Screening your phone calls?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Do you screen your phone calls against your facility?

    • 87
      Yes, always!
    • 10
      No, never!
    • 22
      Occasionally

119 members have participated

All right, fess up. How many of you screen your calls against the facility where you work?

Here's my story:

I have been on vacation since last Tuesday, and I'm scheduled to go back tomorrow. I got called twice yesterday by my facility asking me to come back early (today). The second call, my supervisor asked me to come in for my annual evaluation today -- it takes all of 15 minutes, and I had to go out for another appointment anyway -- so I agreed to that. I went in today in search of my supervisor and encountered several of my coworkers (who were having a very busy day), one of which was kind of ugly to me when I asked if she knew where our supervisor was. I let it go, chalked it up to them being busy and I know they knew I had told my supervisor yesterday that I could not come in to work today. Long story short, I found my supervisor, finished my eval, and booked it out of there.

I'm scheduled 7-3 tomorrow - I got a call a short while ago from the house supervisor telling me (*telling me*) to just plan on staying until 7pm tomorrow. I could not find my call schedule, but I suspect I am the on-call nurse for 3-7pm or 3-11pm tomorrow. I have no doubt that this is in response to my being on vacation for so long, when they just happen to be busy, and I dared to tell them I couldn't come in when they called yesterday. (What was I thinking?? :trout: )

These people just can't stand when certain members of our staff take a vacation. I rarely ask for more than 2-3 days in a row (usually just a single day here and there), and this time I asked for 10, and it was granted. But, at the same time, there are a couple of "senior" nurses that take vacation all the time - one of which takes no less than an entire week EVERY SIX WEEK SCHEDULE. And nobody says anything. It'd be different if I was totally inflexible with my schedule, but I switch days around and stay over all the time, but come on! How much are we supposed to give?

Now, I think the only thing I did wrong here was answer the phone, knowing it was the hospital. Half the time, when it's the hospital on the phone, it's really my best friend (a doctor that also works at this hospital) calling me for one reason or another. I'm thinking of telling her if she calls me on a hospital phone to expect the answering machine.

Anybody else have these issues? (I'm sure many of you do, but it's aggravating as *fill in adjective here* when it happens...)

Specializes in Pediatrics.

At our hospital... if they call you "off" you're actually still supposed to be available until midnight (that's for 7-7 night shift, I'm not sure of for days)... it's kind of 50-50 whether you then actually get called in or not. Last night I got lucky... went to work and got sent home right away, expected to be called in at least to work at 11, and never was :) that's never happened!

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In order to retain my sanity I definately screen my phone calls against my facility. Yes, It does bug my DON that she cant get hold of me at her will, but I must keep a distance so that I can still have a life outside of work. :rolleyes: I get tired of call after call asking if I can work a double, work a Sat. for somebody or come in on my precious day off. I' m not inflexible, but If I don't fight them off with my screening process, I will soon exhaust my list of reasons I can't come in!

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Specializes in ER.

I let the machine take all my calls, unless I'm expecting a certain call. Then I call back within a few minutes after I hear the message. Since I'm night shift I "sleep" at all different hours. Really though, I want to avoid the high pressure sales pitch to come in- you know- where you kick yourself after you say yes.

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Specializes in Long Term Care.
I'm confused; how would this have been annoying? Seems like this was exactly what they wanted you to do?

:roll Not if I go in at 8 in the evening and they needed me for 7-3!....LOL....

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Specializes in ER, NICU, NSY and some other stuff.

Don't make yourself feel guilty for not going in. A vacation is a vacation (and if I EVER get one again I would do the same thing)

Chances are they already know that they are going to be short and are just trying to cover staffing.

Every since I have been a nurse I have had the habit of letting my answering machine pick up to see who is calling and what they want before either picking up or calling back. The first place I worked called EVERY day that you were off, begging for help.

Don't sweat it.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Because my hubby and I use to get calls all through the day and night for overtime or mandatory overtime if they caught you at home...well it became a habit!

Now we don't have that probelm...but I still screen all my calls anyway due to years of doing it! LOL!

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I definitely let my machine pick up (I don't have caller ID),and the rare times I've answered and it was work, I fibbed and told them I'd had a few beers already; are you sure you want me to come in now? :devil:

A few years ago when my grandpa died, I had to take time off work to go to his funeral (he lived about 4 hours away). I called my manager, director, and the staffing office on Sunday and told them I needed out-of-town bereavement leave; his funeral is Tuesday.

Sure enough, I check my messages when I got home on Friday, and had three messages from the staffing office begging me to come in, one of which was on Tuesday. Uhh..... yeaaaaaaahright.

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since I just recently told my boss about this site, let me say, oh no, I NEVER screen my calls from work.

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:roll Not if I go in at 8 in the evening and they needed me for 7-3!....LOL....

HA! That's hilarious...

UPDATE: I was NOT the on-call nurse for the evening shift tonight, the supervisor yesterday saw a problem with staffing and made a decision to inform me I'd be staying late. :angryfire I should start keeping a copy of the call schedule next to the phone...if I answer it.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
UPDATE: I was NOT the on-call nurse for the evening shift tonight, the supervisor yesterday saw a problem with staffing and made a decision to inform me I'd be staying late. :angryfire I should start keeping a copy of the call schedule next to the phone...if I answer it.

We had to have it put into our union contract, the schedule is posted 2 weeks before it starts, and they can't change it on you without your consent. We can pick up extra shifts, and a long time ago they did call off for low census (HA! not any more). But they can't add to your schedule.

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I let the machine take all my calls. My hospital is bad about wanting me to work doubles with the promise of getting the next day off. The few times I have done this they always end up calling me either wanting me to come in the next day or wondering why I didn't show up for my scheduled shift.

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