Wednesday, August 1, 2012
So I got home from work, was exhausted as usual, and headed to bed.
I got up around noon to go to the bathroom and happened to hear the phone ring. Turns out, it was my supervisor from work, wondering if I could call her back.
Ugh. NEVER has this turned out to be a good thing.
Since I was already up, I gave her a quick call. She was calling because she needed either me, or my co-worker, to switch weekends coming up since they are hiring new people in ICU. She was asking either of us because it needed to be a 12 hour person to switch.
Well, this was quite a surprise, kind of. Our weekend bunch had already been discussing how our weekend was going to have four people on it and the other weekend only had two people. Another of my co-workers, who works 8 hours, said that she didn’t mind switching because there was another co-worker on that weekend that she didn’t mind working with. So I thought we had everything set.
But now she says she needs a 12 hour person. The other co-worker I KNOW is not going to want to switch and she has more seniority.
So I get off the phone and I am very upset. I DO NOT want to go to the other weekend. The person who works that weekend is nice enough, but just NOT THE PEOPLE that I work with now…we have SUCH a good weekend, in my mind.
But what am I to do. I cry. I look at the other weekend schedule on the calendar, all the way up through mid-way next year. It seems not so bad. I guess I could do it, even though I would not be that happy.
I decide to call my supervisor back to let her know I’ll do it, just to get it done and over with.
And now what. I’m awake and I can’t even think about anything else except the fact that I won’t be working with my weekend people.
So I go grocery shopping.
And while I’m shopping, I get a text from the other co-worker my supervisor asked to switch weekends. She says she talked to the supervisor and asked, “Does it HAVE to be a 12 hour person? Because _______ said she would go.” “Oh really?!” says my supervisor, “Well I guess it could be an 8 hour person…let me call her.”
And then I get another text saying, “________ is going to that weekend.”
What a turnaround. Now I feel happier, but not completely happy. I really didn’t want ANYONE from our weekend to have to switch.
I’m somewhat relieved, but I also feel a bit guilty. This person who said she would switch, she has almost the most seniority on the unit.
I decide that I will speak to her this weekend and re-emphasize that if she does not want to switch, I will switch.
So at this point, I’m hopefully optimistic.
What do you think about that?
I HATE that we as nurses, have our schedules at the mercy of our supervisors, based on turnaround in the unit.
WHAT a stressful day.
Okay, Kaye? 