forced to come in on days off?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I have seen several threads about this, but my situation seems to be a little different. I am a unit manager in a nursing facility, and I work Monday through Friday.

In the past several months, the med nurses/ floor nurses have begun to call out more and more due to the fact that they know their shift will be covered by myself or another reliable nurse that is a unit manager. It has come down to where the nurses that are on call are refusing to come in, so they never have to fulfill their on-call duties.

I don't mind covering every now and then except for the fact that I have been called in so much lately that I am falling behind in my actual job duties. And I am not doing it for the money because for every shift that I work, I have to take that much time off later in the week to avoid making overtime.

If I was being called and ASKED if I could come in, I would not be so concerned. But I recieve calls/messages that say, "We need a shift covered. Everyone I have called has said no, so you have to cover it."

Really? I HAVE to? Why did everyone else that was contacted not HAVE to cover the shift?

I'm basically not being given a choice of whether or not I cover these shifts. And when I have had a legitimate reason for not being able to work, I've been put on a guilt trip by my supervisors. I need time off and a personal life, but that excuse is not going to be accepted.

I'm feeling taken advantage of, and I guess my question is...if you were in my place, what would you say next time you got a call such as this? I'm just tired of being the only person being told that they HAVE to come in, yet none of the other nurses who are contacted are being held accountable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Next time I would not answer the phone after checking caller ID. When questioned, I would state that I was busy and missed the call.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

1. Make sure you have caller ID and/or work's phone number in your contact list so you know when they are calling.

2. When you see that they are calling, let it go to voice mail.

3. Listen to the message and then decide if and when you will call back. I leave it to you to decide what excuse you want to give if you decide to return the call later than sooner. Personally, I keep it simple and honest: "I was busy." I may have been busy reading a book, but I was busy nonetheless.

4. Repeat PRN.

I feel for staffing coordinators, I really do. However, I don't respond well to being told to come in when it's my day off AND I have no obligation to be there (i.e., I didn't volunteer to be on call).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Frequent call off? On-call nurses not fulfilling their obligations?

That's the problem!

People need to be confronted regarding their behaviors, and non-compliance dealt with in accordance with policy.

you should be the last resort, not the fallback person.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree with all of your replies. I wish it was that simple. There have been times when I have been busy and missed the calls/texts. I will find my phone with 10+ missed calls and text messages saying, "You need to pick up the phone." "You need to call me back." "You need to get to work ASAP. They are waitingo on you." I know I'm not conveying the situation very well. But when I find messages like this, I get major anxiety and feel like I HAVE to respond or go to work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Enforce your policies regarding the on-call nurse duties and self-cancels. If you don't have policies, make them.

Are the on-call nurses getting call pay, then not coming in when called? Policy should include cancellation of that day's call time pay if they refuse to come in.

Self-cancels should have timeframes, frequency, and progressive discipline policies.

If the current staff doesn't like it and leaves, that's the risk you run. Any new hires will not have a backlash against the policy because they know it coming in.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
It has come down to where the nurses that are on call are refusing to come in, so they never have to fulfill their on-call duties.

Why are there not spelled out consequences for refusing to come in when on call? Being unavailable for call the first time where I work is a 3 day suspension; the second time is termination. There are very, very few issues with refusing to come in when on call.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Use progressive discipline based on your attendance policy. Not being available when called when you are on call should count as a call out.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

How many individuals are subject to on call status? If there are five of you to choose from, then it is fair for you to take every fifth call and leave the others their share. It is your responsibility to manage your stress. If you can not in this context, then it is time to consider a job change.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you're officially on-call in a mandatory way, don't you have to receive some sort of on-call pay for sitting at home, waiting for the phone to ring?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I was going to reply one way, but then I read your post again and saw that you are a unit manager. It is time to assert your authority. Find what the call off policy is in writing, and take appropriate action towards those nurses who call off frequently. Also take a close look at your job description. You may in fact be required to cover call offs when needed. But this responsibility should be shared with the other managers. Are they the ones refusing to come in when it is their turn? If so it may be necessary to take things up the chain of command. If the on call nurses are not fellow managers, you should pursue disciplinary action for them as well. Don't be afraid to be the bad guy!

p.s. if you are sure that you are not required as part of your job to cover call offs, then stop allowing yourself to be bullied! State "I am not able to come in" and keep repeating it like you would to a demanding child. You do not have to give a reason. If pressed state a prior obligation even if that is just an obligation to spend time with your family. You do not have to apologize, it is not your fault.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i would keep refusing to answer the phone. the escalating messages are designed to intimidate you. the person calling you knows you're there and purposely refusing to answer, AND she knows you're well within your rights to ignore her calls. she is also crapping her pants every time you don't answer, because she's terrified that you've finally realized you DON'T "have to" come in every single time someone else calls out. The nastiness of the calls and messages will get worse before they get better. You have to stick to your guns the first couple of times- initially when she realizes she can't order you to come in anymore, she'll double her efforts to intimidate you. Don't give in. She will eventually realize that she needs to implement a policy that is fair to everyone.

if it IS actually in your job description/required that you cover call-offs, then as others have said - take action! Do you have any authority as far as implementing/changing scheduling policies, disciplinary measures, etc?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment