Vacation Woes (rant)

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2005

I know that in the facility where I work, they are required to try everyone. If you can, you can. If you can't, you can't. Some units got into trouble b/c they mandated someone without calling every nurse from those units first.

prmenrs, RN · Nov 4, 2005

No, you're not wrong. Keep repeating "do not call me!" And try keeping your phone set so you can screen calls. Also let your NM know that you cannot work. If she's doing the calling, go over her head.

It's very disrespectful, IMHO, to have your personal time invaded in this manner.

I hope you are feeling better!

ClaireMacl · Nov 4, 2005

That's just rediculous! Firstly, they could have found you on sick leave, which would have left them short, surely you are doing them a favour by using your time off to heal!

Secondly, they know fine well that you are sick whilst on annual leave, therefore are breaking protocol phoning you to ask you to work.

When we are sick in the UK and your employer is aware of it, they are not allowed to phone to ask when you are coming back, never mind if you want to work.

I'd call your direct superior and ask them to pass the message to shift leaders that you aren't on holiday but recovering from surgery and if you weren't sick, you are on holiday and would have let them know you are available for work if you wanted extra cash. Sheesh!

Hope you feel better soon :)

Cx

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 4, 2005

then the phone calls started.
these weren't phone calls asking me how i was doing. these phone calls were to ask me if i wanted to work... i am on vacation!!!! and still healing from surgery. i got a total of four phone calls:stone
am i wrong to be upset about this? the person making the calls says she calls people all the time when they are on vacation to see if they want to work. and she does...we used call forwarding one vacation and she called while we were 850 miles away to ask me if i wanted to work.
aaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!

it's part of the job, and has been for decades! i bought my first answering machine in 1985 because of repeated phone calls from work looking for overtime. my husband was in the float pool and i worked in micu -- the phone calls started the day after we got married!!!! we got married on saturday and were leaving for cancun on tuesday -- we'd get three phone calls every eight hours sunday, monday and tuesday morning. first phone call. "we're short in the micu. can ruby work?" second phone call: "we're short in the micu. can a$$hole work?" (ok, that wasn't his real name, but it is why i divorced him!) third phone call: "we're short in the micu, can either of you work? if you both work, we'll put a$$hole in the micu so you can be together!" every eight hours. we were on our honeymoon, for heaven's sake!

fast forward to 1999 when i remarried -- another nurse. this time, we both worked in the cardiac sicu. answering machines are commonplace; everyone has one. they called our cellphones while we were in new orleans getting married and in florida on our honeymoon -- not only asking us to work, but informing us that our schedules had been changed after we left town to get married, and we were supposed to be back to work a week early. (dh's ex-girlfriend was in charge of the schedules.)

when my father was in the hospital 2000 miles away from where i lived, and i was sitting in the icu next to his bed, day and night i got a page from my nurse manager. first question -- how were things going. second -- did i think i might be able to fly back tomorrow and work?

i sympathize with you . . . but it ain't gonna get any better!

ruby

never assume malice without first ruling out stupidity.

penguin2 · Nov 4, 2005

I don't know where you work, but they are rude!!! I have NEVER been called on vacation-- it's called RESPECT for privacy!! I have occ. been asked to work my day off, but our scheduler covers vacations w/adequate staffing- sounds to me like there are some staffing/scheduling problems at your place!! I've never heard of such a thing--calling you while in the hospital w/a sick family member?? It's beyond rude- it's abuse!! I'd block their calls or ignore them- what an intrusion!!!

bluestar · Nov 4, 2005

Don't get upset, get an answering machine and caller ID.

TreetopAngel_RN · Nov 4, 2005

Thanks for all the advice.

However, I still feel that a person's vacation should be inviolate, let alone recovering from surgery.

I have voice mail and caller ID, but I resent that I cannot even answer my phone.

fergus51 · Nov 4, 2005

I don't think it's disrespectful. Just say no and let it go is how I approach it. I actually wanted to work during my vacation time this summer (and I did).

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2005

Vacation time at my facility is just that. Noone calls while you are off unless you have told them you will work if needed. But then why would you take vacation if you were willing to go in on a last minute call in?

If im on vacation,, i should be on the DO NOT CALL list and thats it. But my voice still works,, if by chance they do call.

LydiaNN · Nov 5, 2005

The whole purpose of vacation is supposed to be to recharge and come back an energized employee. Gotta wonder how the people where you work think that's going to happen if they're constantly annoying you with phone calls all the time. And to be doing it while you're recuperating from surgery is unconscienable, IMHO. Though not the first time I heard of this... a colleague told me that her employers once called her on her cell phone the day after her son had brain surgery. I guess it's not illegal, but it certainly should be...

allnurses Guide · Nov 5, 2005

My sister works NICU, and the night before her son's wedding, they called her for a night shift. She told them, NO, my son is getting married tomorrow. It says on the list, DO NOT call.

They said, but we need you, can't you come anyway? :banghead: :no: