Policy on No Reliever.

mrsboots87 · May 15, 2016

I know in AZ we can be mandated for up to a 16 hour total shift. I work 12s and if my relief calls out, the latest they have me stay is an additional 4 and then someone takes over. But they usually make it optional and will have a supervisor cover if I can't stay.

There re should be a policy in your facilities P&P station whether they can mandate you to stay overtime or not.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · May 17, 2016

I know in AZ we can be mandated for up to a 16 hour total shift. I work 12s and if my relief calls out, the latest they have me stay is an additional 4 and then someone takes over. But they usually make it optional and will have a supervisor cover if I can't stay.
There re should be a policy in your facilities P&P station whether they can mandate you to stay overtime or not.

Thanks for the answer [emoji7]

Cruella de ville · May 19, 2016

We can be mandated and due to short staffing we often have holes in the schedule that are filled with mandates (over 70 holes next pay period) that is before call ins. So we mandate 3-5 ppl per day for a 75 bed facility.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · May 19, 2016

Yep, on our tiny L&D unti (only 2 nurses on shift, 200 births a month) we get call outs allll the time. At least once week. They call down the list and will even offer critical shift pay, but if no one can come in or no one answers the phone, you are there until relief comes. It works okay most of the time. But our unit manager never, never EVER has stepped up for a critical shift. She will cover if it is during her normal hours (8-4 ish), and will stay late if it a really clusterf***, but that's it. We had a terrible staffing crisis a few months ago when one nurse had been out with her critical ill mom in the ICU. We got her shifts covered for the week, and I agreed to fri and sat night. I come in Friday night, appropriately caffeinated, only to learn that our unit manager had been unable to cover the saturday day shift, so the "plan" was for me to work 7p-1p, and have sat night nurse come in at 1pm to relieve me, with the understanding that she would work till the end of her normal shift, 7am. I would get some restful sleep in an empty hospital room and be ready for duty at 7pm.

The better, more logical plan, would have been for her to COVER THE EMPTY SHIFT HERSELF. I wrote an incident report for that, because patients were unnecessarily placed at risk by fatigued providers when a much simpler and safer option would have been to just come and do the darn shift. And it just felt icky, so disrespectful of the fact that we regularly go way past our shifts and come in to cover a sick call. But to just SCHEDULE us that way, so you don't have to miss whatever fun thing you had planned? I once had a coworker drive down from her vacation in rhode island to cover a super critical shift, then go back the next day :) I have often agreed to cover an overnight sick call, even though it means going straight to that 12 hour shift after I get done with my 8 hour day job. Nobody likes missing life to go cover a shift on your day off. Like I tell my kids, nobody likes it, and that's why we all pitch in our fair share.

It speaks volumes when people in leadership roles make an honest effort to address these types of issue directly, not to mention roll up their sleeves and pitch in. it speaks volumes to their skill and dedication, as well as to their respect for their employees.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · May 20, 2016

It's difficult. Our industry needs change. I was thinking about this last night... Where I currently work, when you show up for a shift, you always have to have that possibility in the back of your mind that you'll be mandated. We have a lot of employees who refuse to stay; put up a fuss, call corporate... Then the same nurses end up taking the shift repeatedly (for instance, a nurse who has no kids.) it's not sustainable or safe