Post call compensation for OR nurses

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I am an OR nurse at a Level 1 trauma center for a specialty team. I work 12 hour shifts with one weeknight call a week from 1900-0630 and one weekend a month from Friday 1900 to Monday 0630. My team is small, four nurses and one tech due to staffing shortages and the time to train competent nurses to scrub and circulate our cases. Currently our specialty teams make 10.50/hr for on call pay and time and a half for called in hours OVER 40 hours. We do not get a post call day. We do however have to use our earn time to make up any missed hours due to working on call.

Here is an example:

I am scheduled to work Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 0630-1900 and am on call Monday 1900-0630. I work my shift on Monday in its entirety and go home at 1900. At 2100 I am called back in to scrub an emergency case that does not get done until 0530. I have been awake for 24 hours and decide to go home and not work my shift on Tuesday. As a result I work a total of 32.5 hours when the week is done instead of my usual 36. We are REQUIRED to use our earn time (vacation hours) to bring our total hours to 36 (or 40 whatever) if we are short hours. So even though I worked 20.5 hours in a 24 hour period I am required to use 3.5 hours of earn time for the week and end up with ZERO over time pay for my over night work.

We are working on getting a policy in place that pays the staff time and a half for clocked in on call hours OR paid hours of post call time to prevent nurses from staying to work the "Tuesday" shift to gain the overtime pay thus putting themselves and their patients at risk.

Does anyone have a policy that is similar to this at their hospital? We are taking >100 hours of call a month. Thank you!

Editorial Team / Admin

Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN

6 Articles; 11,658 Posts

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

We do not do anything as far as "post call". However, we do guarantee time and a half for call back time regardless of hitting 40 hours for the week.

At my previous hospital, getting OT pay for coming in on call to do a case with a 2hour minimum was standard. My current facility operate much like yours in that you only get OT pay for hours over 80 in a 2 week period... that means you could work 50 hours weeks 1 because you got caked in for an all night case and only work 30 hours week on 2 maybe because you had scheduled leave, then you get straight pay for the 80 hours on your paycheck. We do get paid for being on call regardless if you are called in or not.

**Edited to add: The no OT until you hit 80 in 2 weeks is exclusive to the nurses. The STs will earn OT for any hours over 40 in a week.

guest655229

48 Posts

I would never work for a hospital that had such bogus pay such as that...I'm sorry it's the law that what you work over 40 in a week is OT....never heard of 80 in two...maybe that is something a specific state is able to get away with but even in travel nursing they cannot do that. Maybe consult a labor lawyer to find out. There must be some obscure work around if the hospital is able to do it legally.

RobtheORNurse

126 Posts

Specializes in Surgery.

I spent 35 hours at work one time because i was on call and never got to leave after my scheduled shift, worked all afternoon and all night. When day shift came in, the manager said she had no relief for us and that they were short staffed and e could not go home. We had to work our regular shift that day too before going home. This is why it is hard to run an OR and keep staff. Nurses are, too often, treated as machines and not people.

MadpeysRN

365 Posts

Specializes in MedSurg, OR, Cardiac step down.

AT my staff job, at a level one trauma-we got P time (which the called procedure time) after 36hrs, which is time and a half. So if you worked your 12, stayed an hour late to finish a case-time and a half. AT 40HRS, then if you stayed Late, you get Ptime and OT because you were now over 40hrs-essentially double time. Any time you were called back its time and a half every time.

4_Sq

185 Posts

Specializes in OR.

Canadian OR nurse 1.5 x for 1sr 2 hours of call back after a regular shift, then 2.0 x regular rate of pay for on call hours worked after that

Must have 8.0 consecutive hours off before next shift

Employee is NOT deducted hours from his/her banked time ever

If employee is on call and is not called pay is only around $3.25 hr for the on call time

Stat holiday call 3.0 x regular rate of pay for all call back hours worked

Super Stats 3.75 times regular pay rate eg: worked 2 hours on super stat

Reg pay 45 hour x 3.75 = 168.75 x2hours = call back pay of 337,5 dollars for the 2 hours

Canada has higher tax rates but it sounds like we are a bit easier on our OR nurses?

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