Vacation Woes (rant)

Nurses General Nursing

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As of midnght tonight my two-week vacation is over. I chose to take vacation at this time because I needed surgery, a surgery that my doctor considered urgent. I waited to take this vacation (have my surgery) for a month since there were already two nurses out; one on vacation and one on medical leave.

First there was the problem with taking so much time...I remedied that by telling them two weeks after my request that I would take medical leave and I would be gone for the next two weeks. My doctor was already upset I was putting the surgery off.

The surgery was performed the second day of my vacation and everything came out all right. I was healing fine, no signs of infection, etc. 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...:o 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!!!

Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Answering machines...God's little answer to stupidity.

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Answering machines...God's little answer to stupidity.

Actually, I refuse to get an answering machine. The scheduler had the guts to tell me I *HAD* to get one so she could leave me messages. I told her, "If I don't answer the phone, I'm unavailable." But, now with no land line and only the cell phone, it would be impossible to set up an answering machine.

The spousal unit cannot allow any phone to ring, he handed it to me twice when she had called. Since I don't have any family that lives locally, all personal calls show up as unavailable the facility shows up as unavailable...

And now they have scheduled the yearly HIPPA inservice the same day and time as my follow up appointment...:banghead: :smackingf:

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Specializes in ER.

I would set up a little rule.. whoever answers the phone has to deal with what's on the other end.:nono: ..so he can tell them you are out drinking with the girls :biere: and that he can't possibly track you down and sober you up before the next shift.:barf01:

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Yet another example of why people leave the profession. Some of these stories really are beyond the pale.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I really like Canoehead's solution a lot!!!

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I would set up a little rule.. whoever answers the phone has to deal with what's on the other end.:nono: ..so he can tell them you are out drinking with the girls :biere: and that he can't possibly track you down and sober you up before the next shift.:barf01:

The spousal unit says, "BRILLIANT!"

Elizabeth

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As of midnght tonight my two-week vacation is over. I chose to take vacation at this time because I needed surgery, a surgery that my doctor considered urgent. I waited to take this vacation (have my surgery) for a month since there were already two nurses out; one on vacation and one on medical leave.

First there was the problem with taking so much time...I remedied that by telling them two weeks after my request that I would take medical leave and I would be gone for the next two weeks. My doctor was already upset I was putting the surgery off.

The surgery was performed the second day of my vacation and everything came out all right. I was healing fine, no signs of infection, etc. 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...:o 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 is just plain RUDE!

Update your telephone service with caller ID....and make sure your answering machine is plugged in.....

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I hate to admit this... but I end up being that rude, inconsiderate person myself- and I hate it. :imbar

Since I work 11-7, I take the callins from the 7a-7p nurses and I am responsible for finding a replacement. All I have to go on is a list of LPNs and their phone numbers. And I do end up calling people on vacation, sick leave, etc because our scheduling coordinator CONSISTENTLY fails to notify me of their circumstances. Since I don't work that shift, I don't know who is doing what, I only know that they are not on today's schedule and that I need to find an LPN to work. I do call the PRN nurses first, but even then I get "I TOLD them I was on vacation!" or "Don't you know I work 7 on and 7 off at my other job and now I am on my 7 on?" I honestly don't. I don't want to be an aggravation. But if I don't call everyone, then the day shift RNs who have to man the LPNs cart want to know why. So I have to provide a sheet with all the LPNs and whether I left a message, or they declined. I hate it. It makes me feel like a telemarketer, but it is part of my job.

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I hate to admit this... but I end up being that rude, inconsiderate person myself- and I hate it. :imbar

Since I work 11-7, I take the callins from the 7a-7p nurses and I am responsible for finding a replacement. All I have to go on is a list of LPNs and their phone numbers. And I do end up calling people on vacation, sick leave, etc because our scheduling coordinator CONSISTENTLY fails to notify me of their circumstances. Since I don't work that shift, I don't know who is doing what, I only know that they are not on today's schedule and that I need to find an LPN to work. I do call the PRN nurses first, but even then I get "I TOLD them I was on vacation!" or "Don't you know I work 7 on and 7 off at my other job and now I am on my 7 on?" I honestly don't. I don't want to be an aggravation. But if I don't call everyone, then the day shift RNs who have to man the LPNs cart want to know why. So I have to provide a sheet with all the LPNs and whether I left a message, or they declined. I hate it. It makes me feel like a telemarketer, but it is part of my job.

I fully sympathize with your position. I get to try to call for replacements after the bars close and people call-in at three in the morning. There is no best time to call people to be in at 0630 and , like you, I don't know who is already on the schedule, has classes or who is on vacation.

The person who was calling me is the scheduler for the facility, she KNOWS what my schedule is, when my vacations are and when I had surgery...she called anyway.

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I see that we already heard from one person who has to call nurses to come in to fill absences. However, I would like to hear from other schedulers, in order to find out why they call us nurses and CNAs during our vacations/days off/sick days, even when we tell the schedulers in advance not to call us. Days off are important to people. We need rest from work. Why should nurses/CNAS, or any employee be expected to wait by the phone just in case their employer calls? Also, if you call, and we say that we can't come in, that should be the end of the discussion. Don't ask us what we are doing on our day/vacation. It none of the employer's business. It IS a vacation, after all. It is not our fault that the shift is short; the people who originally called out are the problem.

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