How are things normally handled when census is low?

[Mia_2011]

I have been working at my current facility as an LPN since the beginning of the year, but i recently received my RN license and was offered a position working the rehabilitation side of the facility at night. I received a call tuesday that census was low and to not come in which was not a big deal to me. I understand census changes. However, I received a call this morning to not come in tonight or tomorrow and if things change they will call me tomorrow ( I spoke with ADON today and she said that most likely wont happen). I am currently scheduled to work 4-5 days a week, and I work along side another nurse. Are they supposed to rotate who they call off? I feel as though even though I am a part/full time employee they are only using me as PRN. Am I looking at this from the wrong point of view?

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

If you get cancelled, is it unpaid or do they force you to use vacation? It would be awful if someone received zero vacation because it was all burned through calloffs.

[belgarion]

The only ones who get cancelled are PRN and agency. Full timers have the option of taking off for low census or staying there with maybe one or no patients. On those few occasions I don't have any patients I usually go down and help out in the ER. I figure I can always use the experience and might even learn something new.

[Mia_2011]

It is unpaid, unfortunately.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

When our census drops, we cancel OT, the ET, then we float if needed. If no floats needed then PRNs get cancelled. If all that is done and we still need to cancel we have a book that has your last cancel date in it, we go thru that (like a float book) and cancel in 4 hour increments (we can't guarentee your whole shift in case we get admits, call offs or they need floats...what a pain to have to call every 4 hours to see if you can stay home). We can take vacation time or personal time to cover the pay, or you can take without pay.

They can mandatory cancel us if no one wants to be cancelled....again we have a book with dates and go by that. We can be cancelled up to 16 hours a week mandatory if need be. But we always have someone that wants the time off. Oh and we only cancel in 4 hour blocks so that no one is cancelled a whole shift mandatory.