I feel guilt ridden when I don't come to work on my days off. I don't know if guilt ridden is the proper adjective to use on how I feel. All I know is that it gets to me and bugs me for a while when I don't pick up that phone. I don't even like going to work on my days off. On my days off, my local hospital usually calls my house to see if i wanna come to work since they are short staff in nurses. I have never picked up the phone and answered it coz I'm doing something else or I'm going out to run errands.
I've been working in that hospital for 1 and 1/2 years now as an RN. I graduated May 2006. I work in a Med-surg/Tele floor.And not once have I come to work extra on my days off. I've only called in sick once, coz I was physically exhausted that day and I couldnt sleep at all.
I like the people I work with, the nurses, supervisors, charge nurses are all very helpful and nice, I love working with the patients. But working in Med-surg is often for the most part quite overwhelming. We have lots of paperwork, and often times it gets busy and I am fightin to catch up with the amount of work to be done. Not only that, but when I am assinged with a team, when they assign me to an LVN, I get 12 patients. If I work by myself as an RN, I get at most 6. I can handle a team of 6 patients by myself. I'd come to work everyday if I know that I wouldn't be assinged to a team with an LVN. For the most part, a lot of nurses don't stay in that floor for a long time. I can understand why, I don't blame them. Just when we have enough nurses, some other nurses leave to go somewhere, and we become short staff again. Its a combination of factors really, med-surg is a tough place to work sometimes.
I guess I'm making this post because I want to know what your opinions are on not keeping to work on your days off. How do you folks feel about it? I'm still new in nursing, and like I said, I've only been an RN 1 and 1/2 years.
If I am awake, I answer the phone. (my ringer is OFF when I sleep) If not, I reply to their voicemails when I do awaken.
I get called alot, either to work in my home unit (ICU) or to sub out on my old M/S floor. If there is any way I can make it work will all my other needs, I try to accommodate them.
It is always for a minimum of time and three-quarters, and usually for double time. Add differentials and float pay, and I can hardly refuse!
However, it is ALWAYS on my terms - shift, pt load, compensatory day off - whatever I need or want for that shift. Either they deal; or I don't go. This happens occasionally.
There have been times when I was too tired or had prior commitments. Then I just say "no" - with no reasons attached.
They will cancel you in a heartbeat if census is low. Why should you feel obligated to give up your day off? I'll be damned if I give up free spot in my schedule unless they really make it worth my while.
well i have been on both ends of the problem, sometimes a cna or nurse would call in just before the scheduled shift and i would try and get someone to cover but if anyone said no i would write that they were called and refused..no one had any problems with this
same way if i were called on my day off, if i needed the money or felt like going in i would tell them yes
if i was tired or busy or just didn't want to go in i would say NO
this was a small ltc and we had limited options..if you couldn't get anyone to come in the don was called and she called agency
i would not feel guilty in i did not go in and i didn't take umbrage if anyone i called decided not to come in
:trout:I get a call, maybe 2x a mos. I do 3 12hr shifts. If I can use the extra cash and they offer me incentive (where I work it's $10/hr extra), and I haven't done 3 in a row, and the planets are in proper alignment, I will pick it up. Otherwise I usually say no. They just move on to the next name on the list, come to find out you are usually just a license they need to meet staffing, and don't care if you already put in 42 hrs this week. It is your sanity, enjoy your days off, everyone knows that you work hard enough for them. And hopefully they don't say anything to you for not picking up extra, because that's just wrong and you should tell them that you need your days off to relax and refresh for the following week.
Specializes in med-surg, psych, ER, school nurse-CRNP.
I used to work in an LTC that I signed on with as Baylor. They would call EVERY DAY to ask me to come in. I was also a school nurse, and worked there the 5 days a week in addition to the weekends. I finally, after a while, told the charge nurse that it was no good calling me, since I worked every day, and also since I was only obligated to work weekends. Her reply was, "They should have told you when you hired in that your FIRST priority was to cover for us here." Um, I don't THINK so!!!
