On call pay

lvnandmomx3 · Jul 11, 2008

In a way I am on call 2 days a week between the hours of 8-4. But on those days I am still working for the company just not as a nurse, I supplement with the company for fulltime hours. If I get a page I call in and then log it on my time sheet in 15 min increments under the subcost that called me.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 11, 2008

just curious how call pay works in other hospital. at our little rural hospital the nurses get paid $2 an hour to be on call. now for $2 dollars an hour we have to be within 30 minutes from the hospital and as far as i am concerned we basically have to put our lives on hold. so getting low census is really no fun, can't really enjoy the day off for fear of the phone ringing. is this the way it works everywhere? thanks,
susanne

i get paid $2/hour for being on call (above and beyond my 36 hours a week). i'm on call from 05-1100 or 17-2300 depending upon whether i sign up for day call or night. and yes, it's like putting my life on hold for they day. i tend to stay at home and do chores, always afraid of getting too far from the phone.

as far as low census days -- not many of those, and since there are always people begging for them, i don't get stuck taking them very often. but i suspect there's less flexibility in a little rural hospital. i know a lot of nurses who have quit their rural hospitals to work in the big city -- after you get called off for low census a few times, it either affects your bank of paid time off, your paycheck or both.

hrobrnc · Jul 11, 2008

Hi, We used to get 2.00 dollars an hour on call, and if they called us in we got time and one half. The hospital just raised our on call pay to 5.00 dollars an hour. the problem is the day is pretty well hang around and wait for the phone to ring.

BoiseRN · Jul 11, 2008

I work for a CVOR and am on call 3-4 nights a week after my normal 8hr shift. We get $3/hr and have to be in the hospital and dressed and ready to go in OR scrubs within 30 mins! I live 18 miles away and can't even mow my yard or walk my dogs when I am on call because I never know how bad traffic will be or whatever! It is insane and I hate it most of the time. We also get 1 1/2 pay when we get called in plus the $3/hr while we are at the hospital. Sometimes, the experience is great and I enjoy call but most of the time it is stressful and I can't do anything (even sleep sometimes) because of worrying about call. And in my opinion the 1 1/2 pay doesn't make up for the hinderance or stress. :no:

hoppermom3 · Jul 11, 2008

We just got a raise from $1.50 to $1.75 for call pay. We are only promised 2 shifts/week for full-time, the 3rd shift may be an "on-all" shift. Usually though, there are extra shifts available to pick up.

I live 25 miles from the hospital, and some of our other nurses live further. Staff is great about giving each other a "heads-up" if it looks like we are going to get called in.

hrobrnc · Jul 12, 2008

the stress of trying to get to the hospital in 30min. when you live a good distance is not worth the time and a half. i agree.:typing

ruralnurs · Jul 16, 2008

I also work in a small rural hospital. We do 3 -12 hr shifts per week and per union contract we do 2-3 call shifts per month. It is a huge problem as it isn't really even a day off. We were getting $1.35 per hour and only required to do 2 call shifts per month but at our last union negotiations we said we would do 3 per month and raised the pay to $5.00.

We get time and a half if we get called in. There are only 4 of us nurses that can do OB and we get 7.50 per hour to do OB call. We have a new manager and she added up the $$ and has shown that the hospital is spending more $$ in call pay and call-in pay and is asking for more nurses to staff 3 all the time rather than 2 and a cal nurse. So it is likely that we may all take turns with low census but that is fine.

those of us 4 that do OB seldom will get low census though as we either need to be there or need an OB-call nurse. Small facilities can be tough to staff and thinking outside the box can be helpful.