Hospital Pharmacy and Working on Holidays

[Sparda29]

So I took a gander at the schedule and it seems that I'm slotted to work nearly almost every upcoming holiday. Is this how it is at most hospitals? The new guy has to work the holidays?

I don't really celebrate the holidays, but it's nice to have the day off when your buddies are out in the city or hanging out, meanwhile you're stuck at work. I guess the double pay is nice though.

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[Its Z]

Call in sick. Get you uncle to write u a note.

 

[BidingMyTime]

I don't know if it's anything new, every hospital I've worked at, staffing was short enough that most people were working nearly every holiday (generally 2 out of every 3 holidays)

 

[rxlea]

We rotate holidays. Six paid holidays, you work 3. But what holiday you work changes yearly. So Christmas off last year? You work it ths year.

You're getting screwed

 

[mustang sally]

But be glad that you're getting double pay. Not everyone does!

 

[Sparda29]

Call in sick. Get you uncle to write u a note.

Ehh, I like accruing sick days and vacation days to cash out. What I don't understand is how there is no "unpaid time off". Like if I wanna go to ASHP and spend the whole week in Vegas, they told me I'd have to use up my vacation/personal days and I'd get paid for it. But, I don't wanna use my vacation on that. Why can't I just ask the other pharmacists if they wanna cover my shifts for me that week?

I don't mind working on any holiday other than Memorial Day and Independence Day, since I go traveling on those weekends every year.

 

[Sparda29]

I don't know if it's anything new, every hospital I've worked at, staffing was short enough that most people were working nearly every holiday (generally 2 out of every 3 holidays)

My hospital is pretty well staffed (as in we have about 20 pharmacists and 10 techs in total, a few like me are full-timers, others are part-timers, and others are per-diem).

 

[sde780]

We rotate weekends/holidays too, but are somewhat short staffed

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I would just ask what the policy for holidays is (rotation, seniority) or check your employee handbook.

Most grown up jobs don't permit unpaid time off, unless it's FMLA. At least not most jobs I've held.

 

[PumpkinSmasher]

I lucked out at my hospital, I do not work any of the 10 paid holidays.😉 The pharmacists who do work holidays rotate evenly, not based on seniority.

 

[spacecowgirl]

We also rotate holidays. Once again, my schedule is awesome👍

 

[confettiflyer]

We also rotate, I only work one winter holiday upcoming... and I volunteered for it so my coresidents can take flights home.

Most people volunteer (extra pay is nice), but if there ever was a conflict we have a seniority/last holiday worked system in place.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Ehh, I like accruing sick days and vacation days to cash out. What I don't understand is how there is no "unpaid time off".

]

Which is what businesses want to avoid, they DON'T want people accruing sick days & vacation days to cash out, especially when they carry them over for years. As the person gets raises and their pay rate goes up, those days are more costly to the business. So businesses want to encourage people not to save up too many.

Every place I've worked at required that all vacation & sick days be used before FMLA, and that FMLA be used before applying for non-mandated unpaid time off. Most places do have a process where someone can apply for non-mandated unpaid time off, but only after vacation, sick days, & FMLA have been exhausted.

 

[Momus]

]

Which is what businesses want to avoid, they DON'T want people accruing sick days & vacation days to cash out, especially when they carry them over for years. As the person gets raises and their pay rate goes up, those days are more costly to the business. So businesses want to encourage people not to save up too many.

Every place I've worked at required that all vacation & sick days be used before FMLA, and that FMLA be used before applying for non-mandated unpaid time off. Most places do have a process where someone can apply for non-mandated unpaid time off, but only after vacation, sick days, & FMLA have been exhausted.

I think this is stupid to not let anyone accruing sick days or vacation. I haven't gotten sick for the last 4 years+... if it's use it or lose it, I am just going to call in sick 1 week straight every year and they will have another pharmacist to cover my shift. Either I get paid unused sick/vacation days or someone else get paid working my shift. Same dollar loss in the end. I don't understand the logic.

 

[CUninja]

I think this is stupid to not let anyone accruing sick days or vacation. I haven't gotten sick for the last 4 years+... if it's use it or lose it, I am just going to call in sick 1 week straight every year and they will have another pharmacist to cover my shift. Either I get paid unused sick/vacation days or someone else get paid working my shift. Same dollar loss in the end. I don't understand the logic.

