Working Holidays

MtnMan · Dec 24, 2004

I wish we had enough staff to cover that deal. My daughters are narrating a christmas play tonight at our church, and I'll be wiping somebody's butt. Then they have to wait until 7:30 tomorrow morning for me to get home from work. Thankfully the girls understand and I can be home all night tomorrow night.

Fun2, BSN, RN · Dec 24, 2004

I wish we had enough staff to cover that deal. My daughters are narrating a christmas play tonight at our church, and I'll be wiping somebody's butt. Then they have to wait until 7:30 tomorrow morning for me to get home from work. Thankfully the girls understand and I can be home all night tomorrow night.

Just wondering...do you work at a LTC facility or a hospital? I am so sorry you will be missing such things. Will someone be videotaping it for you? :crying2:

SmilingBluEyes · Dec 24, 2004

we can expect to work the holidays we did not last year. They take out last year's schedule and we know if we worked thanksgiving but not christmas, we can expect to work christmas...or at least christmas eve. We generally alternate, and it's the fairest way to go, for the most part. People who have kids, or not, have an equal chance to have at least one major holiday off.

It helps me to remember we are the lucky ones. There are 150,000 military away in Iraq and more in Afghanistan, right now, who will have no possibility of coming home for a year or more, let alone Christmas.......think of their families, too, spending the holidays without Daddy, Mommy or a sibling.....or a son. Let alone the families who lost someone over there this year.

Or we can remember our patients and residents who are in the hospital or LTC for THEIR holidays.....that would be a bummer to be hospitalized on Christmas for me.

SO yea, I work tonight, and I will miss out on reading "night before Christmas" to the kids......and tracking Santa on Norad with my daughter. I won't get to do our traditional holiday light tour by car for Christmas Eve this year. But, I feel fortunate; I will at least be home tomorrow morning after work to see the kids open their gifts.......and fortunate my military husband is home, as well! Count our blessings.....

Fun2, BSN, RN · Dec 24, 2004

Thanks for your response, SmilingBluEyes. Yes, it is a real eye opener to realize working on Christmas is not as bad as not being home at all, or away from your family all year long.... :crying2:

acgemt · Dec 25, 2004

At my hospital, we are required to work every other holiday (and christmas includes christmas eve...same with new years). Ick...

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2004

I really don't know what the requirements are. I noticed this morning on the day shift all the male nurses were on, and a single female, and an attached female with no kids. All the mom's got the day off, except for some of the CNAs. hmmmm..............

nptobee · Dec 25, 2004

I think it would be a good idea to split shifts on holidays (especially 12 hour shifts).

For example there is a woman at work who really wanted to be home to open gifts with her three boys (A), and another who just wanted to be able to have dinner with her mother who was in from Florida (B). Wouldn't it have been nice to have B work from 7a-1p, and have A work from 1p-7p. Plus it's nice to work a reduced number of hours on a holiday. Managers should be more creative, they would have much happier employees, and a more productive work environment.

saskrn · Dec 25, 2004

What does your hospital require when it comes to working holidays?
I've seen it where each employee must work 2 holidays a year, Christmas equalling 2 holidays. Therefore, if you work on Christmas, you are able to take off all other holidays....a good deal if you don't have kiddos, I guess. (I have 2 little ones, so I'd be missing a bunch. )

Why should it matter whether or not a person has kids? I think the same rules should apply to everyone.

SharkLPN · Dec 25, 2004

we can expect to work the holidays we did not last year. They take out last year's schedule and we know if we worked thanksgiving but not christmas, we can expect to work christmas...or at least christmas eve. We generally alternate, and it's the fairest way to go, for the most part. People who have kids, or not, have an equal chance to have at least one major holiday off.

My hospital has the same policy. Good thing is, if you can find someone willing to switch a holiday (ie - Christmas with Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving with New Years) with you, it can be done without argument from management.

I have a heads-up to nurses with kids harrassing myself and other single, childfree nurses to work for them, or work/stay over extra so they can be with their kids on Christmas morning. Repeat after me - If you don't want to work weekends, nights, holidays, or a combination of those, go work at a bank instead, and stop freaking griping about it!!!!! UGH! While you're at it, be thankful you *have* a job to go to; you could have been laid-off or downsized instead.

....End rant...

nursemaa · Dec 25, 2004

We split the staff and assign an A-holiday and a B-holiday. The A's work 1/2 of the holidays (the holidays are New Year's, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas) and the B's work the other 1/2. The next year they switch. No one ever has to work both Christmas and New Year's. If you work the eve of the holiday for Christmas or New Years, you're off the day of the holiday, and vice-versa. So everyone has either the eve or the actual holiday off. Staff can trade days or split the holiday if they want to.

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2004

Hi

I have always felt that when you work for a Hospital, you have to realize that we have patient's 24 hr/day, 7 days a week. therefore, if you choose to work in a hospital, you know it has to be staffed!

We have to work every other week end; We also have a Holiday schedule-every other Holiday; Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, Memorial Day, July 4th & Labor day.

We initiallly choose, A list or B list--and it is that way no matter what!

You are welcome to switch, if you can find someone.

However, to make things even stickier, since I am night shift, our Holiday is the night before. So, for instance, our Thanksgiving Holiday is actually Wed. nite.

Confusing!! Yes!!

But, remember, we're nurses--we don't have to choose to work in Hospitals.

Well, This was my year for Christmas off plus it was my weekend off, so I was lucky. I just have to work all of New Years.

Mary Ann