How often do you get called and asked to work on days off?

dzadzey, MSN, RN · Feb 25, 2012

They stopped calling because the answere was always "No.". But when they did, it was at least onces a week.

tablefor9, RN · Feb 25, 2012

Rare to get a call on my day off, and we are a closed unit (no one floats...in or out...of our unit). It's not that we have a ton of staff, either. It's that we all have a mandatory call shift once a pay period....which started (you guessed it) because people weren't coming in on their days off. I *always* have to work my 4th day for the unit to be covered so I just take the OT $ and run!

miss81, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2012

Everyday and sometimes twice/day! :banghead:

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Feb 25, 2012

Just curious. This happens to me a lot and it's pretty annoying. It has been happening to me several times a week. I usually say no.

I just got off the phone with staffing; they asked me if I wanted to pick up an extra shift.

I said, "I can't today, but thank you for calling."

Not really sure what would make more sense than the exchange staffing and I just had.

lockheart678 · Feb 25, 2012

I'm in the OR and I've always worked 5 days a week, so I don't have to worry about getting called to come in on my day off, but I used to be asked (or forced in many instances in the past) to stay late pretty much every day. I got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and told them no 90% of the time and they quit asking me. I'm about to transition into 12s and I'm a little worried I'll be getting called all the time to come in on my days off. It's nice to know I've got unlimited opportunities for OT if I need it, but I'm sick of being short staffed and having to deal with crap every single day. In the 4 years I've worked there, we have never had a time where we weren't short staffed. It's really ridiculous.

thekidisback · Feb 25, 2012

I get calls almost every day...even on days I'm scheduled to work. They either want me to pick up an extra shift or come in early. I usually don't answer the phone when I see my hospital's phone # on the caller ID :)

33762FL · Feb 25, 2012

Pretty much every. single. day. And I can't work every day, obviously. I do my part to help out, sometimes I go in and on my regular shifts I have a perfect attendance record, I have never called off.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Feb 25, 2012

So I just got an email and it made me laugh. We are given monthly break downs of our budget and they are mad that we have so much overtime.....yet we get an email two weeks prior saying we need to do MORE overtime to help out. WHICH ONE IS IT!?!?!

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Feb 25, 2012

Almost on a daily basis so I don't answer the phone and if I need to sleep I turn the answering machine off! Hire more staff and stop bugging me on my days off!

joanna73, BSN, RN · Feb 25, 2012

Sometimes it's 1-2 times a week. I've learned not to answer the phone or call back if I'm not accepting the shift. Do I feel guilty? No. We've been chronically short for a year and a half. We're all entitled to a life other than nursing.

Seas · Feb 26, 2012

I get called in every once in a while. Lately I got called in once a week. I always tell them no; they usually call me after I'have done a 3 in a row of 12 hr shifts.

I think it is a little rude to just ignore the calls; in fact they probably know you are ignoring them. It is rather courteous in my opinion to pick up the phone even only to say "No, I can't work, sorry.".

joanna73, BSN, RN · Feb 26, 2012

How is it rude to ignore the calls? It's my day off....no one owns my time, and I'm not on call. More people would probably answer, too, if employers wouldn't try to guilt them in to working.