Called Off for Low Census!!!

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For the last couple of weeks our pt census on our floor has been low. It sucks, not much to do, low acuity. I did in the beginning welcome the extra day at home and the longer bouts of down time. But now, I am 19 hours short on my next paycheck!!!. I have been called off 2 shifts and then today called off for 3 hours ---This sucks. I would ask to be floated to another dept but, I am 9 mo pregnant. I don't think another unit would welcome me right now. So I am stuck with short hours. :down:

We had about 2 months of very low census last year around this time. I didn't mind it, because I'm all for not going to work. But I have enough PTO saved up to cover that - unfortunately, if we use our PTO time, we don't get paid for the shift diff, so we still lose some money. I can see how someone who didn't have any time saved up could be in trouble, though. We can refuse to stay home, but we've never had a problem with too many people wanting to work. We have a list we rotate through. We start at the top, and the first person scheduled that day gets to decide if they want to stay home. If they say no, they are put at the bottom of the list, and the next person gets the choice, and so on. Not all units do it that way, but it works really well for us.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

Are these non-union hospitals? I ask because we (or shall I say my union hospital) don't get called off-we are guarenteed 37.5 hours per week. Now, what they can do, is when a person comes to work, and the acuity is low, they might ask if someone wishes to go home, but they will charge it to personal time such as vacation, holiday or comp. If the person says no, they may float them to a familiar unit (at least thus far). I have not heard of anyone being docked of pay.

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Specializes in Tele.

where are the patients?! I am getting called off for low census too!! I do not have a year experience yet so I can't get another job else where !

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

But remember what we keep hearing, there's a nursing shortage...

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Specializes in LTC, med-surg, critial care.

Who keeps track of who's getting called off? We have a schedule book and in the front it lists those who have floated to another unit or those who have been called off and the dates. When the census is low it goes in this order: registry, PRN, OT, part-time, full-time. Full-time is always called off last. If it comes down to two or more people the team lead looks at the list to see who's turn it is to get called off or floated.

The nice thing about my unit is we are step down ICU but we also take med/surg overflow so if there aren't enough step down patients we open the rooms up for med/surg. My hospital is always near full so we rarely had that problem. The only unit that gets closed on a regular basis is the "VIP" post surgery unit.

I'm sorry about not getting paid for maternity leave. I'm 35 weeks and still part-time and pick up extra days. I have paid maternity leave (plus I'm taking unpaid FMLA after maternity leave is up) but I'm pretty much working until I go into labor also. I feel great and I don't want to be at home staring at my belly saying "When are you coming?" :p

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We have what is called "low work days" where I work. I use to get more of these when I worked on the med surg unit. However, now that I'm back in an ER, there have been very little "low work days".

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Specializes in ICU, PACU, Cath Lab.

Let's talk about low census...my hospital just reopened and housewide this weekend we had 25 patients...over half in OB. I am lucky because as an ICU nurse I am considered critical staff..so I did not get called off..I cannot imagine all the people on the floors that have not been able to work for 2+ weeks...yikes!

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Specializes in ICU.

we have a "star" book where you can sign up to be called off. if you want to work however, they can't make you take off...you may not work on your usual unit (there's a pull book and if it's your turn to be pulled, so be it). it's usually not a problem, someone always wants to be off.

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Specializes in medsurge.

you're not alone in new york one hospital laid 36 nurses off.... all because of low census and no money to pay them

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Don't worry, your census will pick back up soon enough! It's really not uncommon for the census to be low everywhere in the summer, especially around the 4th of July. I know it's hard now, and frustrating, to get called off so much, but soon enough, you'll be wishing the census would drop again! It happens every year. We were only about 5 pts below usual this past weekend, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets worse as this week goes on.

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Specializes in medsurge.

this had been going on since dec of 2007 and no sings of getting better.

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On our facility cancellation do not have rotation, if you are the less senior you are the 1st one to be cancelled and floated.......which I do not like at all, and seems to be unfair. Does not matter if you are full time or part time, if the part time people are more senior than you, you get to be cancelled even if you are full time, this is a unionized hospital!. As a new grad how are you going to learn and earn money as well!

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