I agree with what a pp mentioned about "paying dues". When you work with this type of system, you spend years slugging it through the crappiest schedules. You won't always get what you want, and you won't always have people pick up your shifts. I recall for about nine years straight, through most of my twenties and into my thirties, I had to work New Years Eve. Never had even one off. When I finally started getting some off, I wanted that time. If someone new came along and asked me to work their NYE, I might well have said no. There were also years that I worked all three winter and all three summer holidays, even in part (like an Eve, or a Day, etc), so I've done my faire share, and even more of my fair share, of over my 30 years. Yet, not too long ago someone new actually asked me, "How did you get such a nice holiday schedule?".
As I mentioned before, I came home early from some vacations to work. I also have missed out on weeks altogether, despite my high seniority, because we are only guaranteed one week off in the summer. If you want two, you might not get them both, so you have to pick which one is most important. This happens with some frequency. Fortunately for us, there is no discussion about it, you just turn in your requests. It would be weird to spend so many years working crappy schedules, then have to work them anyway for other people when they have something going on despite your paying your dues early on. Then you'd almost never get your preferred time off, because someone always wants it off for something important to them. People stay on the job for years, or stay where they are if they are senior, in part for the benefit of having seniority. That's just how it is, and it's accepted as how it is by people who knowingly take positions in such an environment. And people are always requesting time off! (But with that said, people will make exceptions and work for others who have a really special something going on, especially if that person does the same for others.) Another pp mentioned bereavement. Yes, that is an issue as well, unless it's an immediate family member. Friends and non-immediate family members dont count for grievance time, and you have to decide if you can use sick time if you want to attend services or be there for people, etc., given the strict sick policies, as well. I have had to miss services before if I'd already used my quota of sick time, such as when my kids were young. It's sometimes difficult. But that said, there has to be enough staff on hand to take care of sick patients. To people not used to it, I imagine it does sound awful. But basically you just become a really good planner when it comes to your work life.