Not the same $ loss in the end....what businesses are trying to avoid is an employee banking sick and vacation days for later in their career when they theoretically should be making a higher wage. The days are not paid out until the time of use, not based upon the wage they were given at but at the wage the person is currently at.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I volunteer to work because its double pay plus holiday pay. Imagine if you got paid 2.5x regular pay on some random Tuesday in February. That's pretty much Christmas for me. It's awesome. I'll work that night...see NOBODY...get off...go to a Chinese buffet for lunch...then roll over to the movieplex and catch Django Unchained. I'm looking forward to it. When I was single, I used to like to go out by myself on Christmas Eve at like 2AM. Literally me, alone...the world to myself. Like the world ended and I was the only dude left. Total peace. Tell your family to **** off one year an do it. It's beautiful isolation. Especially if its snowing.

I still ate the season, though. However, I've realized that Christmas itself isn't that bad. It's the month long LEAD UP to Christmas that pisses me off so much. **** all of you and your cult's insistence in taking 1/12th of my year away. Come up with some new songs, too, dammit. Jingle my balls.

 

[Momus]

Not the same $ loss in the end....what businesses are trying to avoid is an employee banking sick and vacation days for later in their career when they theoretically should be making a higher wage. The days are not paid out until the time of use, not based upon the wage they were given at but at the wage the person is currently at.

Splitting hairs on 3% raises, they rather have someone totally lie to their face pretending I cough so hard and get a flu/bloody diarrhea/stomach virus than letting me work... Scrambling to find someone who does not work more than 40 h/week at the last minute to cover my shifts... when they can't find someone to work, they have to pay another full time pharmacist OT 1.5 pay? Yeah, I call that penny wise and pound foolish.

 

[KARM12]

Our staff pharmacists rotate holidays...they work 3/6 per yr.

Another place I worked made each pharmacist work 1 major and 1 minor holiday...choosing those was based on senority...if you were the new guy, you were pretty much working Christmas and 4th of July for the first couple yrs.

 

[njac]

I always work holidays. My family is far away, I don't have kids, and you want to pay me time and a half to work a slower day? **** yeah!

 

[Ackj]

Wherever I've worked, it just follows the regular schedule. If you were supposed to work Tuesday, and that Tuesday is Christmas, you're working. If that Tuesday was your day off, you're off.

I agree that unpaid time off should be allowed, but I can understand them wanting you to use your paid ones first. If you're letting them know in advance, they should prefer that to you calling 30 minutes before your shift saying "I don't feel good, get somebody to cover for me."

 

[Sparda29]

Wherever I've worked, it just follows the regular schedule. If you were supposed to work Tuesday, and that Tuesday is Christmas, you're working. If that Tuesday was your day off, you're off.

I agree that unpaid time off should be allowed, but I can understand them wanting you to use your paid ones first. If you're letting them know in advance, they should prefer that to you calling 30 minutes before your shift saying "I don't feel good, get somebody to cover for me."

Yeah, like the rule is that you must request time off before the schedule is posted. For full-timers, we all know our regular schedule. I'm off one weekday every week, and I work every other weekend. And I know which weekday I'm off on. Now the problem comes in when say your friends call you and say, hey we're going to Atlantic City this weekend, wanna come along? What's the problem with calling the per diems to see if they can cover.

 

[SHC1984]

Ehh, I like accruing sick days and vacation days to cash out. What I don't understand is how there is no "unpaid time off". Like if I wanna go to ASHP and spend the whole week in Vegas, they told me I'd have to use up my vacation/personal days and I'd get paid for it. But, I don't wanna use my vacation on that. Why can't I just ask the other pharmacists if they wanna cover my shifts for me that week?

I don't mind working on any holiday other than Memorial Day and Independence Day, since I go traveling on those weekends every year.

I agree with this. I think we should be able to take off as many days UNPAID as we want to.

If I am NOT getting paid, then I am on my own time not someone else's time...so I should be able to take off as many days as I want to.

I also love LONG vacations and beaches so I may have bias view!

To me I just don't think it's a big deal if I don't get paid a few days or weeks if I am doing something fun for myself. Job is just a source of income not my life.

 

[confettiflyer]

I agree with this. I think we should be able to take off as many days UNPAID as we want to.

If I am NOT getting paid, then I am on my own time not someone else's time...so I should be able to take off as many days as I want to.

I also love LONG vacations and beaches so I may have bias view!

To me I just don't think it's a big deal if I don't get paid a few days or weeks if I am doing something fun for myself. Job is just a source of income not my life.

Then you get into that murky territory of benefits and qualifications if you fall below X # of hours or something.

The hospital/company still has a carrying cost whether you take unpaid vacation or not. It's still paying life insurance, healthcare, etc....

Different if you're a per diem/on call person where your carrying cost is practically nil, but if you're an 0.7-1.0 FTE unpaid time off can raise issues.

 

[Sparda29]

Then you get into that murky territory of benefits and qualifications if you fall below X # of hours or something.

The hospital/company still has a carrying cost whether you take unpaid vacation or not. It's still paying life insurance, healthcare, etc....

Different if you're a per diem/on call person where your carrying cost is practically nil, but if you're an 0.7-1.0 FTE unpaid time off can raise issues.

Speaking of hours. My hospital has a weird policy about hours. You must clock out within 7 minutes of your shift ending, if you clock out late, you don't get paid for the extra time you stayed there. I don't wanna just run out of the hospital the second the clock strikes 11PM without letting the next pharmacist know about any issues and completing any work I haven't completed yet, but if I'm not gonna get paid for it...

 

[confettiflyer]

Speaking of hours. My hospital has a weird policy about hours. You must clock out within 7 minutes of your shift ending, if you clock out late, you don't get paid for the extra time you stayed there. I don't wanna just run out of the hospital the second the clock strikes 11PM without letting the next pharmacist know about any issues and completing any work I haven't completed yet, but if I'm not gonna get paid for it...

That's illegal in California, on-clock time is paid whether it's authorized by a supervisor or not. Surprised that's not the case in NY.

That said your hospital policy probably says "get out before you incur OT, patients be damned."

7 minutes is usually chosen because it rounds to the nearest quarter hour that way. Clocking out at 11:07 rounds to 11pm while 11:08 rounds to 11:15pm incurring 0.25 hours of pay.

I remember playing with the time clock at my old job that way as a technician. I'd leave at 5:24pm and be paid as though I left 5:30pm.

 

[awval999]

Speaking of hours. My hospital has a weird policy about hours. You must clock out within 7 minutes of your shift ending, if you clock out late, you don't get paid for the extra time you stayed there. I don't wanna just run out of the hospital the second the clock strikes 11PM without letting the next pharmacist know about any issues and completing any work I haven't completed yet, but if I'm not gonna get paid for it...

I mean you're a salaried medical professional. If you wanna count minutes and whine when you're five minutes over just go work in a factory. I mean seriously?

 

[confettiflyer]

I mean you're a salaried medical professional. If you wanna count minutes and whine when you're five minutes over just go work in a factory. I mean seriously?

Non-management pharmacists are mandated hourly in California as of 1/1/2000 (and probably NY too).

 

[Sparda29]

I mean you're a salaried medical professional. If you wanna count minutes and whine when you're five minutes over just go work in a factory. I mean seriously?

I get paid hourly, if I'm salaried I wouldn't have to clock in and out.

 

[njac]

I get paid hourly, if I'm salaried I wouldn't have to clock in and out.

Some places have salaried employees clock in and out to prove attendance.

 

[awval999]

Non-management pharmacists are mandated hourly in California as of 1/1/2000 (and probably NY too).

Of course they would be in Cali and NY.

My apologies.

 

[pharm B]

Some places have salaried employees clock in and out to prove attendance.

That takes all the fun out of it.

 

[nguyenulm]

Speaking of hours. My hospital has a weird policy about hours. You must clock out within 7 minutes of your shift ending, if you clock out late, you don't get paid for the extra time you stayed there. I don't wanna just run out of the hospital the second the clock strikes 11PM without letting the next pharmacist know about any issues and completing any work I haven't completed yet, but if I'm not gonna get paid for it...

Sounds like you work for an HCA hospital. I have to follow the same policy. Its stupid.

 

[Sparda29]

Sounds like you work for an HCA hospital. I have to follow the same policy. Its stupid.

What is a HCA hospital?

 

[Its Z]

HCA is the largest hospital chain in the US. In the world too I think.

7 minute rule isn't about the company. Its to normalize the inconsistencies employees clocking in and out. Regardless of the rule you are expected to clock in and out as you're scheduled per your policy.

 

[njac]

Everywhere I worked had the 7 minute rule. But I've never heard the unpaid part. We can get written up for overtime if we don't clock out by 7 after.

 

[smercer]

I remember playing with the time clock at my old job that way as a technician. I'd leave at 5:24pm and be paid as though I left 5:30pm.

We can clock in/out up to 7 min before or after our scheduled time. Hence, if you clock in 7 minutes early and clock out 7 minutes late, then you can get 14 extra minutes a day. Does not seem like much, but assuming you work 10 out of every 14 days, then that is 140 extra minutes. Pretty much you would get 2 extra hours of pay every check. That would cover a decent bit of gas cost for communting at a pharmacist salary.