What you get

• 20 days paid vacation per year as a regular full-time RN.
• 25 days per year after 5 years of employment.
• You can request 10 vacation days after just 6 months on the job.
• Part-time nurses get prorated time.
• Vacation days are not cumulative. Use them within your anniversary year or you lose them.

When the year runs

• The vacation year is January 1 through December 31.
• Vacation requests filed after December 1 for the next year are first-come, first-served — not by seniority.
• That December 1 deadline is the seniority cutoff. If you have seniority on your unit, file before December 1 to use it.

How scheduling actually works

• At least one nurse per unit per shift is allowed off on vacation at all times of year. That floor is in your contract. Management cannot deny vacation by claiming "no one can be off" — your unit always has at least one slot.
• Full weeks beat partial weeks. If two nurses request the same week and one is asking for a full week and the other for two days, the full week wins.
• You get a written answer within 14 days of submitting a request.
• Your scheduled vacation must appear on the posted work schedule.

The summer pick (Memorial Day → week after Labor Day)

• A formula determines how many RNs per unit per shift can be off each week during the prime summer period. It's based on the schedule grid and the staffing budget.
• The list goes in seniority order. Most senior nurse on the unit picks first. Once they pick, the list moves to the next senior nurse, and so on.
• When the number of weeks available equals the number of nurses still picking, picks are limited to one week per nurse so everyone gets summer time.
• Maximum two consecutive weeks of vacation in the summer period — or three weeks if you have more than 5 years of seniority.
• Management cannot reduce the formula "in an arbitrary or capricious manner." That's contract language. If your manager cuts the number of summer slots without a written reason tied to actual staffing needs, that's a grievable change.

Single days

• You can request up to 5 single vacation days per year.
• Single-day requests must be made before the schedule is posted.
• Single-day pay shows up on your next paycheck after the vacation — not in advance.

Holidays + vacation

• If a recognized hospital holiday falls during your scheduled vacation, you get an extra vacation day added to your bank.

Vacation pay in advance

• Request it 4 weeks before vacation starts and the hospital pays you for the vacation period before you leave. Useful if you're planning a trip.

What to do on your unit

1. Know your seniority. Ask your delegate to confirm where you sit on the seniority list for your unit.
2. File summer requests early. Before the seniority pick opens. Get on the list.
3. File all non-summer vacation by December 1. After December 1 it's first-come, first-served — your seniority stops working for you.
4. Get the answer in writing within 14 days. If you don't get a written response, escalate to your delegate.
5. If your unit's summer formula gets cut, ask for the written reason. "Arbitrary or capricious" reductions are grievable. Make management justify any reduction.