Does your work call you at 0530?

[MarySunshine]

I've been working 50 hours a week lately and today was my day off. I stayed up late last night hanging out with my husband. This morning at 0530 my phone started ringing loudly and I thought someone had died or something (I didn't really know what time it was at all). It was work calling to see if I could come in at 0700 because they were short staffed. I said "no, I stayed up very late last night." So then I had trouble getting back to sleep.

They call me ALL the time during my days off, but this was a first. I don't want to just turn off my phone because I'm worried about a real family emergency. I'm thinking of emailing my manager and politely asking her to not ever have me called at that hour.

[grammyr]

I had the same thing happen to me week before last. Before I left work the day before I specifically told the oncoming sup NOT to call me. My phone rang at 630 on my only day off out of 8. I asked her what part of "Do no call me" did she not understand and she got mad. :trout:

[muffie, RN]

yes we are desperate for nurses

get call display or turn your phone off or down

it really stinks when they ruin your '"sleep in "am

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

Happens all the time!! Get caller ID or screen your calls with an answering maching. That's what I do. Telling them not to call you really isnt the answer as I have been a house supervisor and when it comes to covering short staffing they usually are required to go down the list. If I listened to everytime a staff member said dont call me then I would have no one to call. At least they can say they tried and called everyone on thier roster.

[crnawant2be]

Caller ID works very well for me. We have a 70% policy (unenforceable but they have one written) which says we are required to work overtime at least 70% of time contacted. If work calls and I donot want to work I donot answer the phone.

[SmilingBluEyes]

simple solution.

Turn off all the phones except one, if you have to hear them and turn on the answering machine.

yes, my work calls at 0500 or 0530 when desperate for help. I have the choice, however, not to have the phones ring. If I am tired, sick or whatever, I dont' answer the phones and keep them all off so my family is not disturbed. Simple enough.

[miko014]

Caller ID works very well for me. We have a 70% policy (unenforceable but they have one written) which says we are required to work overtime at least 70% of time contacted. If work calls and I donot want to work I donot answer the phone.

That doesn't really seem fair. It's called overtime for a reason. I hate that they can mandate people and make them work extra! It's unsafe and unfair! I'd like to see them tell me that I didn't work enough overtime...I would say "fine, if that's how you feel, find someone else to take my position, 'cause I'm out of here!" Sorry, maybe I'm a bad nurse, but work is not my life, and I prefer to have time to relax and take a breath! And, you know, buy food and clean my bathroom (not at the same time, of course!).

[Agent99]

Yep, staffing calls all the time. I have the phone next to my bed shut off, and the answering machine volume turned all the way down.

[banditrn]

I used to have the same problem because I only worked part-time, and my supervisor could NOT get it thru her head that my days off weren't for HER convenience!

It got to be a real hassle - I would pick up occasionally if asked, but that's all. She got really snotty with me one day, and told me, in front of the rest of the staff "It must be nice to only work part-time!" I told her it was - that was the position that I applied for, and if she didn't like the hours she worked, then SHE should go part-time. And it was the absolute last time I ever picked up for HER.:angryfire

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I used to have the problem that I worked night shift, usually 2 or 3 -12hr shifts in a row. Staffing had the poor judgement to call at between 1100-1300 between two scheduled shifts, to see if I could come in at 1500 instead of 1900. And I couldn't turn off the ringer as I had a child at school. I complained up it but complaints fell on deaf ears.

Finally, I told them that if they woke me up and I did not get enough sleep...I would be calling in sick, due to lack of sleep. After two times of calling in sick, after being repeated awoken ("But we really need you here at 1500"), they got the message.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

They called, even called at 5:30 am when i had worked from 7 am-3:45 am the day before/morning (i.e. had a little less than 2 hours' sleep) and wanted me to come back. And got cranky when i said no, and attempted to guilt trip, to which i said "I am not safe enough right now to do my job, now i can run this by the Head DON, and see if she disagrees with this, but i think she would refer to page XYZ in the Policy and Procedure Manual."

Now, all phone go to silent, except for my personal cell phone.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I actually had my weekend off switched so I would be off the weekend a notorious 3-11 RN was scheduled. I dreaded even being in the house on my weekend "off" as I usually got called in. Plus after working a 3-11 on a Sunday the NM expected me to be there bright and early Monday 7 AM.

Caller ID wouldn't work because they'd have blocked it...it only read Private Call. I finally got a 2nd line and only gave that number to friends and family. The primary line was only for us to call out. No ringer on.