I'm sick of, sick of it, SICK OF IT!

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 25, 2004

Read nursebee's tagline.......and heed.You have a right to a life. Teach your daughter how to use it or tell her not to answer it. Screen your calls and ONLY go in when you feel well and refreshed enough to do so. Simple as that.

Dixiedi · Jul 25, 2004

Just don't answer the phone, like many others have said. Very likely, the other nurses won't help out because they have already been burned out.

On the other hand, do try to understand where management is coming from. It's their responsibility to find coverage AND stay within budget. They probably do not like it any more than you do, but it's there job and just as you must do yours, they must do theirs.

luanne123 · Jul 25, 2004

When I cannot stay late or do extra I now say "No, I can't but thanks for offering".

Luanne

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2004

NO NO NO,, i will not be held prisoner in my own home, wary of any ringing phone. They call me consistently to come in extra, evenings, afternoons whatever they "need". Well my thought is,, i will answer the phone(9 of 10 times the clock will tell you its the hospital wanting staff), i wont give them excuses or placate them with i would if i could but i cants. Flat simple tell them NO!! I dont have caller ID, and i will turn on the machine if there is a reason im not able to answer the phone myself.

They dont have a right to any reason, nor should you feel you have to give them a reason, unless you have a mandetory call requirement you havent fulfilled. That just implies they have power over your life when you arent working.

Do understand though they HAVE to call and inform people of a need and attempt to get extra staff in to help. They are doing their job too and most of the supervisors hate to have to call people on their day off. BUT,,, just say no and leave it at that. We are adults and we dont have to justify or make excuses for our decisions to anyone(in most cases), least of all our employer when we are off.

rn500 · Jul 25, 2004

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but this is worth repeating:

-Ringer off in my room

-"white noise" machine so I don't hear any phone NOT in my room

-Children and husband have long been instructed that I am NOT to be awakened when I am sleeping unless someone in the family is injured or sick (and they better be REALLY, REALLY sick!)

Takes care of that problem.

AmethystVeralyn · Jul 25, 2004

I used to be one of the ones who would stay and help out on

the night shift. I always tried to be respectful of them

and used to get furious when people staying on from the day shift

would be rude. I think they were that way because someone

put them up to it. The night shift people used to refuse

to help out on days when they were short because they

couldn't put up with their rudeness.

One example is when people ask for transfer help and the others try to bully them into moving someone alone.

It's not always safe to move a patient alone just because other people do it.

Sometimes they are officially two person transfers or hoyer lift patients.

One time one of the CMTs from day shift passing meds

on our wing demanded

that two of us transfer a hoyer lift patient without the lift

because they do it on the day shift. She had some excuse

that she needs to be put in the bathroom (where the lift doesn't fit) and then she flew into a rage. I got really sick of people that would take liberties this way.

This is not only degrading but also a threat to patient safety

and CNA safety. I wonder what would happen if we were

afraid of these people who try to bully us into doing things

that arn't safe.

Sometimes I used to wish nobody had stayed.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2004

Kudos to you being there to help your peers.

Certainly have good reason to rant, so vent away.

RN92 · Jul 25, 2004

Where I work, they have CRISIS pay. If you work when they're in a bind - you get a few more dollars/hour. If being short-staffed is an ongoing problem, you should talk with your supervisor about setting up crisis pay. It has nothing to do with overtime...you get crisis pay even if you dont have 40hrs/wk. You scratch their back (by helping out) and they scratch your back (crisis pay-incentive).

Good Luck

OneRN · Jul 25, 2004

My preceptor is like that. She comes in on her days off when they call her. She's the type that always wants to please others. And while that may be a saintly quality, it's not good for her survival. I, myself, never have my phone on. If a person calls when I'm home from work, all they get is an answering machine I have through aol. In the morning, when I check my e-mail is when I see their message. I figure if a family member dies or something, they'll still be dead when I check my e-mail in the am--I won't miss anything. I do not answer my phone, unless I'm waiting for a call from someone.

oramar · Jul 25, 2004

It's hard to turn off that ringer when you have teenagers.

That is why I love having the second land line, no one touches it but me, it is my own private Idaho. Used to be I would get home at 7 and at 9am I would be awakened by my hubby shaking me and saying, "It's work calling". He can answer our first phone all he wants 'cause no one calls ME on it. He and other family members totally ignore the second land line both because it is mostly turned off and because I told them I will kill them if they touch it. Here is what I would do if I was in Nightowl's situation. I would get one of those two land line for price of one deal's. I would totally change my phone numbers on all my phones. I would put the second land line in a dark closet somewhere with an answering machine and the ringer OFF, that would be the number everyone at work would get. Then once or twice a day right especially before I go to work I would check it.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jul 25, 2004

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been so short - on all shifts - and I have worked so much overtime, that I can not even think of going in extra anymore .... at least not for the next week. Let me ask how they could have kept the OP if she had already worked extra in the evening? Isn't 16 hours that maximum amount of time a nurse can be kept working? I think 16 hours on shift is unsafe as it is.

MelissaRN · Jul 25, 2004

sometimes you HAVE to say no because if you keep saying yes and coming in the powers that be won't fix the staffing problem. If the deptment head has to come in and work extra enough times, they'll fix the problem by hiring more staff.