There's another thread somewhere in here where someone (a student) asked if hospital nurses were going to be expected to work the major holidays. As all the hospital nurses here know, the answer is yes but it got me thinking a little more about what happened to me yesterday.
Every year for the last 25 years or so, the family has always had a big family Christmas party, my stepfather, his two brothers and wives, my grandmother, and all the grandkids. Well now the grandkids have kids so there are like 40 people in my parents (big) house and it is very stressful for my mother, and as a trickle down effect, ME!!
So this year is my first year as a nurse, I've so far worked July 4th, Thanksgiving Eve night, Black Friday, and I'm scheduled to work Christmas night. My kids are now 14 and 10 so working Christmas night is not that big a deal since the traditional gift opening is over ny 9 am in my house-but I digress. Yesterday was the BIG FAMILY Christmas gathering at my mothers house. I had already told my grandmother that I had to work because our schedules are done 2 months in advance. No problem right? My husband and kids were in attendance. I sent a text to my husband and daughter at about 2 in the afternoon when I knew they'd all be there. She sent me one back that said my aunt was pretty damned indignant that I wasn't there. I think it went something like "Why do we have to be here and Jennifer doesn't, its not fair!" My daughter told me that and I thought to myself, you self centered bi***!!! You want to know what I was doing yesterday while you were with all of your family? Well let me tell you.....
I held the hand of an old lady who's son was being wheeled out on a stretcher to go die at hospice due to cancer of the brain. I also held the hand of my 89 year old little old snowbird lady as she was suffering respiratory distress telling her we were going to get her fixed up and feeling better in a few minutes, just relax (the latter happened at hour 36 of three shifts in a row, shift change-typical right). The latter turned out ok, LOLNAD is doing just fine today.
I try not to get a "holier (sp) than thou" attitude about being a nurse, because as we know, for many hours of the day its just a grind of work-paperwork, needy patients, turning and burning beds and passing meds. But when stupid family members make brainless comments and question my absence, my thought (which I keep to myself) is "I'm not there because I'm saving a strangers life or holding their hand as they go to meet their maker-what exactly did you do today to make your life worth living?"
PARDON MY CANDOR BUT ITS JUST LIKE MY CONSTIPATED BOY FRIEND WHO HAD NO BM IN 6 DAYS..... HE INSISTED ON METAMUSIL, REFUSED THE DUCOLAX OR AN ENEMA ....AND AS WE KNOW BULK LAXATIVES CAN CLOG YOU UP......WELL ON THE 11TH DAY HE ENDED UP IN THE ER AND WAS ADMITTED ETC...Then met golytly........ YOU SEE SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.. THEY'RE LIKE MY boyfriend ............ FULL OF S*** , .......... .....my staple answer to your situation is " Sick people don't get well just for the holiday,we can't send them all home on a 24 hour pass"...... HApPy NeW YEaR
I told my mother I might have to gon in today (scheduled off) to catch up on things. She asked if I can't bring my work home.
GUFFAW!
I almost split a a gut!
I could just imagine bringing my work home...
"Hey, Sis, this is Peter the Papercup Chewer. He's in for Behavior Disturbance and Aggression. I have to work on him here at home, so don't mind us... oh crud! Peter, DO put that knife back and spit out that cup THIS INSTANT!!"
For the past few years Christmas has become this huge thing in my family since all of us grandkids have grown up, gotten married and had kids of our own. The result of this is damn near 50 people in my aunts house on Christmas day. Can we say, lots of loudness and chaos under one roof? I love my family but a lot of them I only see on holidays. We have grown up and kind of moved on. Who spends holidays with second cousins anyway?
I was scheduled to work on Christmas day this year. Because of this we did our Christmas celebrating on Christmas Eve, which involved a dinner at my Moms that consisted of my Mother and Stepdad, my sister and her bf, an aunt, me, and all of our kids. 6 Adults and 4 kids. We sat around watching the kids open presents, talked and laughed and drank wine. Best Christmas I remember in a long time. So being scheduled on Christmas can actually be a good thing too.
While we're all about working holidays because people need us the same as any other day, and while I DO realize this is a NURSING forum, please let us not forget all the other service people that also work holidays: police, fire fighters, telephone operators, some store clerks, ambulance attendants/drivers, security personnel, the armed services... and the list goes on and on.
I would hope we care enough about each other to share the holiday time off... "I'll work Christmas for you if you'll work Thanksgiving for me..." and maybe vice-versa next year etc.
Once, when informed that I couldn't work (whatever day), as it was a holiday. As a life-long psych nurse, I replied, "Mental illness does not take a holiday."
Sorry you had to deal with that, and I'm especially sorry she made the comment in front of your kids. That was a pretty selfish thing to say. Just know that you made a difference to those people you helped that night. And like many other have said in response to your post, thank you for doing what you do! =)
Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.
I don't have kids, my husband is also a nurse so we always work the holidays. This allows those who have families to be off with their kids and we get the time and 1/2. Also, we both hate the holidays.
dawnsternlpn
48 Posts
PARDON MY CANDOR BUT ITS JUST LIKE MY CONSTIPATED BOY FRIEND WHO HAD NO BM IN 6 DAYS..... HE INSISTED ON METAMUSIL, REFUSED THE DUCOLAX OR AN ENEMA ....AND AS WE KNOW BULK LAXATIVES CAN CLOG YOU UP......WELL ON THE 11TH DAY HE ENDED UP IN THE ER AND WAS ADMITTED ETC...Then met golytly........ YOU SEE SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.. THEY'RE LIKE MY boyfriend ............ FULL OF S*** , .......... .....my staple answer to your situation is " Sick people don't get well just for the holiday,we can't send them all home on a 24 hour pass"...... HApPy NeW YEaR