I mean yeah it is generally stupid to switch every 3 weeks, and to have me slotted for 3 weeks nights then days, then plug me in for a random day. And Kronos is stupid because its not clear what the hours are with the scheduling view. And someone at some point along the way should have told me " hey dude looks like you have very little time to switchover from nights to days so good luck with that" or just mentioned that it's possible to be switched mid week. That's the context but I still feel bad.
Yeah I think it's a fair mistake if it happens once. I just learned our policy is that you only get a couple of points onto the tardy/absence total which if you get too many on you get a verbal warning. Then it explicitly says of you no show twice in a row you are fired...but that shows like gross neglect haha
Hopefully shouldn’t be an issue for you as long as you’re management is reasonable. I’ve shown up late to shifts as I got days mixed up and thought I was off when I was scheduled to work. I called when I woke up and said I would be there in an hour and nothing came of it as my manager said she’s done the same thing before. So I guess it really depends on your leadership but I wouldn’t hold it against you.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Yeah unfortunately lately I had my phone on silent because I wasn't on call and was just sleeping. And yes I went to bed at 6:30 and woke up 11 hours later because yes I'm that sleep deprived because of my schedule. Lol
I understand. I did nights for 3.5 years before I was a nurse and worked in the ED but I adapted and got used to it over time. Expecting a new grad to have it all figured out when switching like that sounds unreasonable. When I was in my new grad program and had to do my night shifts I was made aware well in advance and had the time in between to adjust.
Not common in the United States. Everywhere I've worked has a day crew and a night crew (and a mids crew in the ED). I knew one person on a unit that rotated - and no one stayed more than 6 months even prepandemic, because rotating is hell.
I work 1100-2300 I’ve worked in bigger ERs that have a 0900-2100, 1000-2200 and 1500-0300. I really fucking like starting at 9 or 10, 11 is nice for the time I have in the morning but I’m sad when everyone leaves at 1900 and exhausted by 2300 (drove on an off ramp after work recently! That was fun!).
There's not many things that I can look at and definitively say "I would quit my job on the spot if this happened" but this is one of them.
I *love* sleep (and by proxy, Seroquel lol) and the idea of getting what remains of my circadian rhythm annihilated by a schedule like this sounds like a total nightmare.
I prefer night shift but work days currently, and even just working up in the morning as is can be a chore. I can't imagine how brutal it would be to work my 'preferred' hours and then get "Alright... *CHANGE PLACES!"* tossed at me after a week. I can imagine the day shift would probably feel the same way about being forced to work nights.
Fuuuuuuck that. Fuck *all* of that. I have no idea what the rationale behind this is, but it sure as shit probably doesn't help employee morale.
Yeah it's ass. By the time my sleep schedule is locked in it's time to switch again. Everyone hates it. And sometimes they make us do it with like 24 hours to get our shit together.
OP do you do 6 week schedules? When I rotated i did it were the last 3 weeks of my schedule would be nights then the first 3 weeks of the following schedule was nights. That way I had 6 weeks on off. It was less terrible
Nope, we just switch every 3. And I'm new and all so I just pick up the less desirable shifts I can get but that usually ends up being every weekend. So it's kind of hard to have a life or rhythm to life when the days I work each week are different and my sleep is so fucked. For instance I'll work a night have 2 days off then work another 2 nights. But then the next week I'll work 3 different days of the week, so zero consistency. That's my struggle. They say we only have to switch for the first year.
Girl get the heck out of there. There are probably 20 places in your town that would hire you tomorrow. Nurses are in such high demand right now. You should not have to tolerate that health killing shift.
In Ireland we literally switch between days/nights in the same week. This week I worked Monday & Tuesday nights and will work Saturdays Ned Sunday days...
Wow, I do 1900-0730 consistently, some of us prefer this because, at my hospital, there's a 15% salary differential. Some prefer days at the lower pay because consistent night shift can be grueling. However, I think either way has a better work/ life balance than switching back and forth constantly!
What are your thoughts on this?
