on call in NICU

Gompers, BSN, RN · Mar 22, 2006

Does your unit use on call? is it considered overtime? My hosp. is claiming it isn't overtime.

We only use on call when we are expecting a huge delivery with multiple admissoins, like one for quintuplets or something along those lines. People sign up for blocks off on-call and they need to be within an hour of the hospital and near a phone, in case they're needed. It's just a couple of dollars an hour while on call.

Now, if they do get called in for a shift, plus work their regularly scheduled shifts that week - if it goes over 40 hours total then those hours are time and a half.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Mar 24, 2006

Our hospital does use on-call. We must schedule one on-call shift a month. Our hospital claims it's not mandatory overtime. They do however pay time and a half for your entire shift if you are called in, even if you haven't (or won't) acheived 40 hours yet that week. Now, if we don't get called in we get basically nothing (something like $2/hr). A cute trick they are using is when you are on-call, they will call you off (cancel) you for the first 4 hrs and have you check back at 10:30pm (or am). What they know is you probably won't be going anywhere or doing anything so they often call the cancelled person back before that 4 hour is up asking them to come in (I refuse to take calls until the 4hrs is up).

All this in a State that forbids mandatory overtime, but that's a whole 'nuther pile of dog doo I won't get into right now.

thankful · Mar 24, 2006

Where I work we don't have on-call , But we do incentive pay(depending on the census) for any extra shift worked. 10 extra dollars plus overtime pay. Hate to change the subject..Please tell me everything you know about the use of Sucrose for pain management. What's the formula to determine how much to give your preemie? Can you give too much? Do you feel its benifiting your place of employment.....

Thanks in advance...

Gompers, BSN, RN · Mar 24, 2006

Please tell me everything you know about the use of Sucrose for pain management. What's the formula to determine how much to give your preemie? Can you give too much? Do you feel its benifiting your place of employment.....
Thanks in advance...

https://allnurses.com/forums/f33/use-sucrose-nicu-please-respond-131240.html?highlight=sucrose

Do a Google search as well. There is plenty of information about this on the internet. Every hospital probably has different policies about sucrose, so better to look more at research articles and things like that.

Humbled_Nurse · Mar 25, 2006

We are required one on call day per pay period and we are on call for the whole shift so that means they could call us in at anytime during the 12 hour shift. If we do get called in we get paid time and a half and it usually puts us into overtime. If we don't get called in we get paid a couple bucks an hour. I personally think the on call days are a pain. I would rather just work 3 days a week.

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2006

We got rid of on call. It was a PITA and not used often.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Mar 27, 2006

We used to be required to sign up for 3 call shifts per 6 week schedule, but have recently gone down to 2 due to recent hiring. If we are not called by 5:30, we're considered off. They usually ask to put us on paid call ($1/hr) but we can refuse. We get paid auction/incentive pay for call days, since we have been working all of them for at least the last year due to exploding census.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Mar 27, 2006

They want us to start taking call and I certainly don't want to! I work my 3 days for a reason! And we would only get overtime if it is over 40 hours, which sucks for the ones of us that aren't full time!