Would this make you angry? Any words of wisdom?

[flashpoint]

OK...I just started my new job two months ago. I was promised full time...I was also assured that there was plenty of overtime and if I wanted to work 60-80 hours a week I could. I was promised night shift. So...they started me out on nights...after two weeks they bumped me to days. Then I worked two nights and one day a week (12 hour shifts)...another nurse resigned, so I wrote a note to the DON and told her I would like to do full time nights since there were plenty of nights available. So...I've been doing full time nights. I was scheduled to work 5a-5p on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week. The nurse who was scheduled for day shift on Saturday wants to go see her son's stuff at the fair, so she is not going to work. OK..so, the DON took me off the night shift on Friday and put me on the day shift on Saturday. Not only am I losing 12 hours, but I have a night shift then a day shift with only a day in between...if sucks to try to sleep enough to function on Friday, but not so much that I can't sleep Friday night so I can be up at the butt crack of dawn to work Saturday. And...the DON didn't even have the decency to call me and tell me about the change...I found out when one of the other nurses saw me in the grocery store!

Not really sure what to do here...I am going to call the DON in the morning and talk to her about it...I would really like to know how she expects me to pay my bills and buy crazy things like food and gas when my check is 12 hours short (I won't ask her that, but still!). I'm just not sure how to approach this one...

[LydiaNN]

Yes, it would make me angry. Whether to attempt to negotiate the schedule change is up to you; however, I see nothing wrong with at least telling her that your budget depends on you working full time and you've lost 12 hours in this transaction. Ask her where you can make it up.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

and...the don didn't even have the decency to call me and tell me about the change...i found out when one of the other nurses saw me in the grocery store!

i notice you wrote this two days before i saw it, so it's probably too late now -- but if you haven't been officially told about the change, it isn't official. you can feel free to show up for your scheduled shift, assuming the schedule was all final and all.

[maryk650]

Been there. Done that. I am presently in the same situation. I interviewed forr a position in the ER. Since I have managerial experience, they wanted me to accept a position as House Supervisor. I informed them of my intention to not get back into the managerial aspect of nursing, but I agreed to give it a try. Now I am having to go to work at another hospital because they will not let me transfer to another department. I have put in 4 internal transfers for the ER and have been passed over each time. The last time was it was because a nurse has been there longer than me but she didn't have any experience. Now that I have requested to go PRN, there is something I do "wrong" on each shift I work. Never had that problem before. The DON was aware from the beginning that I would only try it. There is really a problem keeping nurses in this role, and they don't want me to quit. So they refuse to let me transfer with in the hospital. The question is whether or not you are willing to go the distance to get what you want. My schedule has been changed several times since it was posted and without my permission. I go to work and see the changes. So I have decided to go somewhere else to work.

[dorimar, BSN, RN]

After the official scheduled finalized, the one who needs it changed for whatever reason, has the responsibility to ASK someone to work for them, or ask the manager if they can switch some days or take PTO or whatever. It is NOONE elses duty to be moved around to accommodate another's schedule change. The manager should have asked you, and you could have still said no. No mandatory anything about it. Very inappropriate and poor managing on her part.