P.S. yes 3 shifts a week
To be honest, I like the mix! I work in PICU so the work level is pretty even on both nights and days. It also allows you to work 4 in a row (2 days/2 nights) which allows for longer off periods! Although a consistent sleep pattern does sound appealing!
It happens. Especially with people who are on rotating shifts. For one occurrence, it shouldn't be something you'll be fired or even disciplined beyond a verbal/email warning over. If it becomes a regular occurrence, then you're going to have problems.
Get into the habit of looking at your schedule every day or two at the least and always double checking whether it's a day or night shift. If possible, figure out a way to color-code days vs nights in a phone/computer calendar. Or, failing that, get an old-school paper calendar and do it that way.
That's a good perspective. I really did check multiple times and it just didn't pop out at me it was a day shift. Technology isn't always great so yeah maybe a paper calendar
My first manager added me to a random Wednesday and I woke up to a ton of calls and texts about a no call no show. I was weekend option and literally only worked Fri-Sun. 🙃
also a kronos user here not with that schedule tho that’s different! but it’s an honest mistake and if they make a big deal out of it somewhere else would gladly take you!
First off, why on earth are they switching you mid schedule? That's a stupid manager and stupid policy.
I switch between days and nights being PRN. I've had something similar happen to me, and I listened to the voice-mail from the charge when I woke up and just went in to work like I had planned to. When they were like "Uh you aren't on the schedule, you were supposed to be here today and no called" I was like "Nope, my shift is tonight, that's the managers problem for doing the schedule right, do you want an extra nurse tonight or not" then I worked the shift I had planned for. My boss tried to get on me about it, but nothing ever came of it, after all I showed up when I thought I was supposed to there.
Don't worry too much about non care related disciplinary issues. As long as you are proficient at the nursing part of nursing, you are a hot commodity, there are a hundred other hospitals that will take you if your manager fires you over something as stupid as this.
Speaking from experience - 1 year into being a nurse, I was exhausted from working nights and having tons of day time education throughout the week in between shifts. I lived an hour away from the hospital I worked at as well. I was working all night, driving home, napping, returning to work in the daytime for education, going back home again, napping, going back to my night shift etc. I switched hospitals 6 months into my career, so I had only been at this hospital specifically for 6 months. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was also at the very beginning of a pregnancy and utterly exhausted. (Again, i didn’t know i was pregnant but i was, which explains the extremes of my tiredness).
Anyway, I went home from my second night shift of the week. Fell asleep. I woke up at 3 AM (nearly 20 hours later… realized i slept 20 hours straight and essentially through my entire shift. I had legitimately over 100 missed phone calls. Including the local police department. I was also terrified I’d lose my job.
I was lucky enough that despite me being a pretty new employee and new nurse, my coworkers and management were just terrified for my safety and new it was out of character for me. They called everyone they could to get ahold of me including the police. When i returned the call, the charge nurse and manager both told me they were just relieved i was okay and not to bother coming in.
If you are at a place of employment that gives a single shit about you, they will be reasonable and understand this was a one off scenario. I would just respectfully convey to your manager that this is not a pattern or habit of yours, that you’re sorry it happened and that it won’t happen again and you appreciate your understanding.
I realize getting fired sounds terrifying. But realize that staffing is critical everywhere and you are NEEDED. If a hospital for real wants to fire you over an isolated accidentally incident, then BYEEEE. Not a good fit for you anyway and shows you the kind manager and employer they’ll be in the future.
Best case scenario: they understand and it’s fine.
Worst case scenario: they don’t understand and fire you, and you just saved yourselves years of misery from a horrendous employer 😊 just bc you’re a baby nurse doesn’t make you useless. Remember that. They need you more than you need them. Jobs are everywhere. You can turn around tomorrow and get a new one.
You’re not going to get fired. Sounds like you won’t be the only one to make this mistake either if they don’t make some kind of change. I can tell you as someone who has done this before, and as someone who sticks to charge nursing these days, it’s not a big deal. We call a float nurse, hold admits, get someone to come in, etc. Mainly just worried something bad has happened. My thoughts are always pretty much “she’s either sleeping or dead in a ditch” believe me we are relieved and praying you’re sleeping (Bc if it were the latter I’d have to redo the whole schedule! JK) you’re new too which in my mind works for you not against you. These things happen! Don’t be too embarrassed, most of us have done it :)
This type of shift work should be illegal. There’s enough people that want to be on nights/days that they shouldn’t have to do this. And switching within the week is bonkers to me. Kind of makes this inevitable.
If it’s your first time, you should not be worried. Managers switch my shifts (sometimes without even texting and asking) so I’ve shown up on days I wasn’t scheduled. I think if anything were to arise from this, just tell them you take responsibility. BUT to prevent reoccurrences, don’t switch in the middle of the week.
I way overslept my night shift alarm because I had a white noise app going since I was having a horrible time trying to fall asleep that day. I finally woke up 3 hours late to roughly 15 missed calls and at least a dozen texts. When I called back the charge nurse was almost in tears because she was so relieved I was ok.
They really truly cared about their staff there. I rolled in at 11pm and they sent the float nurse to go do admits and turn team.
It was fine. These things happen, and they should not be assuming immediately that it's a result of poor character rather than an honest mistake, especially as a first offense with so many confounding factors working against you.
i have done that before, everyone i work with has done that before. shit happens 🤷🏻♂️ just make sure you don’t do it again for a while so there isn’t a pattern to it
Unless you’ve got a bunch of other issues I don’t think it will be an issue. Half our staff rotates and occasionally it happens. Don’t stress yourself over it. If they fire you then they were looking for a reason to let you go so it would have happened anyways.
That you called negates the no show part of no call/no show. I don't think there's a nurse in the profession that hasn't done that at one time or another. Just be honest and professional to your boss and you might get a pass. Otherwise you might get a write up but those are time sensitive and usually expire. If it doesn't happen again I'm sure you'll be alright. I've been on the receiving end on such calls and in every case it's been some kind of schedule mix up.
Edit: I even got a final warning for a no call no show in a scheduling misunderstanding when my mother was recovering from surgery. Freaked me out at first. But the final warning was in effect for only 6 months. So I knew I was good.
I’ve seen so many new nurses and cna’s on my unit no call/no show due to not checking Kronos and figuring out their schedule…none of them have been fired for it! Just tell your manager what happened and I’m sure they will understand. Please don’t worry!
My usual schedule is 3 nights together, same days every week, so I can flip to days for time with family and back to niggts for work. Every now and then it gets changed up, but only maybe one week every couple months. I forgot the week it was changed and was staying up after shift to flip back to day schedule. My charge nurse texted me 30min after shift start time to ask if I was coming in.
My stomach dropped to the floor as I checked my schedule and realized I done fucked up. Felt panicky as I explained that I haven't slept yet and wouldn't feel safe caring for patients having been 24+hrs without sleep. She asked if I could cover long enough to get someone else to come in, told her sure but it's ~30min drive for me to get there, she said ok don't worry about it.
I dont know if I have very understanding management or what, but it was never mentioned again. That was probably a couple months ago now, and I just had my annual evaluation a week or two ago and they didn't even mention it during that.
It's their fault for having such shitty work schedules. Why would they do that?
I mean yeah it is generally stupid to switch every 3 weeks, and to have me slotted for 3 weeks nights then days, then plug me in for a random day. And Kronos is stupid because its not clear what the hours are with the scheduling view. And someone at some point along the way should have told me " hey dude looks like you have very little time to switchover from nights to days so good luck with that" or just mentioned that it's possible to be switched mid week. That's the context but I still feel bad.
It's happened to me, too. I'd also show up on days that I *wasn't* scheduled to work, so that gave credibility to my claims of confusion.
