[Warpster]

It happened to me once, only they sent an offgoing day shift nurse instead of the local Gestapo. They had changed the schedule without informing me on a floor I worked very rarely. Oh, well. I called in, told them what the problem was, and that I'd be there in half an hour. I hadn't noticed my answering machine flashing it's little LED head off because I'd been working in my studio.

I wrote up the incident report myself and there were no undue consequences. **** happens, especially when they start monkeying around with float nurses on the schedule.

[rn/writer]

As others have said, take it as a sign of your reliability, trustworthyness, and personal value to your co-workers. But be ticked off about the schedule change! I would be.

I totally agree!

Am I over-reacting or is it wrong for people to have their schedules changed without notice? Several responses have mentioned being dinged in some way for not showing up for shifts that had been changed without the poster's knowledge or consent. That seems like a double kick in the pants to me. First, you can be given shifts you may or may not want. And second, you can be disciplined for not coming to work, even if you didn't know you were supposed to be there.

Most of us have agreed that it's good someone would check on us if we didn't show up, but in those cases where the schedule was changed I don't see a lot of reaction to being at the mercy of whoever decided to do such a thing with no input from the employee.

Also, I think it's important to separate the concern of those who truly care about you and want to make sure you're okay from those who are merely intent on getting a warm body in to take the shift. They aren't mutually exclusive, but some have only the second agenda in mind.

My head is still reeling from thinking people are okay with arbitrary shift changes and disciplinary action if the nurse doesn't even know someone put her on the schedule. If you're on call, that's one thing, but how are you supposed to have a life if you can be plugged into staffing holes at any time without warning? And why would an employer hire more people as long as this kind of chicanery is acceptable?

[oncalllorraine]

:redpinkh
hey, don't be too upset.get this:
i called the cops myself,on my own husband,also a nurse, who came home 'early' one night (our anniversary!)...
i heard the 'break in'...and...the chaos began.the police came in full force,mainly because i accidentally pulled the phone jack out of the wall during the 911 call.
this story will be told long after we are both dead.there were 4 sets of 'small ears' that heard it all.
so the gift to give on your 17th anniversary is now officially-'handcuffs'.

[CookieCritter]

Originally Posted by Angie O'Plasty, RN

You are home from work today and you and your SO are having a lovely, relaxing time together when suddenly, the doorbell rings. You go to the door. A policeman is there. You open the door and he informs you that your co-workers called him to check on you because you were a no-call, no-show for your shift today!
It is exactly 1 ½ hours into your shift. You check and sure enough, there are messages on your phone from work. You apparently did not get the latest version of schedule changes.
How would you feel?

I would be embarrassed but I would be glad they cared enough even after one day. I know an old lady who's daughter was a nurse. Her daughter had just turned 52 and the next day was a no show/no call at work, not like her. They figured she was either out celebrating with her mom and her mom thought she was celebrating with her friends and co workers since she had worked on the actual day of her birthday.

She was in fact dead on the floor, she had an asthma attack while getting ready for work. To make a long story short she had knocked her inhaler out of reach and the phone was on the other side of her house. She was not found until very late that night because a nosey neighbor wondered why her car stayed in the driveway all day on a her work day. The neighbor called the cops they broke the door down and found her. Very sad story but thank god for nosey but caring people because it may have been days until she was found since she was scheduled to have the following 2 days off.

[CookieCritter]

P.S.

I have called the cops on myself accidently, sounds stupid but it was horrendous misdial when I meant to punch a NC area code 910 and hit 911. I didn't think it went through since I had dial other numbers after it but it did. I told the dispatcher it was a horrible mistake since i knew better then to hang up. Now that was HUMILIATING beyond all reason.

Here's the kicker I work for this particular police agency while I am in school and I also live in the "district and zone" that I work in. When my address pulled up they knew I was a civilian employee and thought I was using some code for "help me I'm being killed" by saying it was cool. I wish the ground could have just swalllowed me up.

Nothing like having several mag lights shined in your face by people you know while the other half of them are combing your yard and trying to see over your shoulder into the house looking for an imaginary murderer/robber.

I had wished desperately in that moment that I was already a nurse and didn't know a single cop. Be glad you don't know the ones who came to your home personally. They will never allow me to forget that moment, it was just too good for anyone to pass up.

[DRBear432]

Wow!

I am humbled that in this caring profession so many co-workers consider us valued persons. I am jaded enought to think Miranda's summary is correct from the management POV: they will go to great lengths to assure a warm body is on the shift (but a restaraunt!!!)

DRBear432

[lamazeteacher]

Originally Posted by Angie O'Plasty, RN

You are home from work today and you and your SO are having a lovely, relaxing time together when suddenly, the doorbell rings. You go to the door. A policeman is there. You open the door and he informs you that your co-workers called him to check on you because you were a no-call, no-show for your shift today!
It is exactly 1 ½ hours into your shift. You check and sure enough, there are messages on your phone from work. You apparently did not get the latest version of schedule changes.
How would you feel?

Betrayed! Any change in schedule should be emailed to everyone 2 weeks before the change, so childcare arrangements can be changed, etc.

[CookieCritter]

Originally Posted by oncalllorraine

:redpinkh
hey, don't be too upset.get this:
i called the cops myself,on my own husband,also a nurse, who came home 'early' one night (our anniversary!)...
i heard the 'break in'...and...the chaos began.the police came in full force,mainly because i accidentally pulled the phone jack out of the wall during the 911 call.
this story will be told long after we are both dead.there were 4 sets of 'small ears' that heard it all.
so the gift to give on your 17th anniversary is now officially-'handcuffs'.

Alot of interesting things can come about in a marriage from a good set of handcuffs just kidding. Just make sure you have the key so no one ends up having to have more first responders show up just to get ya loose. hahahah

[calico5]

Hey, an employee where I worked didn't report to work on a Monday to start in a new department. The new managers didn't check up on it and some friends went to try and find her on Tuesday. No one discovered until Thursday that she had been chopped up with an ax by her boyfriend. She had worked for this company for 20 years, very dependably reporting for that entire time. No one could have changed what happened to her except to have found her body sooner, but I think it was a betrayal by her employer not to have sent for a welfare check.

[sticknurse]

There's just something in nurses I guess. We keep our eyes on others, like it or not! Once I went to my neighbor's house and since the weather was warm they had the screen door only closed...anyway I knocked on the door but no one answered, ( I didn't know this lady very well, just casually) Anyway, these legs were visible from the door, and they were not moving at all, no matter the knocking I was doing. Just two legs lying across the hallway, I freaked out and entered the house to help the fallen one and it was my neighbor's teenage daughter who apparently didn't realized she'd scared me half to death and thought no one in their right mind would just enter their house anyway! She screamed and it's a miracle they didn't call the police to take me away! Still amuses me after all this time.