I have a question about call offs due to low census. A call-off rotation is used on our unit for call-offs during times of low census. The rotation sheet lists the order of call-offs as 1) Over-time 2) PRN 3) Part-time 4) Request 5) Full-time. Even with the order of call-off info listed on the rotation log we have always included part-timers in our regular roation.
This has not really been an issue for me, until now. One day this week a part-timer & I were both scheduled to work, there was low census on the unit and a call-off was warranted. I had recently been called off and it was simply my turn to work, so the part-timer was called off.
Later during the week this same part-timer asked if I wanted to give up my last scheduled day of the week. I stated I would need to think about it. The next day I got a text from the part-timer telling me that the PRN that I was scheduled to work with on my last day of the week wanted to give away their shift so this part-timer took it, and also said if I wanted the call off the part-timer would be more than happy to work. I declined, stating I needed to get my hours.
Then on my last scheduled day of the week to work I get a call informing me that I am called-off. Since the part-timer had been called off earlier in the week, according to the rotation it was my turn to be called off. So, now the part-timer gets their hours and I don't. I also feel as though I have been strong-armed by this person into getting what they wanted in the first place. It also makes me worry that this could become a more frequent event.
There are many benefits to being a full-time employee, benefits that the part-timers are not entitled to; Health insurance, full-time PTO, and being the last to be considered for call-offs. This person & I are friends and I am frustrated and honestly hurt by this behavior. But, I guess when it comes down to it business is business. What do you all think?
We don't differentiate anybody by part time, full time, prn. We look at who's scheduled for the shift. Overtime is dropped first. Float pool who pre-assigned themselves to our unit is next. Then we get into "our" unit's people who are making regular time. Anyone working an extra shift over their regular hours is the top of the list. Whoever was the last to be called off or on call? They're next on the list. If you don't want to take the on call or call off, we'll go down the list in order (of last called off/on call) and if nobody wants it, whoever was top of the list has to take it.
Now that I'm considered prn and don't have paid time off, if I don't work, I don't get paid. But I've been lucky, as I've been top of the list for about 2 months now, and someone below me on the list has always been willing to take the on call or call off so I didn't have to stay home and not get a paycheck. Even when I worked more, I was always able to manage my turn so that it would come on day I didn't mind taking off. And generally was able to avoid being on call (which I hate, if I'm making the drive to work, I want to make it worthwhile by getting a whole 12 hours in) unless it was a pretty sure thing that I would NOT be needed to come in. There's almost always someone on my unit that wants to take the day, so if anything we're wishing we were at the top of the list!
I went thru a similar thing with my old unit with low census days. It never seemed to be spread fairly over the unit. Friends of the nurse manager always seemed to get the hours that they wanted. I started floating. When I got tired of that, I transferred to a unit that is always busy. Now, I can get all the OT that I want ( even when I don't). Now, I kinda miss those low census days.
generally, we use a quarterly system. Tracked by overtime(you're dropped first), then TOTAL hours lost so far(not by date or anything else). My old unit used to use date, which sucked if you were called off sunday, worked monday, and didn't come back until friday cause you would be back up for a full shift off.
The way I'm understanding it is that the part-timer took the PRN shift, and with call-offs being the norm, the OP feels that the part-timer knew the OP was next in line to get called off and would probably lose the hours.
If the part-timer had not taken the PRN shift, the PRN would have been called off instead of the OP. Again, the OP feels that the part-timer manipulated the situation to make this happen.
Correct me if I'm wrong, OP.
IMO, this isn't the hill you want to kill a friendship on.
Casuals lose the shift. Permanent part-time or full time shift can not be cancelled. They can be floated off to a buy unit. They cannot be asked to use vacation time or banked overtime.
Casuals are exactly that. Staff who work when required. It sounds cold and hard but our casuals try to work only M-F day shift. They are always "unavailable" for nights, evenings and weekends. But they are the first to volunteer for statutory holidays for the bonus pay.
On my unit I believe full-time and part-time are considered equally, though PRN and OT are considered first. The census has been low, but are known to fill up fast...and also d/c our patients quickly, too, making the census low again. Sometimes we will have up to 3 nurses on-call per shift - that makes the call-off schedule rotate through pretty quickly. I could be called off (or put on call) once every week at minimum (more if I pick up OT). If it's becoming a problem, talk to your manager about it.
And I know being called off sucks, but be a team player - everyone needs their hours. There are times where I actually came to work and they were supposed to put someone on call but they didn't. It was between myself and 2 other nurses. Since I lived the closest and didn't have kids to worry about etc, I just told them I would go home on-call (they ended up calling me in anyways 4 hours later). Or see if you can volunteer to float to another unit. We oftentimes have RN's floating to either med-surg or the ER to help out.
In my facility, there was no rotating roster of which nurse to cut next: they handled it on a shift-by-shift basis. They did it in the following manner: OT 1st, requests 2nd, PRN 3rd, permanent staff 4th. They didn't differentiate between full-time and part-time. It was very rare to see permanent staff get cut...usually by the time they got through with the PRNs they were done cutting. Also, permanent staff would be floated to other units as needed so they didn't have to get cut.
If you fell short in your weekly hours from being cut, you had to pick up another shift, use your PTO or just accept the lost hours.
During one summer on a pediatric floor, I lost an entire MONTH of shifts d/t low census (and the system was fair- but the vast majority- if not all- of the other nurses either were married or lived with another person contributing income, and weren't nearly as bothered as I was- and thought I was being too uptight.....funny, my landlord expects rent every month, not just the school year ).
The problem with the hours was easy to fix- different job (I offered to work adult floors in the same hospital, since I'd had 17 years of adult experience- but their NM never returned my messages even after my NM had contacted her). The issue with the jackalopes I worked with.... also fixed SO clueless that it could possibly affect someone differently than it did them.
I missed them about as long as it took to get to my car
). 
SO clueless that it could possibly affect someone differently than it did them. 
wooh, BSN, RN
1 Article; 4,383 Posts
We don't differentiate anybody by part time, full time, prn. We look at who's scheduled for the shift. Overtime is dropped first. Float pool who pre-assigned themselves to our unit is next. Then we get into "our" unit's people who are making regular time. Anyone working an extra shift over their regular hours is the top of the list. Whoever was the last to be called off or on call? They're next on the list. If you don't want to take the on call or call off, we'll go down the list in order (of last called off/on call) and if nobody wants it, whoever was top of the list has to take it.
Now that I'm considered prn and don't have paid time off, if I don't work, I don't get paid. But I've been lucky, as I've been top of the list for about 2 months now, and someone below me on the list has always been willing to take the on call or call off so I didn't have to stay home and not get a paycheck. Even when I worked more, I was always able to manage my turn so that it would come on day I didn't mind taking off. And generally was able to avoid being on call (which I hate, if I'm making the drive to work, I want to make it worthwhile by getting a whole 12 hours in) unless it was a pretty sure thing that I would NOT be needed to come in. There's almost always someone on my unit that wants to take the day, so if anything we're wishing we were at the top of the list!