On-call at home and police wake you up?

Published

So, I was on call last night and had a terrible time sleeping because I kept thinking I heard the phone ring. I never did get called in but when I came in today for my shift and was mentioning my lack of sleep and my worries about not waking up for the call- multiple co-workers mentioned not to worry because the policy is to call the police to come wake you up if you don't answer the phone.

Is this really true or are my co-workers pulling my leg? Anyone heard of this or had the police show up on their door?:uhoh21:

Specializes in Agency Nurse-Medicare and LTC.

Sorry , but I think I do recall getting woke up by the police once .....LOL

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In this city of 5 million people the cops will not come to your house to wake you up. To get a well check done you you would have to go to them yourself first and try to get them to come to the door, or if a period iof time passes such as a day trhen they will check on them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER; HBOT- lots others.

I know for a fact your husband is dead wrong. no pun intended. we have had to actually do that for a collegue. she was always on time, by on time i mean early, didnt show up- didnt call, we called and they went to her house. same with a prior MA job that i had. and i know they still do that. maybe not where you guys live, but they do!

-H-

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma ICU, Surgical ICU, Medical ICU.

My first job I lived in a 'big' city and worked at a huge hospital. I wrote down my schedule wrong and had went on a long weekend back home to the country with no cell phone signal. Needless to say I was a no show and they had no way of contacting me. When I returned home, I had 10 messages on my phone saying they were going to send out the police to find me! Luckily, a co-worker was contacted and she knew where I was, and the police were not sent out looking for me. But yes, they do this, even in bigger cities, and I am, for one, glad they do!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.

The cops here will "check the status of" - anyone who has a concerned friend, family member or coworker call. Nurses & Docs aren't given any special treatment - at least around here.

Blee

Up Vote Up Vote ×
The cops are not going top come and wake you up. They have way more important things to do like catch criminals.

Sorry, but they do go out when they are called that someone did not show up for work and they are usually quite dependable; they will go out and make sure that they are okay.

That something has happened to someone, and there is always that possibility; this is more important and waiting to catch a criminal.

And I have personally sent them out thru the years as well, so yes, they do go out and check and wake the person if needed. And even more important with what we have been seeing in the news lately.

Police as well as the sheriff depts provide many other services besides just trying to catch criminals. Many of the people that are arrested the first time for something were not criminals beforehand either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Labor & Delivery.

It was the policy in our facility ,that if a physician was on call and did not responds to phone calls from the nursing staff, for the local police to go to thier place of residence and bring them to the hospital. We had one provider that would not answer the phone when on call, so the police had to get him nurmrous times! I dont live in a huge city by any means, but its not a rural area either. I guess they would do the same for nursing staff as well.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.
Ummmm.... beg to differ with you. Not that they don't have criminals to catch, but they'll go check on a nurse for the same reason that they won't ticket a nurse for being out on the road in bad weather.

why would anyone get a ticket for driving in bad weather?? i dont think thats illegal, maybe not recommended, but if you arent breaking a law then you cant be ticketed.

i dont see the police wanting to be called just because you need someone to come to work. i can see maybe if you think something has happened to that person, but just to wake them up for work? i doubt it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LPN, Peds, Public Health.

maybe i misread the question? I took it as her co workers told her that if they needed her to come in they would just send the police, not that if she didnt show for work and they were concerned?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Where I am....

Yes, the cops will come check on you (police or county), and especially if you're supposed to be at the hospital and don't show. We've had 4 nurses in the last year have major MVAs because of deer running in front of them, and one slid on ice down in a ravine. She lost a spleen, but she's still here because the sheriff's department went looking when she didn't make it in.

Yes, we have called the cops to go get the surgeon on call, and yes, they did bang on the door until he woke up. He came in and screamed at my charge, who proceeded to tell him that she'd do it every f'in night she needed him and he didn't answer the phone. Administration actually stood up for her on that one.

If they close the roads d/t bad weather or issue a curfew, a nurse doesn't get a ticket if she's going to work (not so sure how that would work out for you if you had a back seat full of walmart bags, but...)

And a nurse I know that worked in an OR in Milwalkee said the sheriff would actually come pick them up in blizzard/bad weather so they could get in.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
why would anyone get a ticket for driving in bad weather?? i dont think thats illegal, maybe not recommended, but if you arent breaking a law then you cant be ticketed.

i dont see the police wanting to be called just because you need someone to come to work. i can see maybe if you think something has happened to that person, but just to wake them up for work? i doubt it.

At least in this area, if the police ask people to stay off the roads in bad weather, they mean it. They will ticket you if you are out when they have asked you not to be. The exception(s) are people whose being at work is for the good of the community.....that includes nurses.

People don't just call the cops for the hey of it. When we get to the point when the cops get called, it is because someone has not answered their home phone, their cell, their emergency contact does not know where they are, and this is not their usual MO. Reading through this thread should give you a good enough idea that things can and do happen.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It happened to me. I was on-call and didn't hear the phone. We keep a fan going in our room at night for "white noise" for my tinnitis. And I forgot to put my cell phone in the bedroom. The supervisor sent staff to my house. They knocked. No answer. One nurse who was a friend came in. Yelled my name. No answer. Then the sup called the police.

For some reason my dh woke up and went out to find the phone ringing. Woke me up and then I called in to have the sup cancel the cops.

It happens!

steph

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion