scheduling call help

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Hi-

I was wondering how other hospitals handle call. We are getting upset we have to take so much call. Right now we are on call or in house every 3rd weekend, plus once a week. We only take 6 hour shifts on weekends and have to do two 6hour shifts every 3 weeks (one sat. one sunday) It is very hard for circulators to give away call. I think we should do 24hour shifts or at least 12 hour so we do not have to ruin so many weekends. We split call between 13 or so circulators. The techs dont seem to have it as bad because we have alot more techs. Alot of the older nurses refuse to do 12 hour or wont even consider 24 hour call.

I wanted to know how you guys handle the call schedule. There has to be a better way. Also we do not self schedulte.:angryfire

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Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

I think it has to do with how much you actually work during those hours. Where I work we do 48 hrs straight on the weekends every 5 weeks. I personally feel 6 hours isn't asking too much. Even if you work the full 6 hours it isn't even as much as you put in during the week, so what's the problem? I do think it would be better if you took the full 24 hours because it seems you have 3 people covering the 24 hours and that is very inefficient. It does ruin people's weekend and that is why your weekend call comes so quickly. If you did take the full 24 call your weekends would only come every 6 weeks and not 3. I hope I am getting it right. Call is part of the game and if you complain about it enough either you should get out of OR nursing or try to come up with a plan that will satisfy all. This should be a majority decision and one or two people shouldn't stand in the way of progress.

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At our hospital, we finally hired 2 more RNs but for the last 2 years, there has only been 3 of us covering 24 hour call. How it works is....We work 7 - 3:30 Monday thru friday...40 hours/week. Then, we start call after 3:30. If a room is running late or there is an ad on, the oncall people do it. We basically have to do at least 1 full weekend/month and then 5 - 7 weekdays/month. When we do our weekends, we still don't get more time off. Since we have more nurses now, if we work past midnight, if enough people are scheduled the next day, we get to take the day off....FUN!

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Wow, 6 hours. We're on call every 10th weekend now, but our weekend call starts at 11p on friday night and ends at 7 am monday.

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I am a nursing student thinking about surgery...when you are on call do you get paid time and a half? I am confused about the pay in surgery because I am trying to compare it to regular floor work and shift differentials. Thanks!

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Specializes in OR.
I am a nursing student thinking about surgery...when you are on call do you get paid time and a half? I am confused about the pay in surgery because I am trying to compare it to regular floor work and shift differentials. Thanks!
Yes, most places you get time and a half for actually coming in and a flat rate for being on call. Some places will throw in a weekend diff as well.
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Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

Time and a half for worked time, stand-by of a certain amount per hour to carry the pager. No weekend differential where I work. We're up to $7/hr stand-by. We take the full 48 hours for the weekend every 5 weeks and it isn't bad, some days are busy some weekends you might do nothing!

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Specializes in OR RN Circulator, Scrub; Management.

When you are on call for those 48 hours do you get time off before or after and/or in those 48 hours do you have any in-house/restrictive call type shifts (meaning you work if there are cases but once autoclave testing is run.............at the start or end of the night inhouse...........you sleep)??

Thanks

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

We get the Monday off after our call.

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Specializes in OR, transplants,GYN oncology.

hi all. we went to self-scheduling of call this year. a bit rocky at first, but makes us feel more in control of our lives. we are required to take seven weeknight call shifts (5-11pm or 11pm-7am) in a 3-month cycle. not so bad.

until very reently we took weekend call from 11pm friday thru 7 am monday. only had about 3 weekends a year. but really awful! very stressful, as this is a busy city hospital/trauma center, and you can work a good deal of that entire call weekend.

always seemed pretty irresponsible to me to put staff in a position of having to work huge traumas (or care for any patient, for that matter) in exhausted condition. we now have divided these weekends into 12-hour shifts and must take three 12-hour shifts in 3 months. some people still cluster their 12-hour shifts together to take it less frequently. personally, i feel that should not be permitted, for safety's sake. but at least now my own 50+ year old brain no longer has to struggle through any more than 12 hours at a time.

i believe aorn has recently published a position statement about length of on-call shifts.

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Specializes in OR< ER< ICU< Home Health.

We have say 20 nurses and take call every 20th weekend. It starts on Sat at 7am and ends on Mon at 7 am. I personally like it as it doesnt mess up so many weekends and I can leave town. The weekends are long and tiring but I can endure it to know I will be off a long time.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

We take call 5 weekdays per month including 1 friday. We are also required to take 1 weekend per month for a total of seven days per month. Our weekend starts on saturday morning and ends on monday morning.

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