A day off

[beano]

Has this every happened to you? You actually have two days in a row off from work. You have no plans in particular, but have a few things to do that you've been putting off all week because you were too tired from work. You go out, get the oil changed (you've pushed it to 4000 miles this time), buy some cat food for your cat (who's been eating left over human food for the past week) stop by the post office to get some stamps so you can finally mail the now belated birthday card to your brother. When you return home, you find not one, but three guilt provoking messages from work asking if you could come in. What do you do?

[EDchrisRN]

JillR.......what is the 'punishment' for being a no call/no show???(if any). I guess you are supposed to stay home all day, everyday, including your days off just waiting for that phone to ring so you can answer it and be asked to work yet another extra shift!!! That is ridiculous!

[goldilocksrn]

Why feel guilty for not coming in? Administration doesn't seem to feel bad for overworking and underpaying us do they? When they call my house and I don't want to work (My hospital pays time and a half plus 20% incentive pay for day shift to come in on a day off) I simply say NO WAY! I say if it is that dire, call a disaster and have the nurse managers and pencil pushers scrub up and work.

[Nancy1]

WOW, Leaving a meesage counts as being contacted, this sounds too crazy. What if they forget your on vacation and the messages pile up. This is very sad.

[tweetieRN]

My feeling is that the more the regular staff covers for shortages, the less likely management will be to hire float or PRN nurses. Sometimes crap happens, maybe a last minute family emergency, etc., and I don't have a problem with that. But to expect nurses to give up their well earned time off is garbage. Some do, and then want to whine about the number of days in a row they've worked. I refuse to feel sorry for them.

Before I went PRN, I had cut my hours considerably. Many felt that should mean I would be available for extra shifts. Nope, wouldn't do it.

Now, when I get up in the morning, there are always 2-3 calls on my answering machine. Sometimes more. And I don't feel compelled to work any that I really don't want to.

[Allison]

Hi,

I do not feel guilty not coming in or answering the phone, Does administration feel guilty not giving any raises in the past 4 years, do they feel guilty cutting back on our benefits but raising the costs? When I work I give 110% but my days off are mine.

[JillR]

They can't just call us and force us in on our day off. That wouldn't count. They can however change your shift for a certain day and leave a message on the machine. This happened one time that a person was supposedly contacted by machine and never got it because she didn't have one at the time (it was broke). The person who called documented that a message was left. They cannot force us in on a day off unless a disaster plan is activated, which means that EVERYONE gets called, including the office people. I guess I wasn't very clear with my first posting. I know that people have not got the messages and did not get in trouble. Like someone said, what if you are out of town or something? In my opinion this policy is really not enforsable (sp?).

[Daisy]

Oh please, I've been on both sides of the problem. I left my management position 5 months ago for a staff position and peace of mind. I spent all that time calling and begging staff plus having to fill in the position myself ( with no bonus bucks or overtime money). Now I get asked to work extra. They think that I understand what they are going through. I do but I'm done with guilt. Just today I was asked to give up my weekend off to sub as the house supervisor. I was offered the moon and the sky. There were no other administrators around to help as I used to do. I said "no" and I went home. There is enough of overtime and extra money with the current staffing shortage. When you want it you'll go seek it out yourself. You don't need to wait for the phone to ring. Enjoy your days off, we deserve them.

[AHarri66, BSN, RN]

My facility frequently calls for extra shifts as well. How's this for a kicker? Not only do they call nurses to cover nurses shifts, but they often ask nurses to come in and work as an aide!! (at regular pay) I used to pick up shifts--I like the money--but then I realized that the more shifts I cover, the less likely they will be to hire the help we so desperately need. I feel bad for my coworkers who are stuck short of help (I was last night), but I think that is the only way to make administration realize that there are changes they need to make. As for feeling guilty, NOPE! I was hired to work a specific schedule, we (myself and the facility) both agreed to it. I am not in breach of anything by having days off, and it is my decision and my decision only whether I work above and beyond that, barring a disaster situation, of course.

Regards,

Angela

[espressoqueen]

Well, caller ID and a list of well written excuses to outguilt the guilt layers who call and beg me to come in on my few days off are my answer to this dilema. Some are funny, some are serious but most are the truth.

[LAS]

I agree that we must take care of ourselves and avoid burn out. But I also see it from the other side. I am a clinical manager and it is very frustrating when you have the schedule covered and three people call in sick and there you are stuck. No matter what you do. The staff members that you call to see if they are availible give you nothing but attitude, when a polite no thank you would do. And the staff that is left to work short is unhappy because now one can come in. As far as managers not making sacrifices. Staff nurses do not realize how many 10-12 hours we already put in. The ton of paperwork we take hope because there is not enough time to do it at work. I am salaried 40 hours/week even if I work 50. What would your solution be?

[KIDSRN]

This issue cost me my job. The guilt of picking up the phone is almost unbearable. They started to know I would say no and responses like "it's your day off you've got nothing else to do" started happening.

Administration doesn't seem to realize that when you overwork your already overworked nurses you get nowhere. Our paed/gyne floor is almost always run by PT staff as the FT staff is on "mental sick leave". Yes, everyone is cracking up. I resigned when last year as a PT RN working FT hours and switching from night,days, evenings back and forth cost me my health. Last year I was either sick or working. Then you go into work sick because there is no else to cover you and you don't want your friends to work short.

I had enough and have been off work since Christmas. Since then our nurse manager is on extended sick leave and working conditions are getting worse.

Why can't they have an extended pool of casual nurses to come in? and why don't they replace FT maternity leaves and extended leaves with temp FT positions? Businesses aren't run this way so why are hopsitals?

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KIDSRN

[krbrn2b]

One thing to keep in mind is this, we put our license on the line as it is when we work our regularly scheduled shift. So why should we have to endanger, not only ourself (i.e. possible prision sentence r/t involuntary manslaughter), but our residents as well. Yes, we do sometimes need the money, but not at the expense of causing a potentially fatal error. I dont feel I should jepordize myself or my residents any more than I have to. As a mother of three, a wife, a full time nurse, full time student etc. If I dont want to work extra I dont. You know what the best part is? It's when they use the "when vacation time rolls around you'll be a little more agreeable" tactic. I'll tell you a little story. My dad was dying from terminal CA. My plan was to leave work and go stay with him one night. Well we had a nurse Call in and no one wanted to cover the open slot. Well I let my "higher ups" tell me that she would remember this (my not wanting to work) and I stayed because I knew I would need some time later for my dad. You know what, my dad died that night and I wasn't even with him because I was exhausted from working extra. I vowed to never allow my family to falter because of staff shorteges. So really think about what is more important.