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5 Perks Nurses Working On Holidays Get

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By Rozzette Cabrera, R.N.

Working on a holiday can sound dreadful, especially if you’re the only one in the family who gets to miss the celebration. However, not everything about holiday work is bad news. As a matter of fact, there are some perks only nurses working on holidays get.

Still not convince? Here are five benefits you’ll get if you aren’t asked to take the holidays off.

1. You get to skip cooking

There are tons of ways nurses can celebrate the holidays in the hospital without having to cook or even clean afterward. You can dress up, decorate your station or send notes to your patients and co-workers.

A lot of health care facilities provide free meals to their employees during special occasions. If your facility doesn’t have this tradition, you can always resort to getting your food delivered.

“The unit was extra busy last Thanksgiving. We were able to finish most of the tasks almost an hour or two before midnight. Even though we were busy, we just can’t afford to let the day end without celebrating. So, we got boxes of pizza delivered. No tasty turkey. Just delicious pizzas,” a 3-year ward nurse shared.

2. You get paid double

This is probably one of the things nurses working on holidays are looking forward to. You can spend the extra pay to treat yourself or buy your loved ones something special. You can also use the money to open that savings account you’ve been planning for months already.

Getting paid double is only one of the perks of working during holidays.
Getting paid double is only one of the perks of working during holidays.

“I’m not going to lie, but I happily agree to work on holidays because of the double pay. Plus, my family is overseas, so I don’t have special people I can celebrate the day with at home,” an ER nurse shyly admitted.

3. You get to be there for your patients

Working during a holiday doesn’t mean you’ll be in the hospital for 24 hours. You can still find a way to celebrate the occasion before or after your shift. Your patients, however, need to stay in the hospital for a longer time. They feel lonelier and more dreadful because of this.

Patients, like nurses, feel negatively about being in the hospital during holidays.
Patients, like nurses, feel negative about being in the hospital during holidays.

Instead of sulking, find a way to uplift your patients’ spirit. You can do small acts of kindness to make sure they still feel valuable despite being confined in the hospital. You can give them genuine compliments or just share a warm smile when you talk to them. These little things can seem invaluable to other people, but they can surely make a positive impact in the way your patients feel.

4. You get to know your co-workers more

Since you’ll be spending a special occasion with your colleagues, you’ll probably learn a thing or two about how they celebrate their holidays. On a regular shift, these topics aren’t likely to cross your mind since you’ll be too focused on working and finishing your tasks.

“Last Christmas, one of my co-nurses gave special handcrafted gifts to my kids. She said it had been her family’s tradition to give handmade angel figurines to children during Christmas. Unfortunately, her children had to spend the holidays at their grandparents’ house in another town and can’t be with them because of work. I ended up inviting her to my house after our shift,” an ICU nurse said.

5. You get to be reminded of your blessings

One reason you’re in the hospital is that of work. Other people get to stay in the hospital because they’re sick or someone they love is ill. Take the occasion as an opportunity for you to be thankful for your blessings. Be grateful that you have a job and that you’re able to share a part of your day with them.

How do you feel about working during holidays? Do you receive anything special during your special shift?

Rozzette Cabrera is a registered nurse pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a professional writer. She spent a few years putting her profession into practice until she decided to take her chances with freelance writing over a year ago. Her life has never been the same since then.

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