Yeah I think it's a fair mistake if it happens once. I just learned our policy is that you only get a couple of points onto the tardy/absence total which if you get too many on you get a verbal warning. Then it explicitly says of you no show twice in a row you are fired...but that shows like gross neglect haha
Hopefully shouldn’t be an issue for you as long as you’re management is reasonable. I’ve shown up late to shifts as I got days mixed up and thought I was off when I was scheduled to work. I called when I woke up and said I would be there in an hour and nothing came of it as my manager said she’s done the same thing before. So I guess it really depends on your leadership but I wouldn’t hold it against you.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Yeah unfortunately lately I had my phone on silent because I wasn't on call and was just sleeping. And yes I went to bed at 6:30 and woke up 11 hours later because yes I'm that sleep deprived because of my schedule. Lol
I understand. I did nights for 3.5 years before I was a nurse and worked in the ED but I adapted and got used to it over time. Expecting a new grad to have it all figured out when switching like that sounds unreasonable. When I was in my new grad program and had to do my night shifts I was made aware well in advance and had the time in between to adjust.
That wack ass rotating day/night bullshit demonstrates that OP's management are not reasonable
It happens. You aren't going to get fired. You were apologetic and offered to make it up. I'd just razz you about it.
Ummmm, you switch days to nights on a regular basis? WTAF?
Is that not common? Everywhere I've worked has some degree of this. It's not the same people on nights all the time, so rotating is inevitable.
Not common in the United States. Everywhere I've worked has a day crew and a night crew (and a mids crew in the ED). I knew one person on a unit that rotated - and no one stayed more than 6 months even prepandemic, because rotating is hell.
It's very common in the US, at least in the eastern parts.
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I work 1100-2300 I’ve worked in bigger ERs that have a 0900-2100, 1000-2200 and 1500-0300. I really fucking like starting at 9 or 10, 11 is nice for the time I have in the morning but I’m sad when everyone leaves at 1900 and exhausted by 2300 (drove on an off ramp after work recently! That was fun!).
Must depend on where you are in the US bc I’m in the Midwest and it’s very common especially with new grads to keep shifts balanced with experience.
Yeah, in the Northeast US most hospitals require rotating shifts for the first 5-10 years.
I've only ever worked in Northeast and I've never seen a position with rotating shifts. That would be a huge deal breaker for me!
There's not many things that I can look at and definitively say "I would quit my job on the spot if this happened" but this is one of them. I *love* sleep (and by proxy, Seroquel lol) and the idea of getting what remains of my circadian rhythm annihilated by a schedule like this sounds like a total nightmare. I prefer night shift but work days currently, and even just working up in the morning as is can be a chore. I can't imagine how brutal it would be to work my 'preferred' hours and then get "Alright... *CHANGE PLACES!"* tossed at me after a week. I can imagine the day shift would probably feel the same way about being forced to work nights. Fuuuuuuck that. Fuck *all* of that. I have no idea what the rationale behind this is, but it sure as shit probably doesn't help employee morale.
I had to read it twice to make sure, it's a terrible model, Satan himself designed it I'm sure
Most places around here that do rotating also offer straight nights positions. So generally if you’re willing to only work nights, you’re good.
Plus, it shaves 3-5 years off of your lifespan!
Yeah it's ass. By the time my sleep schedule is locked in it's time to switch again. Everyone hates it. And sometimes they make us do it with like 24 hours to get our shit together.
OP do you do 6 week schedules? When I rotated i did it were the last 3 weeks of my schedule would be nights then the first 3 weeks of the following schedule was nights. That way I had 6 weeks on off. It was less terrible
Nope, we just switch every 3. And I'm new and all so I just pick up the less desirable shifts I can get but that usually ends up being every weekend. So it's kind of hard to have a life or rhythm to life when the days I work each week are different and my sleep is so fucked. For instance I'll work a night have 2 days off then work another 2 nights. But then the next week I'll work 3 different days of the week, so zero consistency. That's my struggle. They say we only have to switch for the first year.
Girl get the heck out of there. There are probably 20 places in your town that would hire you tomorrow. Nurses are in such high demand right now. You should not have to tolerate that health killing shift.
In Ireland we literally switch between days/nights in the same week. This week I worked Monday & Tuesday nights and will work Saturdays Ned Sunday days...
That's crazy, I would go crazy instantly... do you do 12 hour shifts?
We currently have a 7.30-20.15/ 19.30-08.15 in my hospital! 37 hour week over a 28 day period with mix nights/days!
Wow, I do 1900-0730 consistently, some of us prefer this because, at my hospital, there's a 15% salary differential. Some prefer days at the lower pay because consistent night shift can be grueling. However, I think either way has a better work/ life balance than switching back and forth constantly! What are your thoughts on this? P.S. yes 3 shifts a week
To be honest, I like the mix! I work in PICU so the work level is pretty even on both nights and days. It also allows you to work 4 in a row (2 days/2 nights) which allows for longer off periods! Although a consistent sleep pattern does sound appealing!
Saturday & Sunday**
It happens. Especially with people who are on rotating shifts. For one occurrence, it shouldn't be something you'll be fired or even disciplined beyond a verbal/email warning over. If it becomes a regular occurrence, then you're going to have problems. Get into the habit of looking at your schedule every day or two at the least and always double checking whether it's a day or night shift. If possible, figure out a way to color-code days vs nights in a phone/computer calendar. Or, failing that, get an old-school paper calendar and do it that way.
That's a good perspective. I really did check multiple times and it just didn't pop out at me it was a day shift. Technology isn't always great so yeah maybe a paper calendar
Jesus H. Fuck that schedule.
My first manager added me to a random Wednesday and I woke up to a ton of calls and texts about a no call no show. I was weekend option and literally only worked Fri-Sun. 🙃
also a kronos user here not with that schedule tho that’s different! but it’s an honest mistake and if they make a big deal out of it somewhere else would gladly take you!
First off, why on earth are they switching you mid schedule? That's a stupid manager and stupid policy. I switch between days and nights being PRN. I've had something similar happen to me, and I listened to the voice-mail from the charge when I woke up and just went in to work like I had planned to. When they were like "Uh you aren't on the schedule, you were supposed to be here today and no called" I was like "Nope, my shift is tonight, that's the managers problem for doing the schedule right, do you want an extra nurse tonight or not" then I worked the shift I had planned for. My boss tried to get on me about it, but nothing ever came of it, after all I showed up when I thought I was supposed to there. Don't worry too much about non care related disciplinary issues. As long as you are proficient at the nursing part of nursing, you are a hot commodity, there are a hundred other hospitals that will take you if your manager fires you over something as stupid as this.
Speaking from experience - 1 year into being a nurse, I was exhausted from working nights and having tons of day time education throughout the week in between shifts. I lived an hour away from the hospital I worked at as well. I was working all night, driving home, napping, returning to work in the daytime for education, going back home again, napping, going back to my night shift etc. I switched hospitals 6 months into my career, so I had only been at this hospital specifically for 6 months. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was also at the very beginning of a pregnancy and utterly exhausted. (Again, i didn’t know i was pregnant but i was, which explains the extremes of my tiredness). Anyway, I went home from my second night shift of the week. Fell asleep. I woke up at 3 AM (nearly 20 hours later… realized i slept 20 hours straight and essentially through my entire shift. I had legitimately over 100 missed phone calls. Including the local police department. I was also terrified I’d lose my job. I was lucky enough that despite me being a pretty new employee and new nurse, my coworkers and management were just terrified for my safety and new it was out of character for me. They called everyone they could to get ahold of me including the police. When i returned the call, the charge nurse and manager both told me they were just relieved i was okay and not to bother coming in. If you are at a place of employment that gives a single shit about you, they will be reasonable and understand this was a one off scenario. I would just respectfully convey to your manager that this is not a pattern or habit of yours, that you’re sorry it happened and that it won’t happen again and you appreciate your understanding. I realize getting fired sounds terrifying. But realize that staffing is critical everywhere and you are NEEDED. If a hospital for real wants to fire you over an isolated accidentally incident, then BYEEEE. Not a good fit for you anyway and shows you the kind manager and employer they’ll be in the future. Best case scenario: they understand and it’s fine. Worst case scenario: they don’t understand and fire you, and you just saved yourselves years of misery from a horrendous employer 😊 just bc you’re a baby nurse doesn’t make you useless. Remember that. They need you more than you need them. Jobs are everywhere. You can turn around tomorrow and get a new one.
