Who is responsible to find shift coverage?

[rn865]

I work in a small, privately owned urgent care. There are two nursing staff (use term loosely because I'm fhe only nurse left and the rest are MAs) and one doctor working each day. Our nurse manager was fired a few months ago and being the only nurse left, i was handed the position as interim. Basically the extra responsibilities would be to order supplies, make the schedule etc in addition to working my own 3-12hour shifts per week.

a situation came up where one of the MAs asked someone to cover her and that person said yes, only to take it back after a few days. I got into an argument with the first MA because i told her it is her responsibility to find someone to cover her shift since the other one cannot, otherwise she needs to come in. She cannot find anyone else. For her, since i am "manager" i should be responsible. Obviously, we do not have a traditional manager-employee setting because I work as staff as well. The month before i make the schedule, i let them put in their requested days off with the agreement that once it is scheduled, it is their responsibility to work their shifts.

Am i in the wrong here? The reason i cannot work is i am scheduled at my other job already (which i've had for 2 years before this happened). She cannot work because she has a test coming up (going to school for nursing).and she is not prepared.

oh, and I'm working 9 days in that two weeks already to cover her other shifts.

[rn865]

Yes I agree it is not a sick call. I would make her work unfortunately. Her coverage fell through. And she needs to learn how to manager her time better for studying outside of work so that she does not need days off of work to study. Yes I do work as staff nurse as well.

Ella26, may i ask, since we are in the same settinng: if both MAs still will not come in and you also have other commitments or whatever, what would you have done?

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Since it was known in advance, it is the MA's responsibility. And this is why all of this needs to be put in writing on their end. If it was a sick call, then it would be the supervisor's responsibility to take the call and try to find coverage.

[chrisrn24]

At my work we have trade forms. When the trade is signed it is the person who agreed to work's responsibility to show up and work - it is officially their shift. Maybe a similar form/policy is needed at your place of employment?

[rn865]

Thank you guys, i see your point of it not being a sick call and was known two days before the date. That was a point i wasn't able to bring up with her. To her, I'm the manager and should be responsible regardless of the reason. Then what's the point of fixing the schedule to benefit everyone? I might as well do the schedule however i want if i end up picking up their shifts anyway. Of course thats not something i want to happen. Employees should still have some semblance of responsibility to their shifts unless they have a valid excuse such as being sick or had a real emergency.

[NurseFrustrated]

I think that if MA 1 agrees to take a shift for MA 2, the shift now belongs to MA 1. If MA 1 will not come in for that shift she should be held accountable for it. It's a crap thing to do to MA 2.

[Ella26, BSN, RN]

Ella26, may i ask, since we are in the same settinng: if both MAs still will not come in and you also have other commitments or whatever, what would you have done?

RN865,

That is a tough call to make. I guess they would both have to be written up if they both did not come in. And I would have to end up cancelling my commitments to cover the shift, if they absolutely refused to come in. And I would make a new policy (if it did not already exist) that who ever takes the shift has to sign a trade form. And the person taking the shift can not call out otherwise the original person has to work the shift.

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

Usually it is the manager if the schedule is not out, not a weekend, and the person is using vacation day. However, if the 2nd person accepted in writing then it is the 2nd person's responsibility as she "owns" the shift.

That's what is usual. I would make sure there is a policy where everyone needs to sign a piece of paper accepting any trades and that verbal confirmation or phone calls will not do.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

The MA who agreed to pick up the shift is responsible. The other MA ceased having any responsibility whatsoever the second someone else formally agreed to pick up her shift.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

This is why all shift swaps at my facility must be done in writing, and both parties sign the form. Since MA#2 backed out, then MA#1 will just have to cover her own shift. Since MA#1 wants to go to nursing school, she might as well find out what responsibility is all about. The patients come first, so this shift must be covered. I agree you should draw up a policy for this.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Actually I tend to think that the MA who agreed to cover the shift made a commitment and should honor it or find coverage. In my experience once you've agreed to take a shift from someone else it is yours.

This. Once it is changed on the schedule, the person who agreed to cover is now responsible to find someone to cover. If nobody shows, this is the person who gets disciplined. If there is no formal policy in place to establish how shift switching is handled, there needs to be one. Otherwise it really does default back to the manager, as nobody else is officially on notice that it is their own responsibility.

[Mr Sacdiff]

Where I work, if you commit to cover a shift, you cannot back out unless you find coverage. It becomes your shift. Our managers take us off the schedule and put the next person on. It is their responsibility.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Swaps should be between equal specialties, because whether or not you or your physician practice owners think everyone does the same job, an MA cannot take the responsibility that an RN must. Therefore MAs or RNs cover for MAs, and RNs cover for RNs.

Swaps must be made in writing with both people signing for them. The person who accepts responsibility for the shift has done just that. Only reason that person can not show up is illness, death, or disaster, same as for any other shift s/he is scheduled to work.