As to counseling for saying no when asked to come in, I would tell whoever to go jump in a lake. If I don't want to come in on my day off, then I am not the one that needs counseling. The facility that can not staff their units adequately needs counseling.
Days off mean days off. Simple and no guilt need be attached to this. You work your "work" days, now, you are off your "off" days. That's the way a job works and nursing is a job.
Caller ID is great. I, personally, told staffing that I do not work on my days off and not to call me. If someone slipped up and called me, I said "no" and hung up. No Problem.
Nurses who do work extra and have little time off because they either need the money or feel guilty, scare me. I would want a well rested, fully with it nurse taking care of me or my family. No one can pull long work days, 6 days a week and not have it show in their effectiveness as a nurse.
My Mom's friend Kathy had an excuse list - it was about 50 items - posted by her home phone. If they called, she just read off the next one, and crossed it off. When she got to the end, she just started back up again.
I have used some really bad excuses myself too - It was at that point I decided I needed a new job if I was willing to go to such lengths to get out of work.
Specializes in Med surg, Hospice, Geriatrics, AL, LTAC.
I have to agree completely with the Commuter-- management thinks nothing of calling us off when the census drops. We often work short with a normal census, sometimes doing primary care when there aren't enough techs. We have a high acuity level and my workplace is very stressful--every day. I work 3 12's a week and when I am off, those days are mine to recupe! If they post open shifts and I WANT to pick something up, I may, but I am not going to pick up that phone and say yes to another stress-filled 12 plus hour day just because they don't want to pay a staffing agency. I say enjoy your time off and don't work extra if you don't want to, and do not feel guilty about it!
what are you responsible for and the LPN responsible for when you have 12 patients?
In Pa we have a pretty broad scope, only not allowed to hang blood, IV push or TPN. Perhaps assignments can be made so that you aren't finding yourself doing these sort of things for the LPN on a regular basis (of course an emergency or urgent situation is different.) I don't know what your state scope for LPNs are, but it seems to me if a little intelligent planning is involved, it might be less of a burden. Typically, it is the institution themslf that further limits what your LPN can do, thus placing more of an unfair burden on the RN. Maybe you and other RNs could be instrumental in forging a fairer distribution of work by developing a policy. Good luck!
Reguarding that excuse list for not coming in on your day off, I would like to see it. I have no problem saying no, I work one full time job and one prn, so I say no a lot. What are some of the more "creative" reasons, just for giggles.:cheers:
I never give any kind of excuse. Usually I don't answer the phone if work calls, I let them leave a message. If I do answer, which is a big if, and I don't want to work, I just say no thanks. It's really none of their business.
one good excuse--"Sorry, I just had my medically recommended glass of wine for the day, can't come in to work now!"
Might not work...I got called once to work extra, told them that I couldn't because I had been drinking and they actually asked me how much had I had!!!!! I laughed, said you've got to be kidding and hung up. I really think my manager would have let me come in to work knowing I had been drinking. NOT ON MY LICENSE.:angryfire:no::scrm::scrm:
:angryfire:no::scrm::scrm:
clee1
832 Posts
If I am awake, I answer the phone. (my ringer is OFF when I sleep) If not, I reply to their voicemails when I do awaken.
I get called alot, either to work in my home unit (ICU) or to sub out on my old M/S floor. If there is any way I can make it work will all my other needs, I try to accommodate them.
It is always for a minimum of time and three-quarters, and usually for double time. Add differentials and float pay, and I can hardly refuse!
However, it is ALWAYS on my terms - shift, pt load, compensatory day off - whatever I need or want for that shift. Either they deal; or I don't go. This happens occasionally.
There have been times when I was too tired or had prior commitments. Then I just say "no" - with no reasons attached.
They will cancel you in a heartbeat if census is low. Why should you feel obligated to give up your day off? I'll be damned if I give up free spot in my schedule unless they really make it worth my while.