ALWAYS called to work on days off?

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Nov 19, 2010

Take care of yourself or you will burn out. It is nice to be a team player and help out when you can and when you aren't too tired or stressed. It really is. I like to help out when the unit is in a pinch. But you know what? It isn't MY fault that there are ongoing staffing issues. Someone calls out sick or has a family emergency and has to leave early? Sure, I am usually willing to help out with that IF I can. Coming in when it has been known for quite some time that there are holes in the schedule? Nope, not my problem, not gonna even answer the phone. I am not helping out with that kind of issue, unless I want the extra money. Hire some PRN people if there are regular holes in the schedule. There should be PRN people available for call outs, anyway. There is no reason for these issues to be put on regular full-time staff members.

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Nov 19, 2010

The very nature of nursing is wanting to help others. Whether it's getting called in on our days off, or giving telephone advice, we're suckers. There are 2 problems with what you're doing. First, you're not taking care of yourself. Second, you're enabling whatever problems your floor has. My suggestions, first use caller ID and practice saying no. If that's too hard, say you just had a beer, car breakdown, alien invasion, or whatever. Second, by not going in you'll force the hospital to address whatever problem is causing the chronic short staffing and high turnover. We all face this sometime, and overtime pay is so addictive. Follow my suggestion and you'll be doing yourself and your coworkers a favor. Good luck, and may all your orders be legible, and all your patients compliant.

Marleyna · Nov 19, 2010

Today was my day off and I got called in to do a day 12 and then later on during the day I was asked if I could work a night 12. I gladly declined. Last week I worked 7 days straight due to lack of staff and surely they never feel guilty about that! There are days where I will happily go in and work because I need the money. If i'm asked to stay in overtime and I can then I do. But rarely do I feel guilty for saying no or not answering the phone.

Just don't do it if you're not feeling well enough. Do your shifts and only extras when you can.

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 19, 2010

Two words that you should incorporate into your vocabulary, today;

"Plausible Deniability"

If you don't answer your phone, your facility can assume that you did not get the notice that your unit requested that you come in and work on your day off.

If you want to continue to work in this field, you need to practice what the airlines teach about the oxygen in the event of a breach in cabin pressurization; "Put your own oxygen mask on before you attempt to place an oxygen mask on anyone else."

If you continue to use up your reserves from working on your days off, you will pay the price in more ways than one. Take care of yourself first before you agree to come in on your days off. If you don't feel like coming in and working - THEN DONT ANSWER THE PHONE.

This is how jobs are created; a facility encounters a consistent need, and someone new is brought in to fill a long time gap.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2010

I get several calls all the time I am off, some begging me to go in. I just say no I'm busy & hang up, or don't answer it. I have no guilt at all as I am trying to finish study for the year. It is management's problem not yours that they don't want to outlay money for nurses. Don't ever feel guilty on your days off! (that's subtly what management WANT u to feel).

ALH2004 · Nov 19, 2010

I had a similar situation happen to me last week. I've been working nights on a busy Ortho/Neuro floor for about 4 months now. I worked the entire weekend last week and it was awful. Heavy pt load with a few of my pts going bad, so I was definitely looking forward to having a few days off. The last night I worked, I didn't get home until after 9:00 and didn't get to sleep until almost 11. My manager called me later on that day around 2 asking if I wanted to come in that night. I had to say no because my body just couldn't do it. I was so tired and stressed from the weekend I had, I felt sick. She sounded pretty disappointed when I said no, which made me feel extremely guilty but I just couldn't do it. I too worried about how this would make me look with me being a new hire but I can't take care of my patients if I'm barely hanging on too.

RNKPCE · Nov 19, 2010

1) Caller ID

2) If you do answer just say "no" you don't have to follow it with a reason

3) Get over the guilt. You can only be guilty if you do something wrong and you haven't

BamaRN3 · Apr 27, 2011

I know this post is several months old but just wanted to say thanks to all the responders. This happened to me today, my unit called and asked me to come in. I was off last night after three in a row and I go back tomorrow night and I just didn't want to go in. I told them no that I wanted to hang out with my family and they did not seem very happy. I was feeling guilty until I read all these posts. Y'all are right. I didn't do anything wrong. Thanks again!

Jules A, MSN · Apr 27, 2011

I totally agree with what everyone has written however I get sick of the people that won't ever come in and help out and frankly if they are the one calling me to help them out I'm not so inclined. We definitely can't work all the time but every once in a while won't kill anyone, imo. On the plus side in addition to helping out my buds I make a lot of money by by picking up extra work. :up:

fuzzywuzzy, CNA · Apr 27, 2011

Where I work, they give you a bad annual performance review if you don't put in extra days. I can't wait to see what my review says because I've only agreed to work extra maybe once all year.

Lately they have been walking around the place EVERY SINGLE DAY, trying to recruit people to work on their days off! And they also call you on your days off begging you to come in. I say no every single time. I'm a CNA. I work on the hardest, most stressful unit and I work HARD. Not only am I neurotic about my own work but I pick up lots of slack left by other people. I need my days off. One extra day of work puts me over the edge in terms of stress. We have residents that yell and scream all day, crying and throwing tantrums and asking for one thing after another. Meanwhile the rest of them are total care and you're trying to keep them clean and dry while the others are following you around swearing and calling you nasty names because you didn't drop everything to make them toast.

Then you get stopped in the hallway by a management nurse hounding you to stay late or work tomorrow. And it's like, first of all, I don't even have time to stop and consider this because I have a zillion things to do right now... but okay. I just got called a stupid ****** by Mrs. Jones because I didn't put enough ice in her soda. Mr. Smith is ringing for assistance to the bathroom for *literally* the 23rd time today! My back hurts because when i tried to put Jean to bed she picked her feet up off the ground in the middle of a transfer. I haven't peed all day long and I am dying of thirst. Oh and here comes comes Mrs. Jones again wanting more soda, RIGHT NOW. Which I can't fetch right now because every time I get 2 paces down the hallway Mrs. Taylor's alarm goes off and I have to turn around and try to get her to buckle her seat belt again but she won't because she thinks she can still walk! And lets not forget to make sure the beds have hospital corners because if not there'll be hell to pay! So no, I don't want to stay! I am stressed! I don't see any of the people doing the hounding and the guilting offering to stay and put up with abuse and limp out of there feeling like they've been through the wringer.

Poi Dog · Apr 27, 2011

Today is my day off and my work has called me 2x to come in and cover a shift. They're just stupid :smokin: . First off, maybe if they treated me a little bit better, I would go in.

I have zero guilt left in my reserve tank.

AmericanRN · Apr 28, 2011

Today is my day off and my work has called me 2x to come in and cover a shift. They're just stupid . First off, maybe if they treated me a little bit better, I would go in.
I have zero guilt left in my reserve tank.

:yeah:I'm not the least bit religious but AMEN!!!