Pregnant ONCALL need your input

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2006

Hi everyone I am new to this forum I have been a HH nurse for 3 years and love it most of the time. I am 3 months pregnant with my first :wink2: and my employer has known since I was 6 weeks. I am doing fairly well but am still extremely tired all of the time I am just getting out of the first trimester this week. I only work perdiem 3 days a week rotate call and on-call weekends. However I was in a MVA accident in Feb not work related and not my fault. It has made me paranoid while driving and now that I am pregnant I am even extra paranoid. My question for all of you is I am thinking about asking them to take me off call weekend and weekdays. I just don't see that is is worth me losing my rest ex; getting up at midnight to troubleshoot an IV or insert a catheter or who knows what else. I am willing to work an extra weekend instead. Does this seem unfair to most of you or did many of you work and take call far into your pregnancy? Since they don't pay squat if your oncall only if you make a visit I am not really losing out on income and it just doesn't seem worth it to me. I haven't complained so far and I have had some stressful on call nights an weekends which ulitmately led to some backpain. Please if any one can give me some input as to what you think.

I'm a little confused here. Don't you have to be driving for work regardless of whether you are on call or completing your regular visits? I don't think it's fair for you to want an accomodation to be made that doesn't seem to have very much to do with your pregnancy at all. It doesn't make driving any more unsafe. Now if, let's say, you had poor night vision and failed your last exam and your driving is now medically restricted, it would be a little more reasonable to ask your accomodate your not wanting to drive at night. Otherwise, you probably need to suck it up.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 18, 2006

Pregnancy is not a disability condition. Asking to work extra weekend still could get into accident during scheduled visit. If truly having pregnancy complication, would need doctors note to ask for accomodations.

Depending how small/large and agency, they may not think kindly about this request. Can you go to just a per diem position? Can you afford not to work at all if you make request and they don;t accept it. These are issues you need to think about.....

Answered by a tired homecare manger that's trying to staff department;

nurses asking for special time accommodation that DON'T meet departments needs.

babynurselsa, RN · Oct 18, 2006

Are the on call shifts optional? IF not you are probably gonna have to suck it up.

Try and get a nap in on the days you are on call whenever possible.

If you do a search on this site you will find many opinions from people who have had coworkers who use pregnancy as an excuse to shirk duties. Beware though they are not nice opinions.

Good luck with your pregnancy and congratulations.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 18, 2006

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Karen's post says it best. Yours is not a disability, so you will likely be asked to deal with it and continue to do your share, e.g. take call. If the unfortunate situation arises where you are physically unable to do your job, it would be best to go to your dr/midwife and discuss the situation with him/her and decide how to proceed next.

I can understand others' not being too tolerant in cases like this (as stated in the post above mine). You see, most of us who have had kids suffered through the fatigue and exhaustion that went with being pregnant without asking to be accomodated any more than the next person who was not pregnant, would be. It does tend to make others a bit cranky when you do ask for any special accomodation soley due to being pregnant.

I am sorry about your MVA. Perhaps, if this situation continues to haunt you and make you feel anxious, you might talk to someone about it. It's understandable to be nervous after such a thing happens to you, and for that, I feel for you. However, again, your agency/employer and fellow employees are not likely to be willing to change their scheduling to accomodate your wishes not to be on call, if that was a condition of your employment in the first place.

Good luck and here's to a happy and healthy pregnancy and birth experience.

Rosey · Oct 18, 2006

Thank you for all your input. I am going to try to work as long as physically possible I want to be fair to all my co-workers. I should be blessed that I feel so well and have not taken a sick day yet. I don't want to be a whiner and I am not going to be! Thanks to all. Last time I was here I was a new grad nurse and I got some help and excellent responses I just needed to hear them. I will be here more often from now on. Thank you all for being so kind unlike the fist responder who made me feel terrible.

runrn · Nov 18, 2006

Rosey--did I read correctly that you are perdiem only. On call is usually given only to full time staff at most places. REASONS: Pay is pathetic for on call. Full time staff get benefits, vacation, insurance, and sometimes shopping at the mall while on the clock. Part time or perdiem get zilch. You dont work you dont get paid. Full time staff takes call at crappy pay as sort of a pennance for getting all the perks. So yes maam you are damn straight that if you dont feel like getting your poor little pregnant self up out of the bed to go to some bullcrap visit to end up getting nothing but a measily 25 or 30 bucks you should not have to. You are right for not wanting to take call---doesn't matter why....whether you are pregnant or have a toe ache you dont owe them this. Do what I did....I told them I was perdiem which means you decide if you want to take the work they give you....and guess what I dont want the on call work. If they insist that you take call and threaten to fire you then you are not actually "per-diem" this would be holding you to the standards of expectations from a full time employee. So then you should ask for some benefits. They cant have their cake and eat it too, but I have seen a many try it.

Rosey · Nov 18, 2006

Thank you for that response you gave me some fire if I need it. However there are other per-diem nurses that take oncall. But you are right I don't receive benefits or the extra monthly bonus that the the full time nurses receive. Hopefully I will only have to put up with this for another month then I am going to say see ya! Again thanks for the response I thought it would never come after reading the other responses it seemed like all of those nurses that responded have apparently been pregnant oncall before and dealt with it just fine.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Nov 19, 2006

The agency I work for does not require call for PRN nurses. However they do take call because we get $50 per day plus time and a half for any visits made including all traveling time. I hope things go well with you. I wouldn't use pregnancy as a reason not to take call. You are driving at all other times, to use the reason to not drive when you're on call because you're pregnant is unreasonable. If you're nervous while driving you should seek counseling to help you get over it. Good Luck.

Jo Dirt · Nov 19, 2006

Thank you for all your input. I am going to try to work as long as physically possible I want to be fair to all my co-workers. .

I'm pregnant with my 4th child (though it's been awhile, my youngest is 5) and with my last one I worked up until the night I had the baby. I know lots of other moms who have done the same, so I definitely don't think we can (or should) expect to be coddled because we are expecting. Pregnant women are not made out of glass, and it kind of annoys me when people treat them as such. I'm having a lot of morning sickness and such, but I just keep plugging along, it will get better. :pumpiron:

Jo Dirt · Nov 19, 2006

Rosey--did I read correctly that you are perdiem only. On call is usually given only to full time staff at most places. REASONS: Pay is pathetic for on call. Full time staff get benefits, vacation, insurance, and sometimes shopping at the mall while on the clock..

I'd like to know what agency this is. I'm full time (salaried, and you know what that always means).

The benefits are zippety-doo-dah, the insurance is a JOKE, such a joke that I dropped mine, even though it is free (ha ha) for myself.

Our on-call pay is $150 per week plus $25 hourly extra if we have to go out. Thing is, if you do have to go out (which thankfully is almost never) you don't usually spend a whole hour at the case.

Well, hopefully I will be able to leave this all behind soon. Say goodbye to nursing altogether.