Does your work call you at 0530?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

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.

Specializes in Education, Medical/Surgical.

Beg? You mean lay on the guilt. Are they willing to give you a day off when you call THEM at 0530? It blows my mind that HEALTHCARE for goodnes cares NOT for the HEALTH of their caregivers. I'm reading this is most in long term?

I'm seeing poor little me in a lot of the posts over the years. Hey you are human you need a day to laugh, shop, kick your heels up and nap in the recliner. And don't get all guilty feeling over it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
Hee!

They sent one of the aides to my house to bang on the door.

Nothing like a small town....

I can beat that:

Once while I was on FMLA due to a neck injury, the nurse who was covering for my HH patients came banging on my door one day. She couldn't get my patient's PDCA pump to work, and her husband was going berserk because she wasn't able to get her pain medication. So, off I go, my neck wrapped in a soft collar (and under the influence of pain meds myself), to fix my patient's pump. Although it turned out to be a simple programming issue, the husband was outraged that no one else but me knew how to operate that pump. It seems that the district manager wasn't interested beforehand in allowing me to teach other nurses to operate that pump...in case I got sick. "Oh, you won't get sick", she had assured me carelessly. Well, guess what?: Her husband filed a complaint with the State....and I finally got the trained

backup I needed. Needless to say, no one else dared to bang on my door after that. I also took my phone off the hook (this was before Caller ID was invented), when I was sick or off call.

I am SOOO glad those days are over with! :angryfire

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in none yet.
I learnt this from an old boyfriend who used to get work calling him anywhere between 0100 and 0500.

Phone rings - pick it up but dont say anything.

Usually the caller will say "hello? um hello???"

You say "what time is it?"

While they are saying "it's 0500, sorry to call so early but,,,,"

you just hang up.

I only tried it once and felt really guilty,,, lol

But I have a really low ring tone on my mobile for work so most of the time I don't hear it. I refuse to give out my home number any more.

I understand it must be a nightmare for the roster office/nm, and I am sure they don't enjoy calling people at all hours of the day or night. But when I have split days off and have worked 8 nights in a row I dont want a guilt trip for enjoying my day off!

FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GOOD ONE!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/Geriatrics.

It comes with the territory...it is not rocket science coming up with a solution that works for you...many excellent ones were given....

Liz

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

YEP! They will SAY that you can't schedule yourself for more than 4 days in a row because risk to "patient safety," but THEN will call at 5a-7a BEGGING me to come in because they are short staffed.

I would rather schedule myself for 6 days straight, be off for 2 weeks, then another 6 days straight...(now, i'm in a unique position as my hubby doesn't work outside the home...so he does all the cooking and cleaning, and all the maintenance of yard, etc...)...so all I do is work...

SO, if I think i'm off that 4th day, i'm staying up late and watching TV, sewing, etc...not worrying about getting enough sleep. If I KNOW that 4th 5th and 6th day are coming, i'm showered and in bed by 9pm.....

If i'm prepared for it, i'm fine...but if I'm NOT prepared, it's a greater risk to patient safety.

The other day, they called at 5am, 7:15 and again at 8:30...3 different people, 3 different departments, BEGGING me to come in. I was *ISSED, MAJOR...

NOW, if they had a BOOK where people could SIGN up saying they would be available, THEN they would have their call list.........but i'm just a lowly staff nurse, it would take someone with a "clipboard" to think of it and implement it by committee for it to work :/ Rant mode off....

linda

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice, Home Health.

"I'm seeing poor little me in a lot of the posts over the years. Hey you are human you need a day to laugh, shop, kick your heels up and nap in the recliner. And don't get all guilty feeling over it."

I agree. When I was young, I would feel BAD about not coming in, thinking of all my coworkers struggling. But as i've gotten older, i've learned i'm the only ME i've GOT!!! If I don't take care of me, no one else is going to either.

Now I have never called out cause I didn't want to go to work, i just suck it up and do it. But to say no, that is getting easier as staffing grids are changed to facilitate greater profits; and my back is aching more as a result.

We have to take care of ourselves, or there will be no us to care for the patients.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Palliative Care, NICU/NNP.

MarySunshine, I had the same thing happening to me. After they called at 0445 on my day off I was so mad that I couldn't get back to sleep! I called staffing and they put me on their Do Not Call list. What I really wanted was not to call me before 0600 but it was black or white.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Correctional RN.

I got called at 5:00 am to be cancelled for an overtime shift today. Bummer, the kitty kat needs new kitty litter, LOL.:paw:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

don't pick up the phone. also, on some cell phone you are able to program certain numbers to certain ringers. i would program your work number to "silent" :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg.

I don't work nights anymore, but I was often charge on that shift when I did. There were times that I wouldn't make those 5am calls, and told the house supervisor to do it. Yes, there are some I WOULD call, but if they were coming off a stretch, had just worked PM's or NOC's one day before, etc....then I was not going to call them, because I knew they wouldn't come in, anyway. Common sense has to prevail sometimes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
ever though of calling the nm at home on a weekend at 0100 just to ask able coming in. might prove a point

oh, how i've dreamed!!!! or calling that 7-3 nurse who likes to wake you up for stupid questions at 3am to ask, did you give this med, it's not charted- when the omnicell says it was taken out on time, and the a&ox3 patient remembers taking it- etc, etc

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC/Geriatric.

Thankfully we have a great system where I work!!

We have a central scheduling office. I'm casual at two LTC facilities. If I'm available that day, I will leave my ringer on and be prepared to be called as early as 5:30 (the time the office opens). I can call the office and let them know I'm not available that day and they CANNOT call me.

If I havn't called to let them know I'm unavailable, I will turn my ringer off and sleep peacefully until 7:30am. :D

The actual facilities I work aren't the ones calling.

Oh, and if they call and I cannot take the shift, I don't have to give a reason and they cannot pressure me in any way to take it. It has something to do with the union I think. They will say "thank you, good bye".

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment