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Nurses -how did you deal with Shabbos
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:12 am
I am applying to a NY area hospital. I'm wondering how and when you recommend I mention that I cannot work on Shabbos. They asked about working every other weekend and I said sure but I haven't had my in person interview yet and not sure how to bring it up without ruining my chances at employment.

Thanks!
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abound




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:30 am
Maybe offer to work every sunday and major holidays instead. Also saturday night shifts.
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amother
Midnight


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:38 am
It is going to be difficult. I am a nurse and in the USA it was tough to get a hospital job because of this. Now I am in Israel and all of us work on Shabbat, so it's the total opposite.

Best advice is to be honest but wait until you have an offer. You will likely need to work every Sunday instead of two weekends a month. Definitely a challenge.
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:41 am
That's what I'm worried about... I know there are frum nurses out there that make it work but I'm guessing it depends on the mood of the person interviewing you if they want to put in that effort to make it work..
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amother
Pansy


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:46 am
I work in Healthcare in the US. I don't know anyone who had a problem with shabbos. Sat night. Sundays and holidays usually works.
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amother
Midnight


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:47 am
Yes and no. The hospital has to be staffed so it's a delicate game of balancing the needs of the units and respecting religious and personal needs.
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amother
SandyBrown


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:49 am
My mother is a nurse. She works per diem so she gets to pick her schedule (which is always full). She works every Sunday and on all legal holidays. The only downside of working per diem is that there are no benefits. The pay is slightly better though (time and a half for holidays..)
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amother
Topaz


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 7:51 am
amother Pansy wrote:
I work in Healthcare in the US. I don't know anyone who had a problem with shabbos. Sat night. Sundays and holidays usually works.


I have lost multiple job opportunities because of Shabbos. I am not the only one either- by far. It definitely exists. You’re just very fortunate.
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nursemom1




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 8:01 am
Hi! I'm a nurse in the NY area. For my current job, I had to do two interviews. I mentioned that I cannot work Fridays at sundown until Saturday evening in my first interview when the interviewer mentioned weekends. She knew exactly what I was talking about and said that the hospital can accommodate it, but it may not work with every unit. She told me to make sure I mention it to the unit manager at my second interview. My manager said it was fine and here I am Smile I have a feeling it may be easier in NYC as they all have heard of Shabbos and won't think you are crazy for even asking. I personally know shomer shabbos nurses at Mount Sinai Manhattan and Brooklyn, NYU Manhattan and Brooklyn, Maimonides, South Nassau etc. I honestly have never met a frum nurse who works outpatient for the sole reason that no hospital would hire them. If you want to work at a hospital, definitely apply. I would think every hospital in NYC has heard of shabbos and it won't hurt to ask. It may be harder to explain in other parts of the country where people have never met a frum jew.
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nursemom1




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 8:04 am
Also, remember that a lot of hospitals are short staffed these days and it has become easier to get a hospital job than it was in the past. This probably makes them more likely to accommodate nurses with specific schedules as they really need nurses.
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amother
DarkGreen


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 10:24 am
In England, so may not be comparable, but my sister is a nurse, and some years ago applied for a very specific position. They invited her for an interview at 17:00 Friday afternoon in December. She had to phone up and explain that she couldn't come to an interview at that time, for religious reasons. They were quite interested, and invited her to come Friday morning instead, but she put down the phone and said, 'I've lost that job.'

She went to the interview, more for the experience than because she thought she had any hope of getting the job. Obviously she explained her limitations in terms of Shabbos and chagim during the course if the interview. She came home even more interested in the job, and even more convinced that she had no hope of getting it.

Five minutes Shabbos the phone rang offering her the job. (They even gave Chanukah off, since it was listed on the calendar as a jewish holiday, so they just automatically didn't give her shifts then. She decided not to explain the difference between Chanukah and Yom Kippur...)

There are jobs around, and if you're meant t to get one you will. Sometimes it might not be easy though.
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amother
Wandflower


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 10:27 am
Quote:
I have lost multiple job opportunities because of Shabbos. I am not the only one either- by far. It definitely exists. You’re just very fortunate.

