being called off..

[SaltySarcasticSally]

How often is normal? On my floor, 1-3 nurses are called off mostly every shift.

I've been there 6 months. Called off once due to stomach flu, have taken no other PTO but I'm out due to using it to cover the frequent call offs due to over staffing.

And they are still hiring nurses...not sure why.

Is this common? Its been going on for 3 months now. I do not have any more PTO to cover it and I need to pay my bills...

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

How did you win that in your contract? We have call offs and can't do squat about it.

We had that in our contract, too. If our unit was overstaffed, we could choose to float or to take PTO, but if we chose to stay and work, we stayed. I think it depends upon the strength of your union and the skill of the negotiators.

[Castiela]

How did you win that in your contract? We have call offs and can't do squat about it.

No idea. It was there when I started. Our contract is a pretty good one for the most part. I'm Canadian, so I don't know of that is a factor

[JBudd, MSN]

Our old contract specified if you showed up for work, you got paid at least 4 hours. They could send you home right away but still have to pay, or just send you home after the 4 hours. We usually had someone willing to leave straight off though.

How on earth do you have enough people to send home that often {{jealousy!!}} Our schedule never has all the shifts covered at the numbers they are supposed to have, less than 50% of the slots are totally covered. Always has a list of short shifts they want people to sign up extra for. ERs are notoriously hard to predict, but we have set number of nurses that are supposed to be there at any given time of day. Most of the time slots (done by every 2 hours) are in red.

[NursingInChaos]

might be hiring that many nurses to cover the high turnover they have because there are too many call offs because of too many nurses- but it takes upper management a bit longer to put that puzzle together and stop calling people off while still hiring

[Flatline, BSN, RN]

And so continues to age old dilemma, either there is too little or too much staff. Sometimes it is hard to hit that perfect golden mean.

[merang]

The hospital I work at is doing the same thing. I have been on call at least if not twice in a two week pay period. Our hospital does do a rotating list throughout the facility. The hospital I work at has changed ownership and now we don't get as much PTO per paycheck as we did before. I love my job and my coworkers but I have bills to pay so this gal is keeping an eye out.

[caliotter3]

In my state if a person shows up for scheduled work and is sent home, they must be paid for one half of the expected shift or at least two hours, but not more than four hours, per the Labor Department. This is called 'reporting time pay'. Surprising how many employers, particularly in home health, will claim ignorance when the employee brings up the subject of reporting time pay when the employer owes it to them.

[SaltySarcasticSally, LPN, RN]

The hospital I work at is doing the same thing. I have been on call at least if not twice in a two week pay period. Our hospital does do a rotating list throughout the facility. The hospital I work at has changed ownership and now we don't get as much PTO per paycheck as we did before. I love my job and my coworkers but I have bills to pay so this gal is keeping an eye out.

See they just limit all the call offs to our unit instead of rotating it through all similar units. It would be a lot easier if they did that. I had to take last Saturday with no pay since I have no PTO.