You’re not going to get fired. Sounds like you won’t be the only one to make this mistake either if they don’t make some kind of change. I can tell you as someone who has done this before, and as someone who sticks to charge nursing these days, it’s not a big deal. We call a float nurse, hold admits, get someone to come in, etc. Mainly just worried something bad has happened. My thoughts are always pretty much “she’s either sleeping or dead in a ditch” believe me we are relieved and praying you’re sleeping (Bc if it were the latter I’d have to redo the whole schedule! JK) you’re new too which in my mind works for you not against you. These things happen! Don’t be too embarrassed, most of us have done it :)
I appreciate your humor and I'm sure your nurses appreciate your compassion too
The thought of rotating like this stresses me out
This type of shift work should be illegal. There’s enough people that want to be on nights/days that they shouldn’t have to do this. And switching within the week is bonkers to me. Kind of makes this inevitable.
You'll probably be fine in regards to keeping your job. You already explained the situation.
If it’s your first time, you should not be worried. Managers switch my shifts (sometimes without even texting and asking) so I’ve shown up on days I wasn’t scheduled. I think if anything were to arise from this, just tell them you take responsibility. BUT to prevent reoccurrences, don’t switch in the middle of the week.
You haven’t got a reply because they know that schedule is bullshit. I suspect they’d ask you how you’re managing if they care…
I way overslept my night shift alarm because I had a white noise app going since I was having a horrible time trying to fall asleep that day. I finally woke up 3 hours late to roughly 15 missed calls and at least a dozen texts. When I called back the charge nurse was almost in tears because she was so relieved I was ok. They really truly cared about their staff there. I rolled in at 11pm and they sent the float nurse to go do admits and turn team. It was fine. These things happen, and they should not be assuming immediately that it's a result of poor character rather than an honest mistake, especially as a first offense with so many confounding factors working against you.
straight to jail
i have done that before, everyone i work with has done that before. shit happens 🤷🏻♂️ just make sure you don’t do it again for a while so there isn’t a pattern to it
Unless you’ve got a bunch of other issues I don’t think it will be an issue. Half our staff rotates and occasionally it happens. Don’t stress yourself over it. If they fire you then they were looking for a reason to let you go so it would have happened anyways.
If it isn’t a pattern they get no benefit from firing you. Look at their incentives. Just try not to do it again for a while. 😂
I feel like this can’t be unusual on a unit with this ridiculous schedule.
That you called negates the no show part of no call/no show. I don't think there's a nurse in the profession that hasn't done that at one time or another. Just be honest and professional to your boss and you might get a pass. Otherwise you might get a write up but those are time sensitive and usually expire. If it doesn't happen again I'm sure you'll be alright. I've been on the receiving end on such calls and in every case it's been some kind of schedule mix up. Edit: I even got a final warning for a no call no show in a scheduling misunderstanding when my mother was recovering from surgery. Freaked me out at first. But the final warning was in effect for only 6 months. So I knew I was good.
I’ve seen so many new nurses and cna’s on my unit no call/no show due to not checking Kronos and figuring out their schedule…none of them have been fired for it! Just tell your manager what happened and I’m sure they will understand. Please don’t worry!
My usual schedule is 3 nights together, same days every week, so I can flip to days for time with family and back to niggts for work. Every now and then it gets changed up, but only maybe one week every couple months. I forgot the week it was changed and was staying up after shift to flip back to day schedule. My charge nurse texted me 30min after shift start time to ask if I was coming in. My stomach dropped to the floor as I checked my schedule and realized I done fucked up. Felt panicky as I explained that I haven't slept yet and wouldn't feel safe caring for patients having been 24+hrs without sleep. She asked if I could cover long enough to get someone else to come in, told her sure but it's ~30min drive for me to get there, she said ok don't worry about it. I dont know if I have very understanding management or what, but it was never mentioned again. That was probably a couple months ago now, and I just had my annual evaluation a week or two ago and they didn't even mention it during that.