Working Weekends

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So one of the perks I enjoy about private duty is having a flexible schedule, and usually that involved not working weekends or holidays if I didn't want to. I just started back on at an agency I worked with a while back, the openings they had were for wed, thur, sat, I told them I could do that for the rest of this month but every Saturday wouldn't work for me. Who wants to work every Saturday night?! Not this girl! The client's schedule really isn't that flexible so I'll probably have to drop Saturday and pick up a day somewhere else that has an opening during the week. I was just curious what everyone else's schedules were like. Do you work weekends, or every other weekends, is it mandatory, or are they pretty understanding with giving you a schedule that works for your needs? Do they give you a hard time if you take off on Holidays or is that pretty well understood too? Just being curious, Thanks!

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Where I work, we work every third weekend and every other holiday. We can't request weekends or holidays off, we have to trade with another coworker. Also, if you are sick and can't come in on your weekend and/or holiday, it is mandatory to make it up.

Last weekend I came down with bronchitis and the doc said I couldn't work until I was on abx for 24 hrs. So now I have to work 2 weekends in a row to make it up.

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@julz68, what about if you have to go on vacation? Do you have to find your own coverage too? I hope it's not like that at the hospitals, which is where I want to work when I graduate with my BSN. Right now I am working at a facility as an LPN. Every full/part time is scheduled to work every other weekend. If the holiday falls on your day off, then ur off. You can request holidays/weekend off.

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@julz68 what about if you have to go on vacation? Do you have to find your own coverage too? I hope it's not like that at the hospitals, which is where I want to work when I graduate with my BSN. Right now I am working at a facility as an LPN. Every full/part time is scheduled to work every other weekend. If the holiday falls on your day off, then ur off. You can request holidays/weekend off.[/quote']

I work at a hospital. If you want to take vacation, you have to request it during a week where it doesn't fall on your weekend, otherwise you have to find someone to switch weekends with you.

The good thing about where I work tho, we have a set schedule so we pretty much work the same days all the time, that way you can figure out when you'd like to take vacations in advance. The way my schedule is set up, I have 6 days off in a row once a month. We work three 12s a week. So really, I kinda have a mini vaca every 3 weeks!

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@julz68, I don't know how long u have been a nurse, but from your experience, do u think I can find a hospital to give me a schedule every Tue, Wen, and Thur 7p-7a no weekend? That is my dream schedule. When I used to live in FL, some hospitals gave it like that b/c there are nurses who only want to work weekends b/c of school or family responsibility.

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@julz68 I don't know how long u have been a nurse, but from your experience, do u think I can find a hospital to give me a schedule every Tue, Wen, and Thur 7p-7a no weekend? That is my dream schedule. When I used to live in FL, some hospitals gave it like that b/c there are nurses who only want to work weekends b/c of school or family responsibility.[/quote']

I don't know. I guess every facility is different. I have only been a nurse since February, but worked as a CNA for 16 years (12 of that at my current hospital). While I was going to school, they did work around my schedule but I was still required to work my scheduled weekend.

I agree, that would be an awesome schedule to have tho! You'd have a 4 day weekend every week!

Good luck :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
So one of the perks I enjoy about private duty is having a flexible schedule and usually that involved not working weekends or holidays if I didn't want to. I just started back on at an agency I worked with a while back, the openings they had were for wed, thur, sat, I told them I could do that for the rest of this month but every Saturday wouldn't work for me. Who wants to work every Saturday night?! Not this girl! The client's schedule really isn't that flexible so I'll probably have to drop Saturday and pick up a day somewhere else that has an opening during the week. I was just curious what everyone else's schedules were like. Do you work weekends, or every other weekends, is it mandatory, or are they pretty understanding with giving you a schedule that works for your needs? Do they give you a hard time if you take off on Holidays or is that pretty well understood too? Just being curious, Thanks![/quote']

When I worked PDN, I usually had 2 clients, and rotated the schedules enough where I worked 1 weekend shift every two weeks (1 Saturday, 1 Sunday at least 2 weeks apart) I didn't mind weekends, especially when it came to differentials, and the ability to make up weekends by requesting off. I had to work at least two holidays a year, unless my schedule didn't work out as such. I only recall working New Years Day at least once...so the flexibility was there.

Most places are flexible...it is truly up to the client load that the agency has where you can arrange your schedule. If you are with an agency where the load is not as variable, you will find yourself having to take a case as the one you described.

Most times it is hard to staff weekends because most of the seasoned nurses have already picked up the case or the days are dependent on what the insurance company has approved of, and the risk of losing business to another agency if they can't get enough staff in the client's home.

I can only surmise if they are being rigid for that reason. CMS is cutting back on families and individuals that need PDN...from nursing documentation to even inadequate staffing issues, if it looks like there's an issue, insurance will find another company for the client as well...it can lead to a huge cut in your agency's bread and butter...it's rough out there!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
So one of the perks I enjoy about private duty is having a flexible schedule, and usually that involved not working weekends or holidays if I didn't want to. I just started back on at an agency I worked with a while back, the openings they had were for wed, thur, sat, I told them I could do that for the rest of this month but every Saturday wouldn't work for me. Who wants to work every Saturday night?! Not this girl! The client's schedule really isn't that flexible so I'll probably have to drop Saturday and pick up a day somewhere else that has an opening during the week. I was just curious what everyone else's schedules were like. Do you work weekends, or every other weekends, is it mandatory, or are they pretty understanding with giving you a schedule that works for your needs? Do they give you a hard time if you take off on Holidays or is that pretty well understood too? Just being curious, Thanks!

There are a lot of variables but generally I've been able to work the days I wanted to. I've worked on cases where there were nurses who wanted weekends because the weekday shifts were 8 hours and weekends were 12. One agency paid overtime for the last 4 hours so that was another incentive. I used to work every Sunday for that reason, and worked afternoon-evenings during the week.

We had one case where there was an issue covering Saturdays so I worked a few but realized that I had to tell them pretty directly "no more Saturdays" - if they find they can talk you into it frequently they don't seem to put forth the same amount of effort but generally I am pleased with the flexibility it offers. Helping out in a true emergency now and then goes a long way toward them respecting your scheduling preferences I've discovered as well.

I've never had any hours or days be mandatory in private duty nursing. The lack of some of the benefits you get working in a larger facility is supposed to be offset by that - that is one of the selling points they use when they are recruiting nurses.

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

My agency gives me absolutely no trouble about my hours, ever. I'm PRN. I understand that if you need benefits and work FT, they do put in a requirement for certain # of weekends and holidays to be worked.

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I work private duty for an agency. I work Monday, Wednesday,Thursday,Friday 2pm - 9pm. Every Saturday 9am - 4pm and every other Saturday night 9pm - 6am.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

My agency gives us no trouble about taking days off when we want. I almost never work holidays & I never work Saturday night because my patient's family wants that as their family night. Currently, I work Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, & Friday nights. My "weekend" is Wednesday & Thursday. Most of the nurses in my agency are scheduled according to the family's needs & the nurse's preferences.

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My agency,if you want health benefits and Pto,you are required to work 4 wk shiftsper month.

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