Low census--what do you do?

[compassionresearcher]

My current job involves limited direct patient care, so census does not affect me. But I have friends that tell me the unfortunate effects of getting called off and having no money as a result of low census. And I think it's unfair.

Are you called off at your place of work? If yes, how do you prepare for it financially? Does it bother you?

If no, what does your hospital do with extra staff during low census?

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

I would have told that nurse sup NO. I already started drinking.

I hate management that panic to fast and call people off just to realize 30 minutes later that they really need all hands on deck. I do not condone such thinking. If you tell me I am off, then I go on to do other things as my mind is already made up.

Along this line of thinking: the supervisor is aware of pending admissions from the ED but lo and behold when it's time to call report upstairs we have to wait for the nurse to arrive because she/he was on call because they didn't have enough patients.

It's frustrating because of the delay it causes to the patient, the back up it causes in the waiting room or to ambulances waiting to unload, and to the ED nurse having to still do nursing care and implement admit orders. (Bottom line, get the patient what they need, but I need help if I have to have an inpatient along with my ED assignment.)

[armyicurn]

That is not excusable!