For those of you who are in a managerial or supervisory role at work, do you answer work phone calls on your days off, even when you are not on call?
In my role, I work Monday through Friday anywhere from 8-20 hours a day (usually ends up being 16-20). I am not designated as the weekend nurse manager or supervisor.
Yet today, my phone was blown up with calls and text messages from nursing staff wanting assistance with call-ins, how to deal with a fall, and how to handle a verbally abusive patient.
I slept in late this morning, so missed any opportunity to 'assist' with any call-ins. I simply ignored that text message since it was already too late in the day to do anything about.
Later, I got a text message from a nurse wanting to know the steps to take after a fall. Although this nurse has worked at the facility for awhile, they had a question as to who should be contacted. I had no problem answering this question.
After this, I was hoping that any contact from work would end for the day but instead at dinner time, I was called because a patient was being verbally abusive to the point that some of the nursing assistants were too upset to work with her. I really wanted nothing to do with this drama, as it is nothing new, it was my day off to be free from this nonsense, and I am technically not the manager overseeing the care of this abusive individual. Yet, I felt guilty by not responding, so I ended up calling back and spoke with the concerned nurse about possible solutions. I also did recommend calling my colleague/co-manager to see if she had any suggestions since she knows this patient better.
The thing is, all of this communication from work stressed me out on a day that I was supposed to have to myself and work on other things, or just relax for once. I was also not hired to work on weekends or to be on call. My pay/salary does not include compensation for on-call duties since it was not in my original job description. Yet, it seems as if the facility/staff members expects that I am available at any time, any day of the week even though I am not the DON and therefore, not responsible for the facility 24/7.
I really don't mind answering questions or helping out every once in a while, but my work weeks are already long enough without having to be pestered on my days off as well.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
I have to ask - is your facilty not subject to inspection and survey by either the Joint Commission or CMS. Maybe it's just California but with a new antibiotic order the first dose must be given within 4 hours of the order being written. We had an emergency/floor stock box to cover such contingencies. If a nurse receives the order and does not follow through then you should write that nurse up as it would be considered a delay in treatment at best and a medication error at worst. These are things that can get your facility cited. The last thing you want while you are anywhere near the helm is to get a citation or IJ from CMS. Don't you do monthly in-services on how staff is to manage such problems.
Are the patient's that are declining on any POLST orders for comfort measures or end of life care? In some cases you can simply provide the indicated comfort measures without sending the patient to an ER that is most likley crawling with Covid.
Do you have a policy and procedures manual that tells your nurses how to handle certain situations It would include just about every thing that can happen up to and including the death of a patient.
Sorry but some of your scenarios are beginning to sound implausible
As for the constant phone calls and texts I can tell you that I always even today put my phone on do not disturb status for calls/texts from the facilty whenI am not on-call. The hospital administrators have my super secret bat phone number if I am truely needed.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Just now, amoLucia said:
Hppy - why am I NOT surprised about your secret bat phone number!
Way to go! ?
I am the defacto manager of my unit even though I am simply identified as a staff nurse -Float Pool. What this means is I can be called to any area of the facility if needed. This rarely happens as no one wants my unit for some reason.
Now I am going to set a boundary and go kill some brain cells watching television.
Specializes in Outpatient Cardiology, CVRU, Intermediate.
On 2/20/2021 at 8:46 PM, SilverBells said:
For me, not responding to calls/texts is easier said than done. I need my time away from work, but also do not want my coworkers to view me in a negative light or as unapproachable. More likely than not, someone might complain about their weekend and how they were unable to receive support from management if someone does not respond to these calls or texts. Many nursing staff will complain about managers who do not respond to their concerns.
Are you on-call or expected to be available to address these needs on Saturday and Sunday? It's likely a yes/no question. Ask your supervisor or HR for confirmation.
