Afraid of calling in

[madfowl]

Hello all,

I am a new grad and was recently hired at a local company. I was hired on as a tech so that I can get familiar with the floor, and will be doing my NCLEX next week. Last night, we were overstaffed. I requested to go home so that I can study. However, I also noticed that we will be fully staffed again tonight. I am really wanting to stay home so that I can prepapre for my NCLEX. Since I just started though, I am apprehensive if my NM will think that I am less than a desired employee for asking off tonight again. What would you do?

I will really apprecitae any honest advice.

[regularRN]

We have a system whereby staff can put their name on a list to be "called off" if there are too many staff scheduled for a shift. Of course, you do not get paid unless you take PTO.

Call the staffing office and ask them if they have such a list and put your name down.

[madfowl]

Unfortunately, this company does not have such a list. We had twice the amount of necesarry people last night. We had more people than day shift! Some were even mad at me for going home!

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Don't push it, study on your own time. You want to create a good impression at your new job. I say stay, let someone else have the night off. Good luck.

[caliotter3]

Your timing has not been great. Don't create a bad impression with your employer. You should have waited to get the job until after the NCLEX. You have plenty of time to study without using the eight hours you are scheduled to work.

[annabeap, MSN, APRN, NP]

If it's so slow at work, try studying there! You could even get others to help quiz you... just don't get yourself confused from others' rationales. :)

[chloecatrn]

Don't call. Go to work. If they want to send you home, they will. Otherwise, try to find time to study at work.

[Awright162]

Yeah, like the others are saying I would go to work too. Who knows, you might not have to stay the entire shift. Just try to make up for the lost hours. You can get up maybe 3 hours earlier and then going to bed maybe 3 hours later that day.

Good luck.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Other than doing practice questions, you can't really study for the NCLEX anyway. Just bring the practice question book with you to work.

I too would not call in. What is their policy for low census/overstaffing, WRT sending people home?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

There's no way I would be taking time off to study if you just got time of your last shift from a brand new job. Sorry.

I started nights as a GN. It was generally acceptable to bring an NCLEX practice book in for down time, but only if there was down time, and only if everyone else was having down time too.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

DON'T CALL IN! You will be setting a very bad precedent for yourself and it will follow you. Just go in, and hope that you will get to go home early.

[pers]

I don't think it sends a negative message to request that you have time off to study if your manager plans to hire you as a nurse once you pass the NCLEX. On my unit, the manager usually gives several days off to graduate nurses just before they take the NCLEX if they give her the date, even if we aren't overstaffed those days. If it were me, I'd talk to her about the remainder of the schedule and if there are other days she could give you off to study then have her mark you off before it even comes up. People tend to be more resentful when the same person is going home early (even if with good reason) or being called off than when the schedule is changed before hand.