Being "On Call" for work.....or wearing shoes in the house.

[LJC1861]

So, with my new job I have to be "on call" for one week straight, once every 5 weeks. As I work for an agency that has 5 group homes and I am responsible for all 5 homes when I am on call, the variety of the calls can range from something minor to a potential trip to the ER at 4 am. So far this rotation has been fairly quiet and I hope it stays that way.

One thing I am having trouble with though, and that is the need to be always prepared. I live 25 minutes away from the closest home and that means in an emergency I have to be virtually ready to head out the door while the phone is still ringing. At night I have learned to have a set of clothes ready with my shoes and keys right nearby. During the day however I find it more aggravating because.....

.....I need to wear shoes in the house. LOL. I really mean this to be funny, but I never wear my shoes in the house unless I am on call and it feels really really strange.

Being on call is mildly stressful, but I also view it as the more than necessary backup in case there is a problem in any of the homes. I look at it as if I am there to assist them in regaing the calm and control that the homes need to run successfully.

Anyone else out there with "on call" duties want to share their experiences?

Linda

 

[wilderness01]

I never wear my shoes in the house.

However I make sure I am ready to walk right out the door. The telephone is right next to my head, my keys at the door and I sleep on the couch so I don't "mess up" my hair! Call is fun isn't it?

 

[mudnuri]

when I worked for the town I was on call 24/7/365. It got to the point where I would roll outta bed, in jammies, throw on a baseball hat, my crocs and go. LOL...

99% of the time it was the cops calling me in for vandalism or something like that so they got use to seeing me dressed to kill

I dont wear shoes in my house either, just out of comfort, and my crocs or sneakers are pretty quick to just throw on.

Of course, my on call status didnt require me to be out in public at 3am...just me and the cops and whoever they caught vandalising...sometimes the highway supervisor would come, but eh, he can see me in my jammies too LOL

Brandy

 

[froglady]

DH has been "on call" thousands of nights, and this has never been a problem. He doesn't wear shoes in the house, either. He does leave a pair on the stairs by the front door, so he can put them on quickly. When he was a resident (actually sleeping at the hospital) he would just leave them by his bed. (I guess; I wasn't there.)

I understand that time is of the essence, but as long as you leave everything in a convenient location, it shouldn't be a problem. Do you stop to brush teeth or go to the bathroom on your way out? You can only get there as soon as humanly possible. Wear slip-ons, if need be.

 

[crz4mm2]

I am on call 1/2 of my life. I do not wear shoes in my house. I am as ready as I can be. But I still sleep in my own bed at night. I still stop to pee and brush my teeth in the middle of the night on the way out the door. If a baby is coming that fast, it probably doesn't need much help to get here
You just do the best you can do. That's all anyone can do.

 

[dmslush]

I'm on call for the shelter one week a month. My main responsibilities are going out to the jail and doing orders of protection, bringing people into the shelter, taking someone to the ER, & getting them back and forth to work if they work odd hours and do not have their own transportation.

For the nights, I usually just keep a pair of sweats or something easy to jump into. If my hair looks really, really bad, I put on a cap. I also have a couple of pair of slip on shoes, like crocs, mules, etc.. that I can throw on in a hurry.

The worst part is when we have insane weeks, and I don't get any rest. By friday, I am a pain to be around LOL! But, after a while, being on call becomes second nature and you just never really think about it.

 

[LJC1861]

I am sure that I will relax a bit about all of this on call stuff and start taking my shoes off in the house again. Right now I am operating on the theory that if I am completely ready ( at least during the day ) then I probably won't get called. This is only my second rotation and during the first I would come home from work, put on sweats and my comfy slippers and sure as shootin' a few minutes later that phone would ring! This time I am completely dressed, right down to my shoes and it has been quiet. Who knows, maybe there is something to this......

Linda

 

[wilderness01]

Oh, you are new to call. You will get used to it. I have been on call for years now. I can't wear a cap at work so that is why I don't like the messy hair thing. I do stop and go to the bathroom/brush my teeth. I can only get there as fast as I can and do it safely, for the sake of my family. Yes the patients may need us, but my family needs me more. Good luck. You will be fine.

 

[dmslush]

Oh, you are new to call. You will get used to it. I have been on call for years now. I can't wear a cap at work so that is why I don't like the messy hair thing. I do stop and go to the bathroom/brush my teeth. I can only get there as fast as I can and do it safely, for the sake of my family. Yes the patients may need us, but my family needs me more. Good luck. You will be fine.

I agree with that. The clients and the judicial commissioners want me there 5 minutes after they call me, but that is just not going to happen. I make sure that I am good and awake, even if that means stopping to have a drink of coke or something to open up my eyes. I'm not going to be any good to the clients if I am dead in a wreck, so I take my time and don't rush too much.


Also, we joke at the shelter that we will be called out as soon as we take our bras off LOL!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Just leave your shoes by the front door. It takes seconds to slip them on and head out. The firefighters at my dh station don't even sleep with their uniforms on, let alone shoes, and they still manage to wake up from a dead sleep, throw their clothes and boots on, and drive out of the station in less than 3 minutes!

 

[Shugardrawers]

Oh that's so easy! Slip on shoes! Buy a $10 pair of slip ons and leave them by the door. If something is so urgent that you don't have time to slip those on then they need to be calling 911 instead.

 

[clh2]

Oh that's so easy! Slip on shoes! Buy a $10 pair of slip ons and leave them by the door. If something is so urgent that you don't have time to slip those on then they need to be calling 911 instead.

