On call... 24 hours??

ChristineAdrianaRN, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2012

I am taking this from an older post:
"It's common for me to work a 7-7 shift, have call starting at 11 that night, call ends at 7 am, and i start regular shift at 7 am."
Ok.. so let me get this straight.. this person worked 12 hours- call started at 11 that night... say she was called in at 11 PM and worked through the call shift until 7 AM. THEN from what I can gather, she then stays and works another 12 hour day shift?? WOW. So this nurse only had 4 hours off and worked over 24 hours?? I am starting in the OR and I know I will eventually be on call, but that is INSANE.
Can someone please clarify CALL hours?? Thanks so much!!

The likelihood that one would actually work all those hours is very slim.

That sounds like a typical situation. However, at my job, we only do 8 and 10s, so it would be more likely one would work 7-3, then take call from either 3-11p or 11p-7a. If you get called in, you are likely doing one case that takes only a couple hours and then you're done. If for some ungodly reason, you work all day and then you're on call working all night, you typically get the next day off, or can come in late or go home early. Some places automatically give you the day off, but other places (like my place of employment) expect you to come in, but then you will be the first to go home. I have only been in the OR since July, but I haven't seen such a call situation happen very often.

Epona · Jan 4, 2012

Ok. Thanks ChristineAdrianaRN. That's cool then. I was like OH MY GOODNESS!! I appreciate the clarification.

Also, since we are talking ON CALL... when you are on call, do you have to LIVE within a certain mile radius from the hospital?? I am actually relocating to the area temporarily for my intern OR program. Once I pass the program and I am working as a regular OR nurse, I was hoping to come home and COMMUTE to the hospital for my shifts. Just wondering if you have to live within so many miles when you are ON CALL. Any idea??

Thanks again! :)

chickman1004 · Jan 4, 2012

If the hospital you work at requires you to do OB/C-sections response time is 20 minutes. If that is not required that typical response time is 30 minutes.

Epona · Jan 4, 2012

Thanks so much chickman1004. I was figuring within an hour. So looks like if I stay on after the internship, I will have to stay at a hotel when I am pulling call so I can be there in time.

Thank you!!

4_Sq · Jan 4, 2012

Most hospitals that require you to be on call for OR have a "sleep room" that you can stay in if you don't want to

get a hotel

Epona · Jan 4, 2012

Thanks Boxrluvr! I did not know that. All this with the OR is NEW to me. Ok.. thanks a lot for letting me know about the 'sleep room.' And by the way... I like your dog picture! :)

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 4, 2012

It's going to vary from hospital to hospital- and even between specialties in the same hospital. I'm not sure how it works for our OB/GYN hospital, but they are staffed 24/7 with one OR reserved for crash sections. It's the same for the main OR (one team in house and available at all times), although there is only one team in-house after 2300. Any case that comes in requires one of the two call teams comes in to be available for traumas. That part is nice because if there's more than one case overnight and they aren't back to back the workload gets shared (such as an appy at 0100 that finishes at 0230, but then at 0400 an ortho trauma comes up means that each call team does one case). Call in main OR is broken up into 8 hour shifts at all times for RN and 8 hours blocks plus one person on a 12 hour block on Sat/Sun for STs. The ortho team (separate facility during the week but works in main during the weekends) only takes call Fri-Sat-Sun in 8 hour blocks. The heart team takes call in either 16 hour blocks during the week (1500-0700) or an entire weekend (1500 Fri-0700 Mon). Most of the time I've been on call, it's usually just to stay late to finish the schedule. I took roughly 2000 hours of call during 2011, and spent only about 50 of those hours physically working. Our call response for ortho, main, and hearts is 30 min. Not sure about OB/GYN, but I'd guess it's the same since they always have an in house team who can start the case while the call team is on the way in. For ortho, main, and hearts, the OR rents an apartment less than a block away that we can stay in if needed. I've used it when on call and it's snowing like crazy, but when I bought my house I made sure it fell within the 30 min rule regardless of traffic.

Ilovethe80s · Jan 7, 2012

I've worked in the OR just under a year (my first nursing job out of nursing school) and being on call is what I like least about the position. I'm assuming how call works varies from hospital to hospital and how much manning you have. Where I work, they typically try to let you out early the next day. You could work all day and night and it is expected that you show up for your **** at 0630 and talk to the charge nurse about leaving early or being relieved asap, but getting out early does not always happen.

Before Christmas, we had a heavy workload and a lot of people out, so no extra staff to help relieve others. I worked a call shift on a Sunday where I was at work from 1200-2230, then got called back in at 0230 only to be told when I got to work that they really didn't need me, and then back in at 0600-1300. I was exhausted.

It's just part of the job. Just make sure you understand how call works at your workplace.

Epona · Jan 8, 2012

Wow. That is the pits. That is awful. Sounds like the OR is a nice place to work, but call appears to stink. Guess I will just have to wait and see how it goes. I am always wondering why the hospitals are always looking for OR nurses... maybe it is due to the 'call.' Geeezzz. Ok. Well thanks very much for all the replies.

Ilovethe80s · Jan 8, 2012

I also just want to highlight that even though call really blows, at least where I am it does, the other aspects of work kind of make up for it. I work w/ an amazing pediatric surgeon and his amazing scrub tech Mon, Wed, & Fri and it is awesome. So, just weigh everything out and think about it. Find out how much call per month or week they want you to take. Best of luck!

jeckrn, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2012

Ok. Thanks ChristineAdrianaRN. That's cool then. I was like OH MY GOODNESS!! I appreciate the clarification.
Also, since we are talking ON CALL... when you are on call, do you have to LIVE within a certain mile radius from the hospital?? I am actually relocating to the area temporarily for my intern OR program. Once I pass the program and I am working as a regular OR nurse, I was hoping to come home and COMMUTE to the hospital for my shifts. Just wondering if you have to live within so many miles when you are ON CALL. Any idea??
Thanks again! :)

Depends on the facility, I have a 60 minute window and as others have stated as little as 20 minutes.