Per diem policy question

[MinnieMomRN]

What is the policy at your facility regarding per diem shift cancellation? At the hospital where I work, per diem staff will be the first to be called off when the census drops. I understand this, but what I don't think is fair, is being cancelled half-way through my shift. To be clear, I work an eight-hour shift, 3-11:30pm. I am called by staffing at 6pm and told that they will be cancelling me as of 7pm. Shifts at my facility are either 8's or 12's, and I sign-up for 8's. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing worse than driving into work, taking a full assignment, an admission, getting all the documentation done, and then to be told you have to go home. This happened two days in a row. So frustrating...

I'd be interested to know if at your facility you can be cancelled for a portion of your shift, or if it is all of nothing. Also, do you per diem at more than one facility to patch-work hours together?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

everywhere i ever worked per diem or agency they had to cancel you by one hour before the start of your shift or they had to pay you four hours. but that meant that if you were there and they wanted to send you home after four hours, they could do that too.

[MinnieMomRN]

everywhere i ever worked per diem or agency they had to cancel you by one hour before the start of your shift or they had to pay you four hours. but that meant that if you were there and they wanted to send you home after four hours, they could do that too.

that's what i was afraid of...

thanks, green tea

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Yup, if the hospital doesn't need you, you go home. (They do it with full time and part time people at my hospital as well.) Because of my commute, it's so not worth it to only go in for part of a shift, but it is what it is...

[MinnieMomRN]

Yup, if the hospital doesn't need you, you go home. (They do it with full time and part time people at my hospital as well.) Because of my commute, it's so not worth it to only go in for part of a shift, but it is what it is...

Yeah, all that driving for next to nothing. I just wish they would place on-coming staff on-call if needed, and let the staff already there finish the shift. Oh well, in the world according to Minnie this is the way it would work. But heck, we all know THAT world doesn't exist.

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

Yeah, all that driving for next to nothing. I just wish they would place on-coming staff on-call if needed, and let the staff already there finish the shift. Oh well, in the world according to Minnie this is the way it would work. But heck, we all know THAT world doesn't exist.

Our contract states that per diem RN's are cancelled first unless there is another nurse (full time or part time) who has requested call or unless the per diem nurse has skills the others do not. We also have to float first and that sucks way more than being cancelled.

Most likely your facility pays more allegiance to its full or part time nurses. As a per diem nurse, I understand that..

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

My last job had to give per-diems two hours' notice for being cancelled on day shift and four hours' notice for evening/weekend shifts. If they didn't cancel you in time you were guaranteed two hours' work.

As far as canceling during a shift, that would depend on how badly the census dropped. Usually it wasn't common to cancel per-diems but occasionally it did happen. But per-diems are the first on the chopping block unless a permanent staff requests to leave early.

[Flo., BSN, RN]

At my hospital they determine census and staffing needs q 4 hrs. So you can be cancelled at 3 different times during your shift.

[newohiorn, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Yep, me too. I can be cancelled every four hours. I also work 3-11p and for the second half (7-11p) it's not uncommon for me to find out at 6:55 where I'm going or if I'm going home--it's very frustrating.

My gripe is that at my facility agency nurses are supposed to be called off before the per diem hospital staff but the agency nurses have a contract that requires two hours notice prior to the start of the shift. My hospital never knows whether or not they need someone 2 hours ahead of time so the per diems end up getting called off first because we have no such guarantee.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

More facilities are canceling in 4 hour increments to better accommodate the budget but to try to keep as much staff as possible. Per-diems are the first to go after agency and you are per-diem....as needed and you aren't needed. That is the downside of being per-diem. but I have canceled staff the same way......I offer it to the nurses at home sometimes (you can't get away with it too often because of the cost) and try to keep the per-diems sometimes, but it is what it is.......you have no guarantee of hours.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Once in a while, I like getting cancelled or sent home early; it is like getting a snow day from school. When missing work gets too frequent, then the paychecks show it.

Per diem staff is not first in line for cancellation. First is full time staff on overtime, after that it is per diem, then regular staff.

There is a guarantee on hours for per diem staff. We need to work at least 12 hours in a pay period, so there is a limit on cancellation.

[MinnieMomRN]

There is a guarantee on hours for per diem staff. We need to work at least 12 hours in a pay period, so there is a limit on cancellation.

It's good that you have a limit, so that you know you will get at least 12 hours in a pay period. My facility used to have a list of who was "up", so to speak, for a call off. If no one scheduled wanted it, then the per diem would be mandated to go. I usually never minded the call off. It was like a snow day! But, yes, two half-shifts in a row was like a snow day from a parent's perspective!

So no one mentioned... do you per diem at more than one facility so that you know after all the cxls you will have a certain number of hours? Do you find this approach works well?

Thanks!