I've been a nurse for almost 8 years. I have always volunteered to work EVERY holiday (newyears, 4th of July, Thanksgiving etc...) just to have Christmas off to be with my family. I am 6 months into a new ER job and they have scheduled me for Christmas Eve AND Christmas day:sniff: My poor kid's are really upset. My husband is also a nurse and is scheduled to work Christmas day this year too.
I had to tell my parent's that we were both working and ask if they would take the kids. My mom was pretty nasty and less then understanding. She said she didn't think it was "fair" to ask that I work Christmas when I have kids. I told her that people still get sick on Christmas and I wasn't the only employee with children.
Here is what I need from you all... Please help me explain to my (never had a job outside of the home) mother why I have to work Christmas. and second...Help me understand why I have to work Christmas:sniff:
Imagine this. It is Christmas day and someone gets really sick or even gets hurt on the new sled or bike they got for Christmas. OR worse they get in a car crash on their way to Church or Grandmas house. Or maybe someone's Grandma slips and falls and breaks a hip. And no body is working at the hospital because it is Christmas. They might die.
We take turns at the hospital working these holidays because of this. Everyone wants Christamas and Christmas eve off. IT is the one holiday that everyone wants to spend with thier family.
Consider my working as your gift to those people who get sick or hurt this Christmas and Christmas eve. We give gifts to each other but there are people out there who really need me to work who's life might depend on it. That is a much more important gift than spending one or two specific days with you, when I will be with you all the rest of the time.
I have not worked the last 8 Christmases because someone else sacrificed to work in my place. Now it it my turn. I won't work every Christamas but there will be other Christmases that I will work.
We will have a beautiful celebration of Christmas and even though it will not be on Christmas day we will have a better Christmas celebration than most people in the world.
This is perfect! My mother and I are both nurses and work opposite weekends so we haven't had Christmas on Christmas in years, but we manage to get the family together either before or after. This year, Christmas is my turn. I work the 23rd, 24th and 25th - all 12 hr night shifts so the whole holiday weekend is shot. I also have kids, and a blended family as I'm sure many others here also have. Try figuring 2 nurses, your family, your in-laws AND the step kids families into any kind of a holiday schedule that makes sense! I've learned to not only cope but to be thankful for the chance to get together anytime. When you feel depressed or frustrated about working Christmas, think about how your patients feel. They and their families are not only depressed and frustrated, but dealing with whatever caused them to be in your care besides.
If there are nurses on your floor that don't have children, then they should volunteer to cover for you.
It's what nurses do!
Not always. I don't have kids, and yes for the last ten years I've volunteered to work. However, if I choose to visit my family or have other festivities, I don't feel I should volunteer to cover for anyone.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i have worked almost every christmas for the last 35 years (except when i was working for a home health agency, and even then i was on call) because we don't have children. if there are nurses on your floor that don't have children, then they should volunteer to cover for you.
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as a childless woman (not by choice) i still feel that i am just as entitled to christmas off as someone who has children. i signed up for the same job, the same payscale and the same working conditions as everyone else. there's no reason i don't have have a right to the same holidays off as everyone else. i wasn't responsible for their reproductive decisions, nor do i dictate how they celebrate their holidays. i just know that i work every other christmas, and when it's my year to have it off, i want to have it off. no one should have to sacrifice their holiday unless they choose to.
as a childless woman (not by choice) i still feel that i am just as entitled to christmas off as someone who has children. i signed up for the same job, the same payscale and the same working conditions as everyone else. there's no reason i don't have have a right to the same holidays off as everyone else. i wasn't responsible for their reproductive decisions, nor do i dictate how they celebrate their holidays. i just know that i work every other christmas, and when it's my year to have it off, i want to have it off. no one should have to sacrifice their holiday unless they choose to.
ruby
i completely agree with this - how does having children in and of itself entitle anyone to have priority in taking christmas off?
If there are nurses on your floor that don't have children, then they should volunteer to cover for you.
Ugh. Yet another salvo from the guilt-trip guerilla squad.
The bottom line is, if you work somewhere that offers paid holidays to its employees, then all employees are entitled to them. I've never seen a hospital say, "For those of you with children, you will have Christmas Eve., Christmas Day, New Years Day, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving off. You are also entitled to be off for any extra-curricular activities your children may have that would interfere with your being here. Those of you without children will be expected to work all the holidays and accommodate the needs of your co-workers with children so they can attend plays, soccer games, piano recitals, ballet classes, etc."
