Surprises

There are two ways to be put on-call at work.

One, you put your name up on a list to request "on-call" or "home early" status. Then if the census is low, the bosses know that you would LIKE to not be at work for the entire 12 hours. This list is usually very popular.

Two, due to low census and an abundance of nurses, the bosses run the numbers to see whose turn it is to be on-call. This involves looking at hours worked vs hours cut, with a touch of seniority thrown in.

We've become a busy little floor. Rather than expecting to be on call or go home early (this used to happen when I started eight years ago), it's now a delightful surprise. What? We don't have every room full? We aren't short-staffed today? Has hell frozen over during night shift? It sort of creeps us out, when we aren't falling-apart busy. We've just gotten used to it.

I like saving my PTO, and Kevin's not at full hours yet, so I'm not putting my name up on a list. I'm actually trying to work a bit extra.

So imagine my surprise to listen to a phone message as I'm making coffee at 5:25am.

"I'm putting you on-call."

I can't even tell you the last time I was put on-call as my turn, not a request. Years, easily.

For those of you reading who aren't my co-workers, the emotional impact of this phone call might be missed. In order to relate, please ponder the following example:

"Hey Mom!" says your three-year-old. "I've decided that I would like to start potty training today! And if I could have lots of vegetables at lunchtime before my nap, that would be awesome. I'm also in the mood to play by myself alot, so if you could just read a book or surf the internet, that would be great."