Saying no when work calls

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Forgive me if this has been talked about a zillion times before, but I am pretty new to all this. I just started at a hospital after spending my entire (all 9 mos of it LOL) in the community hence never had this problem. Got asked yesterday if I wanted to work tonight 3rd shift because there would only be one nurse on (work in psych). I politely declined as I already work Tues day shift. So they are going to have to mandate someone (not that this was a call out it was a planned leave day for one of the night shifters that was just never covered for in scheduling which happens all the time, don't get me started) from 2nd shift today to cover it. I just got called (went to voicemail) asking if I would come in early for my day shift tomorrow. How early I don't know. I realllllly don't want to do this. The idea of going in earlier just ugh. I am already NOT a morning person as it is, prefer my evening shifts. If it were work asking me to come in early when I'm working 2nd shift NO PROBLEM. I just feel bad saying no. And I wonder if saying no will make me seem like less than a team player?

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.

I never answer the phone when work calls on my time off. Leave voicemail and I will act accordingly. I always say no when I am asked to come in earlier than I originally scheduled myself. Some managers think we are sitting at home doing nothing before work, they forget we have lives too. Unless of course I am looking for an opportunity to make some extra cash, then I will go in. As much as I love my job, there has to be limits.

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Sometimes saying "no" is good for both you and the workplace. You need your rest too.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I'm the same type of person and I have a really hard time saying no to people. In order to avoid getting pressured into coming into work when I don't want to, I find that letting the phone call go to voicemail works really well for me. As time as gone on, I have gotten better at saying no without any feelings of guilt.

!Chris :specs:

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My hospital sends out an automated call or text message. I just listen to them and ignore accordingly.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I got a cell phone call from one of the managers one afternoon. I took great delight in telling her I was in Waikiki, and the last plane to the west coast had left already! ;)

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Our hospital sends out an automatic text message (you can opt out). It will say: RN/NA needed on ward x 7.00-15.00. Please call xxxxxx if able to work.

This is how I get all my shifts now and it works very well :)

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Our hospital sends out an automatic text message (you can opt out). It will say: RN/NA needed on ward x 7.00-15.00. Please call xxxxxx if able to work.

They always cover shifts quickly. Every time I call, the shift is already gone.

I wish we had something like that.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I am in graduate school and have gone prn at work. I give them a specific list of days that I can work. You would think that would not be a hard concept to follow but WRONG. They still call almost everyday. I have told them repeatedly I am in clinicals all day and will not be leaving there to go work all night. Still they call....I have even trained the children not to answer that #. All voicemail all the time for work.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.
I got a call from the night charge, literally begging me to come in @ 11pm. So I did. Got there--she FLOATED me!!! :madface:

QUOTE]

This nearly happened to me a second time, except it wasn't the charge, it was the house supervisor. The first time, she learned that we had staff available, so took one of our RN's & gave us an aide in order to staff another floor. Knowing I would be highly @#$! if I was floated on a night I could have been home, the charge sent someone else, but that meant our floor was charged the 1.5 pay for me. Almost happened a second time. I agreed to be on call for a half shift because we had someone out for medical leave; however, turned out my floor was ok on staffing. BUT the same supervisor, discovering I was on call, wanted to send me to a different floor; I think the only reason I was not told to come in was because I was only available the first 4 hrs, not the whole shift. Now, I don't know about other places, but where I work, if I agree to be on call due to an expectation that we will be short on staffing, it applies only to MY floor, not the entire hospital.

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I don't consider having A beer on my night off reputation worthy. Iif my job considered A beer on my night OFF that big of a deal I would definitely find a better place to work that wasn't so "impacted" so to speak...

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Seriously?! If I had a job that judged me for having A beer on my night OFF ,i.e. MY time ,I would definitely start looking for an employer that was less impacted so to speak.

Considering all of the nurses I have met who freely tell you about

the Ativan, Xanax, Percocet, Adderall, Vicodin Etc. that they take, I don't think one beer makes me Lushy McDrunkenstein

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