Greg DeConciliis, CASC

Administrator
Boston Out-Patient Surgical Suites

Waltham, Massachusetts

Do you offer incentives to RNs who work longer days, more than 9-10 hours?

Occasionally, but not routinely. We have tried hiring employees for 10-hour shifts. This typically covers the “life cycle” of an ASC day for the OR and PACU. We have found, though, that some employees like three 12-hour shifts. This allows you to cover both early and late hours and build in some flexibility for add-on surgeries. Prior to these 12-hour hires, we would, at times, incentivize staff to stay late. It would typically be time-and-a-half after a certain time, say if they were scheduled for a 10-hour day.

It is definitely not a cookie-cutter answer. ASCs have variable schedules. It is imperative that employees upon hire understand that they might work late on one day and be out early the next. Getting away from the “shift” mentality is a key to success, and it takes special employees and team members to embrace that.

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With summer around the corner, how do you handle overlapping time-off requests?

We use fairness in approval based on seniority, highly preferred dates and the day before/after holiday factor. Employees with most seniority get first priority. Barring that, when two employees want the same day(s)/week off, the employee who did not receive the week the year prior will be granted approval, regardless of seniority. For example, if a senior employee X received the week of July 4 off last year and requests the July 4 week off the next year along with another employee Y, then employee Y will be granted the vacation request. If an additional employee Z also wants that time frame, the employee with the most seniority will be granted the request. The employee who is granted the vacation request then moves to the bottom of the approval order for two subsequent years as the same process occurs the following year. The same procedure applies as above in regard to the day before or after a holiday. Considering additional “free” holiday time is often granted to full-time employees around Christmas and July 4, and employees are encouraged to not take the day before or after these holidays off. To accommodate this additional time granted, the schedule is usually compressed and therefore all staff is needed. If an employee calls in sick the day prior to or the day after a holiday or an extended holiday break, they are not entitled to holiday pay or extended holiday pay.