I totally agree.

Just think - there already is some sort of problem/situation occuring. If it takes you 20 seconds to slip on some shoes - is that 20 seconds really going to impact a better solution to the problem? Probably not.

 

[EpcotKilterFan]

Ok, this is the second time to post this.... the first time I started the cell phone went off and I was on my way

I am primary on call one or 2 weeks a month. But I am technically on call 24/7/365. Being the supervisor, many times I only have to deal with questions over the phone. But there are many times that I have to be the back up in the field in the middle of the night.

So I always have stuff out, and actually get out of the house rather quickly. I have been doing this for so long that I can actually take care of a call on the phone and get back to sleep pretty quickly. I have a running joke with one of my volunteers, that actually I pick up the phone on the first ring and coherant by the third word. It just amazes him In the 15 plus years I have only slept through a page once.

You get used to it.

Debbie

 

[Lil_Tink]

Ok, this is the second time to post this.... the first time I started the cell phone went off and I was on my way

I am primary on call one or 2 weeks a month. But I am technically on call 24/7/365. Being the supervisor, many times I only have to deal with questions over the phone. But there are many times that I have to be the back up in the field in the middle of the night.

So I always have stuff out, and actually get out of the house rather quickly. I have been doing this for so long that I can actually take care of a call on the phone and get back to sleep pretty quickly. I have a running joke with one of my volunteers, that actually I pick up the phone on the first ring and coherant by the third word. It just amazes him In the 15 plus years I have only slept through a page once.

You get used to it.

Debbie

What happens when you slept through that? Did they send tons of men in Black coats?


Good luck, just leave it by the door. ITA if they really need you in that extra 20sec they should call 911.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I used to be a courier, and I got leaving the house in the middle of the night on a moment's notice down to an art!

Slip-on shoes are your friend. Keep them by the door, and just slip them on as you head out!

It's also handy to keep a bottle of water in the car, as well as an extra jacket, etc, so you can just run out of the house without stopping to grab anything.

 

[Forevryoung]

I am a volunteer firefighter/EMT and because it is 100% volunteer, we do everything by pager system meaning my pager goes off and I leave wherever I am to go to the firehouse to pick up the truck/engine/ambulance.

I have gotten it down to a science after nearly 4 years of duty crew (10pm-7am) once a week.

Sleep in a sports bra and tighter t-shirt (so you can put a shirt over it) with pj pants. Lay out long sleaved shirt, socks and jeans in a pile with shoes untied next to it. Don't forget your watch, cell phone and keys in the pile next to your shoes those are the three things you dont want to be digging for.

I can put those clothes on in about 30 seconds and while I unset the alarm I put my shoes on and then I tie them at the station (or if I get stuck at a traffic light). By then my mind is racing with protocols and operating procedures and I am awake.

Thats what works for me! Good luck!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

First of all, Good Luck to you!

With my previous job, I used to take call, and at first I was like you. Then you relax. They can't expect you to be there , 10 seconds after they call you, though I know, my job did too. Don't know if you get paid for call, but I got a whopping $5.00 a night. It stinks!

My DH still does call. He is the supervisor and is basically 24/7. But really only goes in if its an emergency. I feel for you. I really don't miss it at all.

 

[EpcotKilterFan]

What happens when you slept through that? Did they send tons of men in Black coats?

Luckily it was a while ago and it was a "group page" and someone else picked it up. Funny thing is that I did not even notice the page until noon the next day! Talk about not paying attention!

Another thing I always make sure of when I am on call... is to have pens and paper near every phone!! Never fails that you don't have something to write on or with when the call comes

Debbie

 

[LJC1861]

I was shopping yesterday and found the perfect pair of slip on shoes, ones that will actually be great even if I am on my feet for a 15 hour day....which could happen on call.

I also packed a bag to keep in the car for this rotation that has everything I could possibly need, from a change of clothes and a toothbrush down to a bottle of water, snacks and a book.

Those of you who made reference to the additional 20 seconds that it takes to get dressed are right and luckily we do have a back up on call person in place as well. When a real emergency call comes in I remind them that I am 30 minutes away and ask if they can hold on until then. If not, I suggest they call back up or even 911 if the case warrants it while assuring them that I am still on my way anyway. I have gotten there to find incidents over already, but it allowed me to focus on the staff who often need some TLC and encouragement to de-brief from an incident.

Being on call has also encouraged me to be really organized around the house. Now, the small backpack that I use as my purse, my keys, and my watch all live in the same place all the time--so there is no searching.

To answer another question, I do not get paid for call, but I do get comp time which we are encouraged to take as soon as we can after our rotation.

The agency I work for knows how stressful this on call system is, but with 5 homes serving people with autism, it is very necessary. Our director and assistant director are always available to pitch in if it gets really rough or even to take a call rotation if necessary. I know I will be able to handle anything that comes my way during call, after I learn all the ins and outs....and that will come with time.

Linda

 

[dmslush]

You will be fine after getting used to it. It will be like second nature!

The first few times I was one call, I would wake up every few minutes afraid that I had missed a call LOL. But, after 2 1/2 years, I have yet to ever miss a call.

Whoo hoo on making the $5 a day! We make about $3.50 and get 'unnofficial' comp time. Which means, we are NOT supposed to get comp time and they would like it if we never went over 40 hours a week. But, we just take a day off here and there in order to use up our hours. Myself and Coworker are sitting on nearly 100 comp hours right now. We have decided that we are just going to go on vacation with it LOL!