As someone else pointed out, MANY people work on holidays. I'm trying to get the mental image of a state trooper pouting about having to work Christmas and wailing, "But I have kids!!!" Or a surgeon, "Sorry, I'll have to fix your dissecting aortic aneurysm tomorrow...I need to be a home to see my children open their presents."
Funny how for many, the focus is on opening presents, etc., which absolutely has nothing to do with what people call the "true" spirit of Christmas. Why not at least be honest about it? It could be any day, really, since for many the focus is on the presents. I don't recall seeing anyone saying how much they wanted off because of the Christmas service they were planning to attend.
I remember , way back when, my kids were little and I usually had to work Christmas. One year I begged to be off, my ex and I had just seperated and he had moved out of state, the rest of the family 1200 miles away,and I would have had to leave them ALONE. No go...DON wouldn't change the schedule and no one was willing to swap. My unit manager took the kids to her house in another city, and brought them back to the hospital at the end of shift. Wonderful person.
Now my kids are all grown. They all understand that control over the schedule wasn't my doing and that people get sick 24/7.
I made a vow back in those days, that when my kids were grown I would volunteer to work every Christmas...so that families with small kids could take it off. I work Christmas eve and day this year, and it makes me smile to think of a child being happy.
If there are nurses on your floor that don't have children, then they should volunteer to cover for you.
It's what nurses do!
Are you kidding me?? Again, I dont have children, but the holidays are just as important to me and I dont think I should have to "volunteer" to cover for someone who does. It angers me that people think that because I dont have children, then I must have no life and no reason to enjoy my holiday.
I'm sorry that you will be working both days. I work in the NICU and we are required to either work the eve or the day of each holiday which allows us to spend one day or the other with our family. I think this is fair & it works out well for our unit. Everyone seems to be happy. We do have a few nurses that volunteer to work both the eve & day and by doing so that take turns allowing other nurses to spend extra time with their families.
One thing that I don't like to hear people say is that the nurses with children shouldn't have to work the holidays. I totally disagree. I have two wonderful boys, ages 4 and 5, and as much as I would love to spend the entire holiday with them and the rest of my family, I think it's only fair that I work my fair share. Those without children have family as well, just because they don't have children doesn't mean that their time with their families are just as meaningful & important to them. Something people should keep in mind is that maybe they can't have children for some reason or the other be it medical or by choice.
I wish you and your family the happiest of holidays and I hope you and your family are able to make the best of this joyous season.
I am a student so I havent had to work hoildays yet, however I know that I will. Growing up my father was a firerfighter and he had to miss many hoildays. Our family just celebrated eaither a day early or a day later. Explain to your kids, that you will celebrate when you all can be together, that they can have Chrtistmas with thier grandparents and a second Christmas with you and your husband.
One thing that I don't like to hear people say is that the nurses with children shouldn't have to work the holidays. I totally disagree. I have two wonderful boys, ages 4 and 5, and as much as I would love to spend the entire holiday with them and the rest of my family, I think it's only fair that I work my fair share. Those without children have family as well, just because they don't have children doesn't mean that their time with their families are just as meaningful & important to them. Something people should keep in mind is that maybe they can't have children for some reason or the other be it medical or by choice.
Thank you for recognizing that! I appreciate that --
One of the reasons I don't do hospital nursing anymore is because I was sick and tired of the holiday/weekend/shift rotation situation. Sometimes it was fair, but more often than not it was dependant on the whims of the head nurse. You can work around it any way you want, and your little kids won't remember which holidays you worked and which ones you celebrated a day early or late. I think this is one of those things that you just get thru or you quit your job. No happy medium.
Please help me explain to my (never had a job outside of the home) mother why I have to work Christmas. and second...Help me understand why I have to work Christmas:sniff: 
kbrn2002, ADN, RN
3,970 Posts
This is perfect! My mother and I are both nurses and work opposite weekends so we haven't had Christmas on Christmas in years, but we manage to get the family together either before or after. This year, Christmas is my turn. I work the 23rd, 24th and 25th - all 12 hr night shifts so the whole holiday weekend is shot. I also have kids, and a blended family as I'm sure many others here also have. Try figuring 2 nurses, your family, your in-laws AND the step kids families into any kind of a holiday schedule that makes sense! I've learned to not only cope but to be thankful for the chance to get together anytime. When you feel depressed or frustrated about working Christmas, think about how your patients feel. They and their families are not only depressed and frustrated, but dealing with whatever caused them to be in your care besides.