Where I live, out of the tri-state area, it is almost impossible to get a job in a hospital if you won't work Shabbos. There aren't too many Jews here, so the concept is very foreign, and it is unheard of to ask for such an accommodation. I have numerous friends that could not get a job because of this.
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doodlesmom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 10:29 am
My sister works in Lutheran.
She works every Sunday to make up for the Friday Shabbos weekend days that she can’t work.
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dochesed




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 10:36 am
Surprisingly, the only place I had an issue with it was in my frum neighborhood. I did get the job and had to work every Sunday instead.
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amother
RosePink


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 11:56 am
I'm a nurse and I had a very hard time finding a hospital job. I ended up going back to school and becoming an NP and I work a regular 8-5 office job.

The nurses I know who got jobs had some kind of connection.

Also managers in NYC aren't stupid and can tell from your name and appearance if shabbos will be an issue. They might not say anything to your face, you'll just never get a call back.
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 12:54 pm
My whole family are nurses. In the tri-state area, they're pretty hard up for nurses, so there's nothing to worry about.

If I were you, I wouldn't even mention it on the interview. Once they hire you, they have to accommodate religious observance. On the other hand, you have to be prepared to work erev yom tov, you'd probably be put on the night shift for a hospital for a while, and you have a hard time getting the PTO you want. Pesach always falls out around Easter, so everyone wants that time off.

Sometimes, we would arrange to come to work an hour late to the shift so that we could come Saturday night when shift starts when it's still shabbos.

Hospital jobs are hard, because they demand a lot, and you can't request PTO far in advance for yom tov days that you know are coming. They also cap it for a given month, so if all the yamim tovim wind up in September, it's harder.

But there are tons of nursing jobs that are more accommodating. Nursing homes are desperate for nurses, but that's like boot camp for the uninitiated. Doctors offices are harder to come by, because people want those jobs. They also pay less, typically. You can also work for the school district, and that's a really awesome job, but also for less pay. You can do home health, there's plenty of agencies.

And speaking of agencies, if you're smart, you should work for one. Agency work is big right now, because hospitals can't keep staff. You get more money than if you'd work for the hospital directly, but in return, you don't get benefits, which may not matter if your spouse has health insurance for the family. You also get more say in your hours and when you can work. So I would go to an agency!

And finally, being a traveling nurse is very attractive if you're single. They pay for your apartment, and you get a lot more money, and they pay for moving costs, etc. The downside is that you have to keep switching jobs.
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amother
Wandflower


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 12:57 pm
Quote:
Once they hire you, they have to accommodate religious observance.

My DH is not a nurse, but a medical professional.
We spoke to someone in the Agudah office and a lawyer and unfortunately this is 1000% false in the medical field.
They can fire you and discriminate against you for not working Shabbos to their hearts content and you have no legal leg to stand on
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nursemom1




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 1:19 pm
I disagree with the advice not to say anything in the interview. This seems to me a bad way to start off a new job, and the manager may rightfully not be so fond of you. If you live in NYC, I see no reason not to say anything in the interview! There are shomer shabbos nurses in probably every hospital. As I said before, I have never met a nurse in NYC that couldn't get a hospital job if they wanted. Apply to as many hospitals as possible and you should be able to find a position that can accommodate you.
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amother
Tangerine


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 1:31 pm
A few years back when I had a babu I had a jewish nurse during my stay through shabbos. I don't know how she did it but boy did she make my day, my year. With no phone calls she was a normal sensible live person to talk to.
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amother
Babyblue


 

Post Thu, Oct 27 2022, 1:51 pm
amother Wandflower wrote:
Quote:
Once they hire you, they have to accommodate religious observance.

My DH is not a nurse, but a medical professional.
We spoke to someone in the Agudah office and a lawyer and unfortunately this is 1000% false in the medical field.
They can fire you and discriminate against you for not working Shabbos to their hearts content and you have no legal leg to stand on


I mean, maybe. But everywhere where I worked they understood that a religious holiday was a reason to request PTO. Sometimes, they asked us to find someone willing to switch shifts. And since x-mas and Thanksgiving and New Years were all considered holiday work with time and a half, with no comparable offer for my religious needs, that was considered enough for the union rep.
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