If no, then every single call needs to be re-directed to the on-call person assigned to cover weekend needs. Hard stop. ✋
You can answer all the calls and texts to satisfy your own need for knowing everything that is going on, and continue to be taken advantage of, stress yourself out, and lose your downtime. If this is your "guilty pleasure" or preference, then accept it, own it, continue to give up your personal time, and don't engage further on this thread. ?♀️ Every time you address a weekend issue, the person who is supposed to be handling that is left out of "their loop," and are unable to handle the issues when they come up. They are either getting frustrated or upset you are doing their job, or they are taking advantage of you.
Or, you can send out a unit/department-wide email and post a flyer with specific weekend coverage information. Then, take other's advice, set up a Do Not Disturb on your phone and enjoy your time! Really soak in the downtime and breathe, so that come Monday, you will be refreshed, ready, and motivated for the week!
Re: nurses not liking managers for :insert any and all reasons here:
Are you the manager or a coworker? The manager position can be a hard role, but you are not a peer. Your job (in either role, actually) is to do your job, not make sure everyone likes you. It's hard to not be a people-pleaser, but in a professional role, you have to handle your assigned responsibilities and others have to handle theirs. If something isn't getting done, it needs to be escalated/handled in the proper manner, not you taking on all the things to do the best job, from your perspective. Consider this, by not holding your staff accountable for their actions or non-actions, you are doing them a disservice and in some ways, actively preventing consequences and results from happening. It seems like you are struggling to separate yourself from other staff members in the "supervisor" role, not a coworker or peer.
** Just read the above post; I hadn't realized this had gone on so long.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Please remember to debate the topic and not the poster. Per the Terms of Service:
Quote
We promote the idea of lively debate. This means you are free to disagree with anyone on any type of subject matter as long as your criticism is constructive and polite. Additionally, please refrain from name-calling. This is divisive, rude, and derails the thread.
Our first priority is to the members that have come here because of the flame-free atmosphere we provide. There is a zero-tolerance policy here against personal attacks. We will not tolerate anyone insulting other's opinion nor name calling.
For me, not responding to calls/texts is easier said than done. I need my time away from work, but also do not want my coworkers to view me in a negative light or as unapproachable. More likely than not, someone might complain about their weekend and how they were unable to receive support from management if someone does not respond to these calls or texts. Many nursing staff will complain about managers who do not respond to their concerns.
Then quit complaining about being called at home or get a decent job that doesn’t expect 24 hrs a day work for one *** salary. Stop being a doormat by choice.
With that said, I do have an appointment to talk with someone next week. It appears as if anxiety that used to be under control is no longer being well managed.
GOOD. That will accomplish much more than obsessively getting on AllNurses and reassurance-seeking. If you don’t click with the first clinician you speak to, try another; sometimes it takes a few tries to find someone who understands you.
Specializes in OR 35 years; crosstrained ER/ICU/PACU.
Is there a House Nursing Supervisor on duty for all shifts? That is usually the 1st call any of us would make, for immediate assistance! That's what THEY'RE paid for, to put out fires on duty, not you! It's admirable that you want to help your colleagues, but at what cost? As you said, you aren't compensated for weekends, & you already are putting in more than the normal hours during the week. As an OR RN, I know how 20-hour days can quickly lead to exhaustion, even after 40 years experience. You're still "new" compared to that, & I'd hate to see you heading towards early burnout. Please, advise your staff to utilize the house staff already in place! As I said, Supervisors are there for that very reason! If it's truly something that needs your personal attention despite the Supervisor's attention, then she or he (my hubby is a Supervisor) can call you. You deserve your time off; God knows our days are stressful enough.
speak to your supervisor and advise that person (DON, Administrator) that you are not paid to answer calls on the days you are not working or not on call. You will probably be told that you are responsible 24/7. This is impossible, as we all have a life and these calls should be directed to your supervisor when you are not working or on call.
Davey Do
10,666 Posts
SilverBells has graciously given me permission to post images on her threads, so, I respectfully submit a reaction through Davey Do's dog, Dopey Joe: