[Firewalker]

Warning: This is quite the novel but very important so please take the time to read it and participate.

Hi there,
I am in need of assistance in finding out what the "standard" is for call back pay for nurses in the Cath Lab. I am not sure there is a hard and fast rule but I have found that area hospitals are paying close to the same amount although it may vary such as minimum or pager pay.

The information gathered here is important as I intend to use it for the purpose of validating the need for an increased wage in the health system I am working for. We are currently receiving straight time on any and all call backs which only turns to time and 1/2 after 40 hours. (actually after 80 in the pay period)

The problems I see with this are as follows:

1. The same wage is received even if I sign up for an extra shift anywhere in the hospital. For instance: I could say "Sunday put me down for 8 hours on the floor" If I was in OT then it would be time and 1/2 which is pretty fair. This is not a critical care area. Pretty standard nursing care.

2. If there is a holiday or vacation day taken in either of the two weeks in the pay period the call back is still straight time until you have exceded 80 "productive" hours in the period. For instance: The weekend of July 4th....we get called in to do an AMI. Balloon pump placed/emergency transport which we accompany EMS crew to our sister facility. After 6 hours we go home. Since the holiday fell in the same pay period the call back is payed as straight time because 8 hours of holiday pay was received.

3. There is a 30 minute response time from time of call to arrival to the lab. This means from being asleep at 0200, driving 20 miles, being dressed and ready to provide life saving intervention within 30 minutes. We work until the work is done and still come in the next day at 0630 for our shift. Sometimes it runs into your shift and your co-workers are arriving before you leave.

4. This is the only health system in the metroplex that pays straight time for call backs. I have been in management in the past and I know that turnover and rehire/orientation of new employees is very costly.

My goal is to present this information to our CEO with my dept Manager backing me to get this changed. Our CEO is very number/data driven so the more I have the better my presentation. This change will affect approximately 100 staff members in a positive way and so I ask for your help.

The data I need from the masses is:

City/State
Health System Name

Rate of pay per hour of call back
Rate of pay for carrying the pager
Minimum hours paid per call
Amount of travel time payed.

I want to offer my thanks in advance for your help in this matter. Thank you.

Scott

[Firewalker]

bump

If you feel better about it please PM the data to me.

thx