NursieNinPACU

We can only work 16 hrs in 24 and then are mandated 8 hrs off. Also, we can only work 6 days in a row and must have 24 hrs off before coming in again. If we're called in and have to work for an on-call shift over night but are scheduled to work the next day it depends. If you're called in, say, early enough to hang around until your day shift starts, then you hang around and try to work, if you're needed, and then the charge nurse sends you home as soon as they can. If you come in closer to midnight, work a few hours, then go home at like 3 or 4am, we usually leave the charge nurse a note and they call and let you stay home and rest a few hours, and then either work less day shift hours or start your shift later and end it later. My unit is usually as flexible and accommodating as they can be without sacrificing patient safety. But we also have leadership that will and has worked at the bedside when asked, without any problems.

Quite a few years ago, one evening there were two of us RN's working in the PACU, with 3 OR's running and we had 4 pts in the PACU. The anesthesiologist working with us that night decided to bring us a kidney transplant (had transplanted earlier that day and was not putting out urine so they went back to the OR to see what was wrong) instead of going straight back to the PICU, where the pt had come from. When we voiced our concern over our RN to patient ratio/acuity, he stated to me, "Let me go get my skirt on and come back and help you". Needless to say this was overheard and he was promptly pulled into HR for 'debriefing and counseling'.