What are your views on switching days with people?

Nurses General Nursing

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Do you never switch with others? Do you always say yes, unless you absolutely cannot? What do make of those who will ask people to switch with them, but never to seem reciprocate? Do you question why they don't use their PTO?

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As for me I have switched with people. I rarely ask. I do know coworkers who seem to ask every 2 weeks. I question why they don't change their schedule. What annoys me is if you ask every week and then keep hounding me.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
13 hours ago, DesiDani said:

What company does your place use, or do they go the paper route? The have some new feature where it is a GPS locater on the app. My hospital is too cheap to implement it, but if they did I would delete the app. I am not a dog

What was the purpose of the GPS??

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42 minutes ago, HiddencatBSN said:

I think management runs staffing as minimal as possible so that when things do come up there’s no wiggle room to adjust. Ensuring the unit is properly staffed is part of their job, and counting on perfect attendance and nurses not to have human needs is poor planning. Maximizing profit and minimizing costs puts staffing coverage responsibility on individual nurses when management should absolutely be planning for contingencies.

My unit is frequently overstaffed, so there's wiggle room, but there are also lots of cancellations. People complain about that, too.

I guess it would be ideal if we were overstaffed and everyone still came in. On one particularly slow night, we had two staff RNs and a charge RN for two "easy" patients. I could get used to that, but my employer probably couldn't.

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I used to do it often at a facility, where I once worked. Sort-of a "you scratch my back..." situation, as you never know when you might need the favor in return.

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3 hours ago, JadedCPN said:

What was the purpose of the GPS??

I tried to paste the link, it didn't work. You can punch in and out on your cellphone (not sure if it is the one they give you or your personal one), this includes your break. The site says mgt and staff get a GEO-Location when you punch in or out on their mobile phone. Staff and mgt will get an alert if a punch is missed.

The only time I am late punching in is when I can't log in quick enough to punch in. Why you need to know where I am at, during my off the clock break. Lastly, I may be providing a sample I don't need any alerts beeping, I need to do my web searching at that time?

During my break I take my personal phone and leave theirs in the breakroom or in my locker.

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Specializes in SRNA.

I usually switch 95% of the time because it usually gives me extra time off OR I just do it out of the kindness of my heart.

But I tend to switch the folks who switch with me at the last minute because I want to go on a quick minication without submitting PTO request.

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Specializes in School Nursing.
On 5/26/2020 at 12:06 AM, Sour Lemon said:

I'll do it once in a while, if there seems to be a good reason and it doesn't cause me inconvenience.

Like you, I had a coworker who used to ask all the time. I finally realized she was just tweaking her schedule to make it "perfect" at the expense of mine being chaotic.

I've also had a few cases where switches were in limbo and it ended up bad for me. Once I agreed to a switch with someone and management rejected it, so I had to change my schedule back. Then the same coworker asked me to switch again. I told her to get a firm okay FIRST, and then come back to me. She never came back, and I got a call Saturday night asking "Where are you? You're supposed to be at work tonight for Nurse X."

Our requests had to be in writing with both parties signatures agreeing to the switch and approved by management. Both parties got signed copies so there weren't any mess ups like that. I would be really upset..

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Specializes in Med surg/tele.

It depends on what the person who’s asking is requesting and how it effects my schedule. If it’s something important (family need, appointment) and the person doesn’t ask often, I will agree to switch even if it inconveniences me if at all possible. Mostly I’ll switch as long as it doesn’t inconvenience me too much or benefits me. Especially with those who will try to return the favor.
I’m for a person who will never return the favor, I will only switch if it benefits me.

I’ll ask for a switch at times, but if I know far enough in advance I’ll request a PTO or unscheduled day.

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
On 5/27/2020 at 11:36 AM, HiddencatBSN said:

I think management runs staffing as minimal as possible so that when things do come up there’s no wiggle room to adjust. Ensuring the unit is properly staffed is part of their job, and counting on perfect attendance and nurses not to have human needs is poor planning. Maximizing profit and minimizing costs puts staffing coverage responsibility on individual nurses when management should absolutely be planning for contingencies.

Well yeah they do, but that's not always management's fault, it's the fault of the higher-ups. They can't really staff two people extra every shift just in case something comes up in someone's personal life, well, they COULD but they aren't going to. It's not their obligation to run their organization/work schedule around your life, it's your obligation to run your life around your job. I've worked on units of over 150 nurses, should the managers have called around to make switches for all the nurses all the time? That seriously would be the only things they'd be able to do in a large unit.

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At some points of my life I’ve been extremely flexible and happy get extra shifts (I actually prefer to cover rather than switch).

Currently I’m dealing with RL issues where covering is extremely problematic. But I had built up enough good will my co workers covered for me.

Someday I hope this will all be behind me and I can cover again.

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Do others have entire units or a large group from one unit who wants to have an outing, so they need at least 5 or more people to switch on one day? This has happened on my unit if they didn't get the day off, some people switched. It worked out fine? We all had a great time,

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Specializes in Clinical Pediatrics; Maternal-Child Educator.

The first place I worked, switches were rare and required manager approval. We didn't have to get it in writing, but if the nurse you switched with did not show up, you were expected to.

The last place I worked was self-schedule. There was a book in the cabinet where people would pencil in their days and could pick any day so long as the max number of nurses per shift wasn't already exceeded and the minimum was met. Everyone had to work two week end shifts out of the schedule. It actually worked really well, but then I worked with a great group of nurses. No one erased people off days to add themselves without checking with the other person first. Once the penciled schedule was finalized and printed it was placed at the front of the same book. You could "white out" and swap days at your convenience so long as those same staffing guidelines were met and everyone worked their required number of shifts without over-time.

Most people stuck to their schedule unless something major came up and they could usually find someone to switch with. I only had one coworker in that entire time who abused it. She'd ask you to switch so that you would move your plans around and then say never mind..... I got to where I would tell her I couldn't even when I could have if it was something minor like just wanting to watch a foot ball game at home with her family.... We all sacrifice things when we work and there needs to be boundaries.

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3 hours ago, LovingPeds said:

but if the nurse you switched with did not show up, you were expected to.

What if you were out of town?

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