Do you answer your phone on your day off?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 30, 2010

it seems like whenever i have a scheduled day off...my phone is ringing. "can you come in and help out..."
"we are kind of in a bind today, need someone for pm shift.." i really just wish for a day, where i can relax and not be bothered by work!! so i am curious what others do, do you answer your phone on your day off? i tend to feel guilty when i see who's calling, and don't answer!

i bought my first answering machine in 1984 because an hour before every shift that started, we'd get three phone calls: "can dickhead come to work?" "can ruby come to work?" "if both of you can come to work, we'll make sure you work on the same unit. (dick was a float nurse.)" after a week of answering those calls at 6am, 2pm and 11pm every gol-darned day, starting with the day we got back from our honeymoon, we bought an answering machine so we could screen our calls. the calls didn't stop, but i got to be real good at not answering them.

now there's caller id. i never answer the phone unless i know who's calling and i actually want to talk to them. that lets work out!

MsbossyRN · Jul 30, 2010

Before I got into nursing I never did...now that I am a new nurse I still would not unless I really needed an extra shift or something.

mamamerlee, LPN · Jul 30, 2010

When I worked home health, I used to get many, many calls on my 'off' time - - 'we have two IV cases tonight, can you do one of them?' And many other issues...'there's an admission in your own area - would you open it tonight?'

I learned to NEGOTIATE. Find out what it is worth. You would be surprised - - I used to receive small bonuses - - even though I was probably making OT already. Usually, it came in the form of 2 to 4 hours of what we called 'admin' time. Now think about that - those extra hours bumped my end of the week hours into MORE over time.

Offer to work HALF of a shift - that buys them time to get someone to cover the other half. And remind everyone when you show up that you will be working only half the shift.

Be creative. And don't feel bad about saying 'no'. Not once, not ever.

We all know that if there was a true emergency/disaster, we'd work 48 hours without sleep if it was needed. So don't ever feel bad about saying 'N O'.

neatnurse30 · Jul 30, 2010

No, I don't. I look at number ID and if it's hospital, I let them record themselves and never call them back.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 30, 2010

I set a special ring tone for when work calls me. So when I hear that ring tone, I know not to answer the phone :)

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Jul 30, 2010

I generally do not answer the phone anyway; if I want to talk to someone, I'll call them.

The hospital calls frequently enough that I've learned to expect it. I work hard there, and I treasure my time off, so I rarely even answer the phone. Hooray for caller ID...

AOx1 · Jul 30, 2010

I actually used a combination approach. I would answer and say no at first, but got a lot of guilt trips and found it irritating. The thing is, with hospital understaffing, there will almost ALWAYS be a need somewhere. I love nursing, but it can be like your dreaded relatives that suck the life right out of you if you don't set any boundaries.

After too many whiny calls and affronted attitudes that I would not drop everything and race to work when not on call (they once acted angry that I would not leave MY OWN anniversary dinner), I warned them that any further attitude would result in an automatic answer of "no" or me asking for on-call pay. I always covered shifts when I could, and should not be made to feel guilty when I can't. This seemed to stop the guilt-trips.

Caffeine_IV · Jul 30, 2010

I sure don't. I feel like I'm doing good to work my scheduled nights as it is lol! No extra for me unless I really really need it.

whodatnurse · Jul 30, 2010

Give them MY number!

I'm an unemployed new grad. I'm ready, willing, and able to come in and work!!

It's a guilt-free win-win-win solution!!!

shiccy · Jul 30, 2010

I pick up 1 extra shift out of necessity per pay (money-wise) and it puts a ton of strain on my body, more than I ever imagined.

That being said, when I get the calls (our hospital has its own subset of numbers ... not area code, but when you see XXX-555-XXXX the 555 is them), they go to voicemail. I have google voice that types what they say in their message. You can then also use your 3G or wifi to listen to the voicemail if what was typed was not right... (kind of like visual voicemail, but better, and free). If I'm awake and am not dead tired and in a good mood, I just might pick up. We've been getting 'incentive pay' recently b/c we're so short and so busy. We have opened an entire intermediate wing that is usually not open and holds ?15? people, and also an entire (and filled) ICU that is not normally open.

So no. I let it go to voicemail. Most times I don't return the calls. Other times if I'm feeling frisky (and have a clean pair of scrubs) I say why the heck not! ... But mostly no

mazy · Jul 30, 2010

No. I don't know any nurses that answer their phones on their off days. At first I tried the thing where I would answer and say "no, sorry I can't," unfortunately, the fact that I actually answered made them think that if they went through all their numbers and no one else answered they could call me back and say "no one answered, please, please come in."

Too many times I have picked up that extra shift, only to have them cancel me when the census drops because I'm headed into overtime.

So no. I don't answer anymore.

StrwbryblndRN · Jul 30, 2010

I answer. But work does not try to make you feel guilty either. I will call back if I missed the call and let them know "no". I like the nurses and management and know what it feels like to be desperate and drowning. I like to at least acknowledge their call...most times.

(I completely understood everyone else who does not answer though)