Working weekends

[dmich85]

I promise I did a search and looked through all 10 pages of results, so I apologize if this has already been discussed at length. From what I found though, there weren't too many specifics about working weekends as a traveler. I am new to traveling and am looking for my first assignment in acute care.

It sounds like it's pretty common for facilities to allow self-scheduling. Granted, we are hired to fill needs and we should be flexible, so it makes sense that travelers can't always get the schedules they want. A nurse manager from a hospital emailed me saying her unit requires working every other weekend. I know you can put in your contract requested days off (such as a stretch of days off), but do any of you have experiences negotiating how many weekends or weekend shifts you work? Or have you ended up working less weekends due to staff nurses filling weekend shift needs?

Admittedly, I have gotten spoiled the last 5 years as a staff nurse only being required to work two weekend shifts a month and realize that I will likely have to let go of this luxury. But I am curious as to people's experiences with weekends while traveling.

Thanks!

[gogetter73]

Hey! I'm on my first assignment in Washington DC. I live in Hampton Roads VA. I drive home on my stretch of off days. I found out the hard way that if you have certain days you need off, it needs to specify that in your contact. Simply write, need 3 in a row, or cannot do weekends. Of course, they can deny you if you have too many specifications. Most facilities require every other weekend. The nurse manager literally "filled in the holes". I was every other day for two weeks, and working nights, that's a nightmare. I did get in good with the scheduler later and switched some things around and now I'm fine. Good luck!

[NedRN]

Self scheduling is rare for travelers. We are there to make life easier for staff so they will get priority. It is difficult to request weekends off or other global requests, but if you have specific dates you want off like for a family event or re-cert, that is usually OK. Some travelers have difficulty working 3 days in a row, others prefer it, and sometimes you can find assignments that will schedule you per your preferences. Often depends on the person doing the scheduling and if it is not the interviewing manager, they may have difficulty in promising something they can in fact do.

What is the big deal about weekends? A day off is a day off to go exploring a new area. Personally, I enjoy seeing downtown areas on business days. If weekends are that important to you, consider management. Or operating room!

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

So far I've always had the privilege of self scheduling and even if they put me for a lot of weekends (which I don't really mind.) if I ask them to change something they tend to be pretty open to it. Managers are people too and usually they're not actively trying to hurt you and abuse you, you know? If they are, something's very wrong with them, but usually with the unit culture or the system.

Everywhere I've worked the requirement has been to work every other weekend. So you got pretty lucky. lol My thing is I don't like to do 3 days in a row all the time. I get really bad compassion fatigue about 1 month into my assignments and usually by the end of day two I'm already checking out mentally/emotionally/psychologically.

[Argo]

I choose to work weekends. It gives me all week off when everything is not so busy. If you opt to work every weekend then you have a set schedule and they usually don't make you take call.

[dmich85]

What is the big deal about weekends? A day off is a day off to go exploring a new area. Personally, I enjoy seeing downtown areas on business days. If weekends are that important to you, consider management. Or operating room!

It's not that it's a big deal necessarily; I'm prepared to work at least every other weekend and am just curious about people's experiences. I own a condo so I'd like to come home and see family/friends whenever I can. Weekends would be the ideal time to do that, is all.

[BD-RN, BSN, RN]

Weekends is ideal for everyone to have off: it's what normal people have. The reality is, hospitals don't close (and that's what I tell my family everybody Christmas, which stops the whining immediately). While I agree that I'm there to help, but don't want to be taken advantage of (as in, some staff aren't working any weekends but I'm working all of them), I also believe I need to at least meet the staff scheduling requirements while on their floor. If they require every other weekend, so be it.

[michlynn, BSN, RN]

My first assignment has been pretty lenient with time off or requesting a specific weekend off if I need it even if it's not mentioned in my contract. My next assignment will be in Boston and the manager tells me that they do self scheduling and requires everyone to work a specific amount of weekends, not specifically every other.