on call hours for L&D

Published

At my hospital on L&D we are required to do 20 hours of on call if you are full time and 12 hours if you are part time for every scheduling period. our scheduling period is divided into 4 wks which may be from say june 9 to july 7. It seems as if you are called in at least 95% of the time. I am wondering if this is the standard of practice for L&D in all hospitals or is it only unique to some? I find this practice quite annoying

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think each hospital does it differently. At my hospital, all L&D RNs who work full-time or part-time are required to sign up for 8 hours of OR Call each 2 week payperiod. They are to be called to come in to scrub for C-sections when there aren't enough staff on to have someone scrub. Per-diems aren't required to sign up for OR Call. On-call for staffing is entirely optional for shifts where par isn't met. We have a nursing union so I'm not sure if that makes a difference..

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OBSTERTICS-POSTPARTUM,L/D AND HIGH-RISK.

24 hrs of call in a 6 week period. 12 hrs of weekday call and 12 hrs of weekend call. We work 12 shifts.:icon_roll

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP.

16 hours per 4 week period. split up any way you like. 4 4hour shifts, 2 8 hours, 1 16hour shift, etc. (though, minimum at one time is 4 hours)

can be days/nights/weekends/etc.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

HI! I really hate being on call at my hospital because they make us take 32 hours of call per 4 week period..doesn't matter if you are part time or full time. To make it worse, you have no choice as to when you are on call. Many Times I get the call list last or next to last and there are no choices except to work 16 hour shifts to get your call time in. Let me just say that sometimes it's brutal and I may not even sta there much longer because of it. There must be a better way...:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Geez, i thought i had it bad!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

No call required where I work at all. And our contract states that if they want to put you on low-census status, you can elect to be on/call or called off. They "forget" that often and will call and say "I'm putting you on/call." But really, if you say, "nope, I"m taking the day off" they can't do a thing about it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D,Wound Care, SNC.

one 12 hour call shift per 4 week schedule. We also have Friday and Weekend call assigned for us. If you have weekend call assigned, then you do not have to sign up for a call day that schedule.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

WOW, I feel totally used at my place. They just called and wanted me to tack on another 4 hours of call Saturday after my 3p to 3am shift, that would make it 16 hrs, then come in again on 3p to 11:30p the next day. With summer coming and vacations...I don't know. The thing is.....if you don't sign up for all the slots, the manager actually fills your name in anywhere. I think this job was a little more than I bargained for. I don't mean to gripe. Just putting it into perspective for some of you. I REALLY wish that I didn't have to do all this call. the job is stressful enough. Actually most of the people are pretty nice. That's one reason I'm sticking around. But I really don't know for how long.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I feel really lucky. In the 2 L&D jobs I have had, you don't have to be on call at all. They post the days and times where the nurse census is low and you sign up to be on call yourself, but you are not obligated to do so.

I don't that I could work somewhere that I would have to work full time and then give extra days to be on call!:no:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Some of the above arrangements are ridiculous and I could not put up with them.

During extremely busy times, we have had to take 12 hours' call per pay period (perdiem optional). Fortunately, most of us are really flexible and ready to work extra now and again to fill in when it's crazy. And we have to take low census call-offs when it's not. It balances out nicely in the end.

But to have no choice as to when, having the manager stick my name in anyplace, and work 16 hour shifts? Nope, I would walk.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

More and more studies are showing increased errors if working more than 12 hour shifts. Our hospital is going for zero preventable errors in 2008 and part of the initiative is going to be limiting work time to 12 hours.

We'll see if it really happens.

On our unit we only have on-call when we are below our usual staffing levels.

It is usually 1-2 call slots per staff member per four week schedule.

We used to have 24/7 call, taking 5-6 call slots per month and getting called in alot.

When we went to the current system our turn-over decreased dramatically.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion