No Call/No Show at Work?

[CNA2RN2014]

I am a full time nursing student (about to graduate in May, God willing) and I work at the local hospital PRN as a CNA. They are fully aware that I am a nursing student (RN) and that I normally pick up shifts on Friday evenings and weekends when I am able. I called the staffing person earlier this week to pick up a shift for Friday 2nd shift (which I normally do) and she said that she put me down for it. Somewhere in the confusion, she put me down for Wednesday 2nd shift instead of Friday. I had no idea that this happened until they called me an hour after I was supposedly scheduled to ask why I wasn't at work. They also had me down for another floor on Thursday evening which I didn't know anything about. I get a call asking why I wasn't at work from the staffing person. I told her that I did not say Wednesday, that I said Friday 2nd shift and that I am not able to work during the week because of school! She kind of got snotty with me and she said that I said Wednesday. The charge nurse on the floor called me to ask if I knew I had to work today. I explained it to her that I had already talked to the staffing person and there was a misunderstanding with scheduling. I apologized whole-heartedly for this misunderstanding in scheduling. She didn't really say anything except that she had to call somebody on how to handle this. Either way, I did not go in today so they put me down as a call out on the online schedule. I have a good rapport at this facility, never called in sick, I am NEVER late (I am usually the first CNA there on my scheduled days), and I am a hard worker. A lot of nurses have told me that I am the best CNA that the floor has. I just hope that this incident doesn't come back and bite me in the butt because I really want to work there as an RN when I graduate this year. How should I deal with this situation?

PS- I have 2 witnesses that were with me when I initially spoke with the staffing person when I picked up the shift and they both said that I said FRIDAY and that I never mentioned working on WEDNESDAY.

[brownbook]

I used to do staffing. These mix ups do happen. I (but sometimes I am accused of using too much common sense) would never blame a nurse when, if, this happened once or twice a year or so. Certainly if it became a pattern, every schedule there was a mix up, it would become an issue.

I can't speak to what your staffing coordinator and the charge nurse think about the situation. The charge nurse may have been more annoyed at the staffing coordinator than you!

Perhaps for the next few weeks or months, you can submit your availability via e-mail so there is a written record. Or when you call get in the habit of treating it like a verbal order from a doctor. (This is a very good habit to get into.) Say something like, "repeat that back to me", or "I will repeat what I said.....I am available Friday the 2nd of Jan, the 3 - 11 shift."

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Your witnesses and your reputation will be to your advantage. It would be different if you always clocked in exactly on time or called out I the past. Take a deep breath.

Can you follow up in writing or email when you make scheduling requests/changes? This has saved my rear many times.

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

I'm not sure what else you can do except keep your witnesses around in case you need them. If you get counseled about no show/no call, I'd refuse to sign anything that would indicate that you agree that you were a no show/no call.

[yoga pants]

How frustrating! I also worked as a CNA during nursing school, and the same situation happened to me a couple of times. It was definitely frustrating, and it gave me a lot of anxiety because I also wanted to continue working there as an RN when I graduated, and I didn't want anything to mess up the good reputation I had built for myself. It always turned out fine though! And I ended up getting a job there after I graduated too :)

I would just explain what happened to your manager/etc., utilize your witnesses if necessary, and it should be resolved fairly quickly. Especially since you normally work a certain shift because you are in school during the rest of the week....it obviously wouldn't make sense for you to schedule yourself for a shift during class. I think this kind of thing happens to everyone at some point. It's annoying, but it's not a big deal, and definitely not something that would adversely affect your future employment opportunities.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I would call your supervisor and speak to her about this mix up. I suspect you'll be okay. In the future, I would ask the scheduling person to read back what shift she put you down for.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I know from personal experience that a few unethical staffing coordinators exist who will schedule employees without their knowledge on days they cannot possibly work. While I am not saying this happened to you, it is a possibility.

Five years ago I was living in Texas on weekends and attending school in Oklahoma during the week. While in the Oklahoma classroom, I received a call from an angry nurse manager wondering why I was not at my PRN workplace. I informed her that I had not signed up for any shifts in over two months, and that I was attending school out of state. She quickly put two and two together and figured out that she was dealing with a lying staffing coordinator.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I'm curious -- if you're an RN, why are you working as a CNA?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I'm curious -- if you're an RN, why are you working as a CNA?

The second sentence of the OP's post indicates she's a CNA and nursing student. She has RN in parentheses, so I assume she means to say she's in an 'RN program.'

[Mulan]

I think they needed somebody to work on Wednesday.

Submit everything in writing from now on and keep a copy.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

The second sentence of the OP's post indicates she's a CNA and nursing student. She has RN in parentheses, so I assume she means to say she's in an 'RN program.'

Oh. I didn't know there were nursing programs that led to an RN. I thought you had to graduate from an accredited nursing school with a degree in nursing and then take the licensing exam. My bad.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Oh. I didn't know there were nursing programs that led to an RN. I thought you had to graduate from an accredited nursing school with a degree in nursing and then take the licensing exam. My bad.

Ya know, I like reading your posts. You offer lots of great advice, no doubt from your years of experience. Your point with this post is well taken. However, it's posts like this that really rub people that wrong way. Everyone knew what she meant when she said she was in an RN program- a program that will hopefully lead to her being an RN, as opposed to an NP or LPN program. Pointing out that you need to pass NCLEX to become an RN has nothing to do with the purpose of this thread, and the sarcasm just adds to the bad taste this post will leave with many people.