"Call Back"

[tgirl84]

I have a question for you guys, how it works at your workplace and actual laws. I work night shift in the hospital and my shift starts at 7 pm. Sometimes at 6pm, the charge nurse will call one of the scheduled nurses and place her or him on "Call Back". During this time, the scheduled nurse is off work for 4 hours, but is expected to call back after the 4 hours and see if the unit needs them to come in. This "Call Back" is not an option, and you are in no way monetarally compensated for your 4 hours. The charge nurse and the unit manager can not understand why I would not want to do this. " why wouldn't you want 4 hours off in the evening?" Please! What the heck can I do at 10pm in this small town where all the stores close at 7 pm. My biggest problem with this policy is even if I wanted to go out to dinner with my husband, I might be working in 4 hours, so I can't even have a glass of wine or anything, I am liable for my choices and actions to the hospital, yet they are not required to pay me and I have no choice about being on "call back" or not! To top it off, at 10pm, if they don't need you, they will put you on 4 hour call back again, obligating you to call back at 2 am! This policy totally infuriates me and it seems illegal to me! I don't want to do it anymore! Does anyone know any laws or legislation I can show my employeer to defend me refusing to follow this policy? Thanks!

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

I guess I don't see why it's a big deal. You were scheduled to work and lucky you they weren't busy and you get a few hours to yourself. You have the inconvience of calling, not drinking whatever but you aren't at work are you? You got four hours for yourself that you normally wouldn't have. They don't want to downstaff you the entire shift because you never know how busy it will be. At least you know you get four hours. When they do that to us they often say stay home and we will call you if we need you. You may not have really any notice. I say take the four hours away from work and enjoy them!

The biggest deal is that some people desperately need the money and need to be working to make that money.

[AOx1]

We are paid $2 an hour for on-call. We used to have a similar system to what the OP describes, but people refused to do it, so they changed it.

[glasgow3]

i guess i don't see why it's a big deal. you were scheduled to work and lucky you they weren't busy and you get a few hours to yourself. you have the inconvience of calling, not drinking whatever but you aren't at work are you? you got four hours for yourself that you normally wouldn't have. they don't want to downstaff you the entire shift because you never know how busy it will be. at least you know you get four hours. when they do that to us they often say stay home and we will call you if we need you. you may not have really any notice. i say take the four hours away from work and enjoy them!

well, if a drop in your unit's census is of short duration and infrequent, then it's probably not a big deal. but sometimes that's not the case. then the big deal is your bills are not prorated just because your work hours have been cut. even if temporary/agency work abounds in the area (just not at your hospital/unit) you can't accept it because you are waiting around for free to see if census picks up.

in some areas drops in census can be periodic/predictable. over the years i've watched many new grads just begin their first job, have zero paid of time accrued, and get reduced 2-3 times within a pay period. when you're working 12 hour shifts that's a pretty substantial drop in pay, and one you don't hear about in nursing school. it's a great deal for the hospital, having a readily available work force at absolutely no cost, but not such a great deal for the employee.

even if you have paid time off available, you're using it in a manner that does you no good other than keeping bread on the table. when you are ill, or you want to take a vacation or attend a school function you won't have the time accrued to do so----you've already "burned" your time off waiting by the phone for work that often never comes.

in these days of hospital layoffs, the hospital spokespersons invariably mention that no patient care staff will be losing their jobs-----what they never mention is that the direct care staff in effect get laid off immediately with each blip in the census thoughout their careers.

[Riseupandnurse]

just another way that nursing has allowed itself to be used and abused.