as a new nurse was told i wont have holidays off in two years, is this fair?

Question

how can we b so unsensitive to other nurses? when they recruit me they offer me a schedule im a single parent with a child w autism

im willing to work this years holidays ,but two years,...

Answer 1

This system, while not unusual, is not appropriate either. All nurses at the hospital, regardless of seniority should share the burden of holiday coverage.

Proper nursing managemnt would allow for everyone to put in request for desired holidays off. Understanding that they will have to work others in exchange. While I never work holidays (but I've been at this for over 30 yrs and can schedule my own office hours) my wife has been at her hospital for almost 10 years. She always wants Thanksgiving off as we use this time to travel for a family gathering. So she volunteers to work Christmas, because I like to be at home for that holiday anyway. She understands if New Years falls on a weekday she works it and if it falls on a weekend she is off, because it follows her normal schedule. The rest of the holidays they rotate, so everyone has the opportunity to have some off.

When I was single, I always volunteered for Christmas so my co-workers with families could have the time off. But I always wanted New Years, so I could go out with my friends. It works best if people work out those days off, and nobody comes up with an ignorant policy saying you don't get any holidays for 2 years.

It is legal, if they give you the time on another day, but no, it isn't fair!

Answer 2

It is not unusual.

There are many employers that give some minimum ime you have to be on the job before you can have a vacation. That minimum time can typically be 1 2 or 3 years. Some employers do not offer any paid vaction time whatsoever, not even 1 week. There is no law that mandates that they do so.

This is a benefit that many employers offer to compete with other employers in the same industry. So if one place offers 2 weeks paid vacation a year after you have worked there 10 years, other employers may feel the need to do the same thing.

The only kind of legal mandate for things like this is that if an employer offers some deal to some employees they must offer something comparable to all employees. So for example, if they say that top executives of the hospital are to be treated for free by the hospital if they have any medical problem, then they must also offer that to all employees including the janitor.

Answer 3

It may not seem fair,but in general when you are a new hire,because you have no seiniority you end up working holidays for the first year or two.. this holds true especially in the nursing field !
what you can do is ride it out for the remainder of this year and then when next year rolls around and you want a day or two off for the holiday,put in a request like 4 months ahead of time...your request will still sorta be at the bottom because your new,but if no one else requests that time off,then youll probably get it,and depending on the place your working and what there rules are,by submitting your request that afar in advance it may guarentee you to have the time

Answer 4

There is an old saying "Nurses eat their young" basically meaning, that as nurses have been in the field for a while, they feel, that if I had to do it, you should have to do it.

It is that attitude that has contributed to nurse burn-out for years.

It is not fair for any facility to put out a policy that as a new nurse you will get no holidays for 2 years. Of course, you realize, that as nursing is a shortage field, your best option might have been to inform them prior to starting work, that, while you would love to work with them, there are several positions available in the artea, and the one issue that would keep you from coming to work with them would be the holiday policy. I am sure they would have backed down.

My wife was working pool for her facility, because we did not need any of the benefits, as I had all the benefits covered from my office. SHe made much more money by working pool than as a full time employee. The hospital kept pushing her to be full time, but she said that she wanted to stay pool, that the salary was the key factor in her decision. THe hospital started to try to cut her hours, so she picked up another pool position. Two weeks later they asked her to work full time and gave her a raise on top of the pool rate.

Sometimes you have to stand your ground.

It is never fair for some people to get all the days off they want, and others to have to work the bad shifts. Good nursing management would be to rotate those holiday shifts and to make a policy that everyone will work a certain number of holidays (dependent on the number of nurses for coverage) It is only fair that, for example, during the holiday season, everyone be allowed one of the holidays off. One year it may be Thanksgiving, the next CHristmas, the Next New Years. In many hospitals, there will be some nurses who will trade Christmas for a Kwanza night or other night on their own religious calendar. And in truth, those holidays should be able to be moved through the year to allow for jewish, muslim, and other religious holidays. This would probably relieve a lot of the issue.

Answer 5

Welcome to the world of nursing. I have been a nurse for 20 years and still have to work holidays. I don't work every holiday. In surgery if I work Christmas this year I am off Christmas next year. I might get Christmas eve to work though. I have learned to accept it since I am paid double time to work holidays which helps.

Answer 6

Understand that people get sick on holidays...so people have to be there.

I am sure you realized before you got into the nursing profession that hospitals were open 24/7.

Everyone can't be off on the holidays or else no one would be at the hospital.

Earn your seniority...everyone else did.

PS: Just because you are a single parent with a child with autism, doesn't make your family automatically more important than someone else's.

Answer 7

yes because the hospitals can't close so they need you. All the other nurses paid thier dues starting out as new, it is your turn to be the one. After you have done that the new round of new nurses will be doing the same thing.

Answer 8

May not seem fair but it's probably just a right of passage. In the navy, I have to deal a lot with this kind of stuff. It sucks, but while your new, you don't have as much leaning on your shoulders as the veterans. Thinks will get better once more new people come in.

Answer 9

Too be honest i dont think this is fair especially if you have a family and if your working full time its definately not fair.

I hope you appeal for maybe a week holiday ever year so you can spend some quality time.
Good luck :)

Answer 10

yes it is very fair you are the newest person on the payroll you are going to have to do the worst shifts and work the holidays. even in other professions you may work holidays and bad hours