Taking phone calls and calling Patients on days off

Trauma Columnist · Jul 18, 2016

No - you need to be compensated for this.

Pca_85revived, LPN · Jul 18, 2016

However long it takes to deal with all per day off, multiplied by two. Add that to your hours worked per week and divide your paycheck by it. If you find yourself laughing or crying at the results, do something about it.

Pricker · Jul 20, 2016

Isn't that a OSHA violation?

lexusaurus · Jul 20, 2016

It depends on if you are payed salary or by the hour. If you are payed a set salary than you would have had to have signed a contract. I had a full time job in personnel that required me to make and take calls at home while OFF.. When I started adding hours to my paycheck for this they put me on salaryin personnel

rnsrgr8t · Jul 21, 2016

I would not do it. You can plan with your patients the plan at their visit based on your work schedule.

If you are ordering labs/etc- then tell them when you will be contacting them with the results (ex- the next day you are working). You can tell your staff (or leave a note on the chart) that when these labs come back on a certain patient- they can leave them and you will address when you are working again.

If they are calling with routine questions that can wait- they can take a message for you and you will call them the next day you are working.

Now if the other provider will not cover you at all- you may have to accept they may call you for emergencies or critical labs.

I just think you need to tell your staff, in detail, exactly what you want done for things you may expect come back on your off days.

Who does your phone triage for patient concerns? Do you have a nurse to triage these calls to assess what is critical and what can wait?

Your other provider- what is their practice when they are off? Are they called as well?

orangepink, NP · Jul 21, 2016

This is why contracts matter.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 21, 2016

There are two separate things that stick out here. First is that yes at least in my opinion they are your patients and you need to deal with their care whether you are at the office or not. Note to all those who think that NPs have gravy M-F 9-5 jobs. I only field calls for other providers when they are on vacation. I can't imagine expecting another provider to jump in blind and attempt to deal with my patient's issues.

Secondly your secretary, office manager or whoever should be able to field a majority of these items and not call you for non urgent things for example only contact you if the labs are critical or you need to triage a patient complaint about a medication side effect.

LadysSolo · Jul 22, 2016

At my company we are on call 24/7/365 unless we make arrangements for otherwise. But we knew that going in, and we are salary. When I calculate what I make per hour, it is less than most LPNS at the LTC facilities I cover. No, NPs do not have "cake" jobs.

Jules A, MSN · Jul 22, 2016

At my company we are on call 24/7/365 unless we make arrangements for otherwise.

Agree, and it of sounds like......??? Physicians! If we want to play in the big league there are sacrifices along with the perks. :whistling: I cringe when I read posts from prospective NPs who think NP jobs are the banker's hours, Mommy friendly jobs. Not that there aren't a few out there but imo it helps keep us pigeonholed as "providers light" if we whine about the responsibilities that come along with being a provider.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Jul 22, 2016

I am one of those APRNs with a "gravy" 9-5 job. Our organization has a couple CNM/NPs that take call after hours, but any routine follow up is done during office hours only. If an issue comes up with one of my patients while I am out, the other clinician in my office takes care of it, and vice versa.

And I agree, this is why contracts are important. I am salary and occasionally stay late or come in on the weekends to do some follow up, but that is my choice. If my manager wants me to work anything above my scheduled 40 hours, I submit for extra time and am paid for it- no OT, but the hourly breakdown is more than fair.

Trauma Columnist · Jul 22, 2016

I work for a large nephrology practice and take call M-F 0600-1700. I am responsible for labs/xrays, etc and care during this time. However, as I sit here on my computer on my day off, I am on call and take my phone calls for my pts. I do not take night call or weekend call though as we have rotating coverage for that.

None of our physicians are on call 24/7 365 - to me that is crazy. You guys really are on call ALL THE TIME!!!!! Hope you all are really compensated very well for this.

There is rotating call in our practice - no one (MD, NP, PA) could be expected to take call 24/7/365. When do you sleep? When do you go on vacation? When do you do anything?