Do you have to be on-call?

[christine_chapel]

I'm curious as to what y'all are doing on your own units.

When I started this position 2.5 years ago, we did not have to sign up for any call time.

Within the first 6 months of my working here, that changed to: everyone must sign up for 24 hours of call time per 6 weeks (not in a 24 hour chunk, can be broken into 4, 8, 12, or 16 hour chunks).

Within the last two months, things have become crazy busy, as we opened a newly renovated unit, ramped up the advertising, and surprise! the bus is pulling in more days than not!

So now, we are required to sign up for 32 hours of call time per 6 weeks, and it's reasonable to expect to get called in for at least half of your call time, if not all of it.

I regularly work 36 hours per week, but add in all this mandatory call time, and it's about to be the death of me!

[crysobrn]

We have gone back and forth on this. It's never been "mandatory" that we sign up for call but it has been strongly suggested. A call list is put out and then everyone signs up, if there are slots still open the director would often look at who hasn't been taking call and everyone seemed to do a good job helping out. We were always paid for on call at the $2 rate and time and half when we came in. We were also paid time and a half if we were called in even if we were not on call, if we're dying and no one else could come in and you agreed they compensated you in that way.

Now on the other hand, we're on some sort of ridiculous budget crunch. Staffing is bare bones and there is no longer a call in sheet because we have been told that there is to be no time and a half. So, when things do get bad (we're a small unit often only have two nurses, sometimes an RN and an LPN) or we need to transfer a patient we have to call someone in that is NOT on call, so we randomly go down the list. I will tell you that the security of having that ONE life line out there was and is much underestimated where we work.

I have had nights when I go down the list and find someone to come in and then later have to go down the list again to find yet another nurse to come bail us out... It's been a real pain and an issue we are dealing with day to day!

[nurturing_angel]

We only get $1.75/hr for our call time but time and a half if we are called in.

[RN1982]

$1.75/hr? That's it? Gees. That's cheap. At my lost job, we didn't get any money for being on-call.

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

We have 16 hours of call required per 4 week schedule. can be done in 4/8/12/16 hour blocks, all in one week or spread out.

WE get paid 3 dollars an hour for call, to sit at home, and if we come in, our regular pay, plus the 3 dollars an hour, plus any overtime we accrue by working the call.

[teriadn2004]

We are a 32 bed LDRP and we have mandatory call of 12 hrs per 4 week schedule. Sign up is for 4 hr increments - dates and shift needs are posted when the completed schedule comes out and all are expected to sign up, and if have not signed up by second week into the schedule, will be ASSIGNED. On-call pay is measly 1.25/hr - if called in, 1hr travel pay, + 1 1/2 - however, our on-call satff are really just reg staff - because in 20 months that I have been there, I have NOT been called in ONLY 3 times. Even with the on-call staff, we are still often desparatly going thru the roll-a-dex calling every name - needless to say, with all the call we already do + our 36 hrs/wk - not many takers. Now we have 14 travelors in addition to our own staff - they say this is temporary and the call time will be "going away" soon - but I will believe this when I see it! :rolleyes:Flip side - I love the extra money -but hate all the time away from my family.

[mitchsmom]

12hours/ week

$2/hr + time & 1/2

hate it; one of the reasons I've gone part-time

[eandgsma]

Nope, no mandatory on call time here. You can sign up for voluntary call. You can also sign up to stay home and if you get called to stay home, you get on call pay then time and a half to come in. We get $6/hr for on call. Seems like that's pretty high compared to other places. Lately we've been so busy that they have been calling people in offering double time.

[Calliegirl]

i work in in small town in south alabama. we have to pull o/c for ob-gyn floor, which consist of labor and delivery,post partum,newborn nsy,and anything related to ob-gyn. we pull 1 24 hr o/c every 2 weeks. we get $1.50 per hr, and if you get called in, you get time and a half for that shift.

i also work in pacu. it pays $3.00 hr o/c and then when called in time and a half for whatever you work. :loveya: