will remember it say its a mental thing Tell them a bed time story do whatever just to get the time off. See i have been where you are and i have to tell you first hand i told them i need a break or i wont work here because of the stress i got my time off. Use Tact but be firm. I wish you luck i really do. And for all the other Nurses out there (Grow Some Balls ) Get out there and get what you want we're Nurses not farm animals or robots and I'll be damned if any hospital or Nursing Home or Home Health take time from me and my life.. These are my thoughts use them as you wish..

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Don't take it anymore! Stand up to them and tell them u want ur scheduled vacation time when YOU want it. Surely after 3 years you could at least be given the courtesy of being granted this one thing? U need time for u and ur family to be a good and productive worker. Schedule a meeting with ur supervisor or NM today & let them know how unhappy u r. If they give u a BS line, I would go and get a Drs note 4 a week's stress leave! If u can't do that, just quietly look around for another position and ask re their holiday policies. Otherwise this will eat u up and you will become too burnt out to work properly.

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