Dealing with calls from work

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm a new nurse and I like my job, but I really enjoy my days off too. I work 3 days in a row and most of the time have four days off. On a occasion I'll have 3 days off. I work on a unit where it's mostly pain management and it can pretty challenging dealing with very demanding patients and some not so nice patients. When I get home from work I'm very tired. It annoys me to get calls almost every other week when I'm off to ask if I can come in to work. I don't mind helping out sometimes, mostly to help my co-workers who will be struggling with the patient load. When I do decide to come in it seems as if I get the worst end of the deal, "I'm thinking I came in on my day off to help out". The last time I came in I had 7 patients, our patient load is usually 5-6. I felt like I was drowning and had a hard time keeping up with everything. I was scared I would forget something. I have a hard time saying no. When I do say no or don't answer the phone I feel guilty. On the other hand, it's not my fault that they have staffing issues. When people do come it when asked they aren't able to get overtime because they get low census on one of the days and are left with just three days and no overtime. I have this horrible feeling that if continue to say no that my manager will find so way to get back at me for not wanting to come in. What does everyone else do in this situation?

Specializes in ED.

If I feel like coming in on my day off, I set the terms. It's my day off and my time. I tell them the hours I will work and whether I'm willing to take my own patients or just float and help out. They can take it or leave it as I'm doing them a favor. Most of the time they are willing to take whatever they can get.

I have a special ringtone for calls from work (Exorcist theme fit well) and I just don't answer it if I don't want it. For my first year, I volunteered and worked so much overtime, I burnt out and pretty much just refuse everything now. Don't feel guilty. It's great to help out if you want to, but unless your ran your coworker over with your car and then refuse to cover her shift, you have nothing to feel guilty about.

This same exact thing happened to me. I spent a year working up to 70hrs/week and finally stopped it all. I haven't picked up an overtime shift in almost a year and I'm still burned out.

Just don't pick up. Just as you can't control the assignment if you show up, they can't control you, or dictate whether or not you work. Don't feel bad!

Furthermore, my employers don't care about me. At all. So I don't really mind not being helpful. My husband has a job where he is always required to be "on" and he's paid very well for that. Nurses aren't. Shift work is shift work for a reason - you shouldn't have to field phone calls from your employer on most days off. Period.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

You just don't answer.

Remember they are not calling YOU.. they are calling a BODY to come in and fill the shift.

Don't take this personally. Especially to the point that your manager will find a way to fire you if you don't work overtime.

Simply do not answer when work calls, if they leave a message listen .. to it whenever you're in the mood.

Enjoy your days off.

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
I will answer the phone and tell them "yes or no." I prefer to be professional about it, rather than just refuse to answer. When I am off or out sick, someone has to cover for me; I try to do my share of extra shifts, too. I have found that job security lies with those who are willing to work extra, or cheerfully get pulled to other units. Nurses who refuse to work extra shifts at my hospital will be assigned extra shifts by management, and added to their schedule, whether they like it or not. It is just part of the job to me.

I'm sorry but that is just hogwash. It is not unprofessional to not be available to answer the phone for any reason unless one is on call and job security based on unhealthy work hours is not a job I would want. I have yet to see anyone get dinged for not being interested in overtime. It may be your employer's norm but it certainly isn't universal. If management assigns extra shifts I would frankly be out of there unless I had no other choice. How ridiculous.

I answer the phone if it is convenient for me to do so. If I am interested in picking up hours I will state when I am able to come in and what type of assignment I would be willing to take. If I am not interested, I say (politely) "No, but thank you for thinking of me". I never get any guff from the staffing office or my manager.

Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
I'll probably just start turning my phone off, it makes it hard to ignore the calls when they call 3 or 4 times in the same day.

If they are calling that many times, then there is something wrong with the staffing. If you want to go in, by all means, answer, say yes, go it. If you don't want to, say no or don't answer, but do not feel obligated to "bail them out" for improper planning. Otherwise, things are never going to change.

When I got upset over being accused of not picking up my phone, I wised up and decided to make the accusation true. Now I only answer when I want to, or will return calls when messages are left and I miss the call.

Specializes in Inpatient Oncology/Public Health.

I've worked at my current job for 6 years. I don't answer when they call. If they leave a msg and I need to call back I can. If they say what they want me to work and I want to do it I call back. Otherwise I don't. I felt guilty at first but I'm over it now. I have to be physically and mentally well to care for my patients on the days I do work. I've not had any retaliation for this.

Specializes in Pedi.
I'll probably just start turning my phone off, it makes it hard to ignore the calls when they call 3 or 4 times in the same day.

Or you could answer and say NO. Then they'll get the hint.

I learned early in my career what happens when you step in, change your plans, inconvenience yourself and your family, to come in on your day off because "we are desparate!"

Wow, you are such a hero! You saved us from drowning! Yep, and to thank you, come your regularly scheduled shift on Saturday night, right when you were getting ready to go into overtime, we are going to DOWNSTAFF you! At 17:00, after you have SLEPT all day to prepare to come into work! So now instead of collecting weekend differential plus OT, you get straight shift. Thanks a lot.

I made it a personal policy that if I did want OT, and was asked to come in on my day off, I would do so CONDITIONAL on me being guaranteed my time at the end of the week on my regular shift. I don't care if you float me or whatever, but if I'm coming in extra, I better be paid for it!

Specializes in Home Health.

At my last job, the favorites were given weekends off, no one else was offered the same curtesy for picking up their slack. Staffing got really bad in my last month there. So glad I left.

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