On Call ?

Specialties Operating Room

Published

I recently interviewed for an OR position and feel confident they will offer me the spot. Its sounds rewarding and challenging. I am still nervous about the decision and am not sure how I feel about the on call. I previously had a bad experience with on call at my last job (basically wanted you to work 24 hrs), which I felt was incredibly unsafe for me and my patients. Needless to say I spoke up to management but my issues were never addressed. This led me to applying for new opportunities. Seems like the OR is 40 hrs per week M-F. On call once per week on a weekday from 11p-7a and one weekend day every 3 weeks (24 hrs on either Sat or Sun). If you find yourself on a case late into the night they give you a 4 hr sleep break or you can stay and leave early. Does any of this sound familiar to any of you? Any input on your 'on call' would be appreciated. I feel the opportunity is beyond amazing but do not want to waste anyone's time if it is not the right fit for me especially since I'm one of those people that appreciate 8 hrs of sleep. I'm not as young as I used to be! Lol

Specializes in Neurovascular Surgery.
I think OP is trying to figure out what she's in for and that's admirable so she doesn't become one of the statistics that train and then quit...

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Thanks for the comments... it really is nice that she asked us what she's in for. Was just trying to be realistic.

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Specializes in Peri-Op.
I really have to agree with you. Becoming an OR nurse takes months and months of training. When I read a post like this where the OP says.. I like my 8 hours of sleep and do I get a nap break... makes me cringe. So many times we get an RN to orient and they take the full 6 months... the OR nurses break their back training a new person and then when they have to take call.. they quit. It totally sucks and all I'm trying to do is tell it like it is. Being on call is a total "rush" if you can't handle it.. the OR is NOT for you.

This person is realistic. If the OP can't handle their comments, they can't handle the OR.....

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Specializes in O.R. Nursing - ENT, CTC, Vasc..

I hate taking call but I deal with it to work in the O.R. :) And I am not the only one like this. And I am a good nurse. My first OR job, I took call one weekend day (usually Sunday) every 6 weeks, from 7am to 7am. And I hated THAT, lol. We had a dedicated call team who got paid full-time pay to be on call from 5pm to 7am Monday through Friday. And they complained if they had to come in at 7pm.

My next job was in an OR at a hospital for mostly indigent patients, and we took call one night a week and one whole weekend (Sat 7am to Mon 7am) every 5 weeks. Still not bad. But we'd have to stay late, too, and we'd be working ABDOMINAL HYSTERECTOMIES that were scheduled for 1pm but the team wouldn't show up til 2:30pm and with residents in there, we'd be there til 8 or 10 sometimes.... then in come the gall bladders and I&Ds, etc. after those cases. It sucked. We didn't have to come to work the next day if we'd been working really late, but we tried and got relieved if necessary - we were never made to work hours upon hours. My longest shift was 17 hours. I was exhausted but could have kept going. The guy coded not long after I left because the doctor really shouldn't have operated..... long story but there is a lot more to call then "the rush" -- if ONLY it were just "the rush" of TRUE emergencies and urgencies.... but it's the B.S. surrounding it (like me having to be there in 30 minutes but the Anesthesiologist takes 45 minutes to an hour to show up... or a lady had a gallbladder issue since Thursday but they call us in Sunday night to operate on it).

I was OK with call, I'd just "keep swimming" til it was over and be happy with the extra money. But when an ASC job landed in my lap... I took it. :)

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

I'm in similar spot, OP, regarding the wondering about how I'll handle call. I just accepted a PACU position & will have weekend call hrs + one weekday. I'm trying not to worry too much about that aspect of the job; having worked nights the past few yrs, I've gotten pretty good at catching a few winks when I can. I'm also hoping there is somewhere on site I can nap if I want rather than driving home in the middle of the night/early morning & risk losing that sleep time to driving if I get called right back.

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