Notified of call before being on call

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in ER.

What are your hospitals policy when it comes to when someone is notified for call?

I was on call from 7a7p on monday. Was at work Sunday and was not notified about being called in. Went to bed and turned off my phone because I didn't want to be disturbed but knowing I was on call the next morning woke up at 0630 and my phone back on. I received a call at 0710 calling me in. Went to work in a timely fashion and when I got there was told dept. Manager wanted to see me. She wanted to writeme up because I didn't respond to a call that was placed at 0500. Keep in mind I wasn't on call until 0700.

In the end we had a disagreement and I asked her to see the policy in writing and she couldn't find it. She asked me to step out for a few minutes while she looked for it and I took that time to call human resources. They asked if I would like for them to speak with her. They called her in her office immediately and a few minutes later I returned just as there conversation was ending. She then decided not to write me up and informed me that she was going to add an addendum to the policy.

So, the new policy will allow them to call us hours before our actual call starts. This seems to be pretty extreme to me. So does being on call for you mean I am available to be called in from say 7am to whatever time or would you expect a phone call in the middle of the night hours before your even on call?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I'm not sure what the purpose of designated the time frame when you're on call (7a-7p) if you can actually be called in any time. Does that mean you can be called in the evening before your on-call time starts at 7am? Can you be called in days before you're scheduled to be on-call? At every place I've worked you get a small amount of pay for being on-call, how would they define when that pay starts?

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She is wrong and doesn’t want to admit it. If they want to be able to call you at 0500 and require you to answer you need to be paid the on call rate from 0500.

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Do you have the same manager as the one who is requiring staff write the expiration date on each individual alcohol swab? Geez.

She’s wrong. Apparently, you should be at the ready to come in 24/7 out of the goodness of your heart (free). No thanks. I’ll pass on that.

Hopefully she will calm down, and never speak of this new policy again (as she will likely never admit she’s wrong).

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2 hours ago, beekee said:

Do you have the same manager as the one who is requiring staff write the expiration date on each individual alcohol swab? Geez.

She’s wrong. Apparently, you should be at the ready to come in 24/7 out of the goodness of your heart (free). No thanks. I’ll pass on that.

Hopefully she will calm down, and never speak of this new policy again (as she will likely never admit she’s wrong).

Say what now? I must have missed that thread. ?

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Being in call means that you are available to work the hours you are assigned to be on call, not that they can can only call you during those hours. In your case you were assigned call from 0700 - 1900; as they knew you were going to be needed at 0700 they called you in time for you to be there when the shift started.

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Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

How would you be expected to sleep? This would create a situation of uncertainty leading to potential sleep deprivation and unsafe care. The one more reason unions are so important it’s not just the “big” pay and benefit issues it’s also the “little” abuses that can transform your life into a nightmare.

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Specializes in OB.

Did they call at 0500 to let you know you’d be needed at 0700, or they called at 0500 to have you come in right then? Confused.

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It's just a slight difference in thinking/wording, but if I knew that I was on-call for the 7a-7p shift, I would expect that they might call me to tell me I was needed for that shift about the time that they usually receive call-in notifications and place calls looking for help, so...roughly around the time they called you. [There's nothing about this that makes sense now that I think about your understanding of it - - it's just what I've always experienced].

Your understanding of your responsibilities was reasonable and you responded promptly according to your understanding. Your manager sounds like a miserable person looking for a reason to be punitive.

They are the ones who need to clarify their expectations, and it does make sense I guess that they should pay for OC time if they want you to respond to calls @ 0500. Or they can "get a life" and be happy that they can call someone at 0700 and have them respond promptly to work the entire remaining majority of the shift.

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I’m guessing they needed you at 0700, not to come in at 0500. They probably had to report to staffing who was going to be there and you hadn’t responded. Somebody may have called in for the 0700 shift and the night shift nurse needed to go home.

If I’m extra or on call, I always call in around 0500-0530 to see if I’m needed. If you don’t answer your phone until 0700, you might not get there until 0800-0830 depending on where you live and how long it takes you to get ready.

I think you are wrong.

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Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

If I am called in it is my responsibility to show up on time not answer the phone. I don’t answer the phone for anyone when I’m sleeping not even my wife and kid and certainly not my job

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This is crazy. The manager needs staff to clock in at 7:00 am. Maybe she should know all the call staff's personal situations and know who can roll out of bed and clock in 1/2 hour after being called, (that would be me), and who need a minimum of one hour or more.

As a former night time manager who had to call people in for the 7:00 am shift. I know sometimes when the s**t is hitting the fan in terms of staffing for the next shift I have to start calling at 5:00 so I can ensure enough staff will be available. I can't wait until 6:30 to call staff in.

Even if they are on call, even if I knew they only needed 1/2 hour to roll out of bed and clock in....I can't wail till 6:30. So many what ifs when it comes to staffing. From the basic....there was a mix up on the schedule and you were actually not on call, to your phone isn't working, to your car doesn't start, to you're woken up and find your kid has a temperature of 104, etc.

Finding out 1/2 hour before the next shift starts that I didn't get enough staff, that is the stuff of my nightmares. And yes I do end up working overtime to fill in until my relief can hopefully find someone to come in.

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