On-Call Pay Survey

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hey everybody, I work in a Cardiac Cath Lab in central Florida. I am on call this weekend :-( . I wanted to ride my bike up to the gym but really can't, it would take me a bit longer than the required thirty minutes to get to the hospital if I were called in. So I guess I have to drive. At our lab we get $2 an hour for call pay. That seems crazy low to me for the sacrifices: no drinking, have to be ready to bolt out the door in a moments notice, cant really go anywhere and have to have the phone on you at all times.

Anyway, just curious what other on-callers are getting per hour? Also if we get called in we get time and a half for call back pay.

Thx-Dan

Editorial Team / Admin

Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN

6 Articles; 11,662 Posts

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Geared towards the OR nurses, but I think that's the closest you're going to find:

https://allnurses.com/operating-room-nursing/update-call-pay-914594.html

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

$8/hour. I work in a trauma-surgical-neuro ICU

cassie77775

175 Posts

2.50$ an hour for a total of 8 hours. I think it's low too.

danimal99

5 Posts

WOW! big range in there. I didn't see anyone below $2/hr which is where Im at, many were above $5. Like another poster in Rose Queen's thread our lab has been at $2 for over 15 years. That seems crazy to me, 15 or 20 years ago $2 an hour was something. The stress of spending 72 hours (weekend call is fr,sat,sun) within 3 feet of my phone at all times knowing it will go off at least once, probably twice at all hours is not worth it to me.

katierobin23

147 Posts

Where I work we don't don't get paid anything for being on call.

springchick1, ADN, RN

1 Article; 1,769 Posts

It also is going to vary depending on what part if the country people are in. Where I am, it's $2.75 pager pay and time and half with a minimum two hours pay if called in.

Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

My hospital did away with any on call pay. It used to be $2/hr when we did have it though.

MunoRN, RN

8,058 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.

$3 for on call pay, if you get called in you get your regular pay rate with shift differential depending on the time of day when you are there, you continue to get the $3/hr once you're called in. You only get overtime if coming in pushes you into actual overtime.

I'm extra in cath lab (basically prn) and this is a big reason why I've never pursued a regular FTE in cath lab, PACU, etc.

Specializes in ICU.

We do not receive call pay, period. That said, you don't have to be on call if you don't want to. It matters when you get your yearly evaluation and (hopefully) pay raise, because if you don't come in and work extra when needed, you might get a negative eval. I volunteer to be on call, without pay, simply because I live only 10 min. from the hospital, and I don't have kids at home to worry about.

danimal99

5 Posts

Happy Father's Day! Just got back from being called in a second time this weekend. 1am last night then 7am this morning.

Cant imagine no call pay that would really stink, two bucks an hour aint much but its better than nothing.

danimal99

5 Posts

Lennonninja - how did staff react to the cancelation of call pay? I imagine we would have a lot of people quit. What was the hospitals rationalization, cost savings?

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