Arrrrgh!!! They Are Trying to make me take call AGAIN!!!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 30, 2004

At our facility, it doesn't matter what dept. you work in, EVERYBODY is has to take call, unless they can find someone to take it in their place.

(God bless Caller ID)

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Dec 1, 2004

Our hospital gives mandated on call status($2.00/hr), and mandated time off(either vacation time or no pay but we get credit toward next years vacation time) for the slow periods. Usually there is someone who wants it and we have some staff who have standing orders for any available. So that takes the stress of not working off some of the rest of us. Then there are some who dont seem to be able to get time off to save their soul even when using vacation time. If you use vacation time(for mandated time off) it is supposed to jump your name to the top of the time off list. Yes we keep a list of people who have requested. Go figure, noone really wants to be there.

allnurses Guide · Dec 1, 2004

Okay, thank you for the replies... see, I've worked at my hospital for 5.5 years, and it is the only one I've ever worked at. And until a couple of months ago, I WAS under the impression that "taking call" was a common practice, at least in private hospitals. I knew that it WASN'T done at the VA, where my mom works, but of course that is a gov't institution.

Contrary to how I sounded in my first post.... I actually LIKE taking call every once in a while. :) It's a nice thing. But I don't like having to take it ALL THE TIME and having to use up a lot of my vacation time!

mattsmom81 · Dec 1, 2004

I think its nice when 'call' is done right...in my ICU setting it has always worked well when staff looks out for one another and rotates call. If its done poorly and some take call while others refuse, it causes a lot of resentment. I've had supervisors work us short when someone was on call all night too...so games can be played and staff needs to keep their ears up... they want to look good on paper but don't want to spend the $$ for the nurse unless the staff complains loudly. So if we were on call, we would call the unit and make sure they knew, and check in.

Also, who can afford to be on call all the time and seldom work a whole shift? Ive seen This happen to PRNs and the staff loses their PRN nurses...which is a shame for the facility IMHO.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 2, 2004

I've left jobs when they wanted us to use all of our benefit time staying home on slow days. When I read your thread, I first thought you were objecting to taking more on call because you were short staffed. That's where I'm at now -- mandatory call to help cover staffing needs. (This is in addition to your regularly scheduled 40 hr/wk) I haven't worked this much since 1983, and I'm getting burned out fast!

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Dec 3, 2004

I dont have a hard time taking call or time off when its slow,, but i like you dont like having to take vacation time for it, and not all the time. I totally agree with mattsmoms post. The better the numbers the more they save in staffing the bigger their holiday bonuses. We all know they budget certain amounts for staffing and anything they save in budget goes for bonuses. They sure dont go to the board and say "hey look we saved this much so we dont need as much next year". They use every cent of their staffing budget, any excess goes to admin and supervisor bonuses, i dont care what they want to try to tell us.

I may have been born at night,, but not LAST night.