i have a question.... i work in a hospital and they are mandating that nurses come in when we are short staffed but there is no ER, these nurses are not on call. and it is being counted as a point of ab. or RNs are being told they could lose their jobs if they don't come in. is this legal!!!!????:confused:

Required on-call time is legal in every state.

we have on call time, and people do sign up for that time but these rns that they are being called in are not on call.

I'm not sure that this isn't a distinction without a difference.

they could lose their jobs if they don't come in. is this legal!!!!????:confused:

Legal.

Employers don't like getting to that point, but it is quite legal.

There are a VERY few states that limit overtime for nurses, but I don't think Ohio is one of them.

ok so i just want to get this right. i'm a RN and it is my day off, and i'm not on call. the hospital calls and says they need me to come in because they are short staffed. and i say no, but they tell me that i can't say no. they tell me that i have to come in or i could get fired, it is legal? they are also trying to tell us that we coulld get in trouble for not answering the phone when they call. i just don't see how they can tell us that we have to come in on our scheduled day off. i mean they are calling us at 5am and saying you need to come in at 6:30. what if i have kids and don't have a place for them to go? i can't leave my baby by its self.

they tell me that i have to come in or i could get fired, it is legal?

As I said earlier, it is perfectly legal.

they are also trying to tell us that we coulld get in trouble for not answering the phone when they call.

I am not sure just how they can enforce that. If you leave town for a few days, how can they get upset?

i just don't see how they can tell us that we have to come in on our scheduled day off.

They can.

i mean they are calling us at 5am and saying you need to come in at 6:30. what if i have kids and don't have a place for them to go? i can't leave my baby by its self.

Your employer figures that is your problem, not theirs.

On a practical matter, if the hospital is understaffed and often needs to bring in nurses who are not on-call, firing nurses that are unable to come in is the wrong solution to the problem.

Most of the nurses in my state are unionized ... are you?