Got offered a cath lab position after 6 years in CVICU and I'm mostly excited. Then they explained call. 30 minute response time, about 6 call shifts a month, $4/hr standby, and time and a half if you get called in. They also told me the STEMI pager goes off "most nights" on weekends.
I live 22 minutes away with no traffic, so technically fine. But I've got two kids and my partner works nights too.
For cath lab or IR nurses, what does your call look like, and is $4 standby as low as it sounds? And honestly, does the call ever get easier or do you just learn to sleep in your scrubs?
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Post replyMeanwhile our IR team got told standby is getting cut to $2.50 because of budget. Same response time, more call shifts since two people quit and they won't backfill. Ask how many open positions they have and how often people get stuck covering extra call. That tells you more than the hourly rate.
Counterpoint, I went from CVICU to cath lab and call was still the better deal for me. No more 12s on the floor, weekends mostly off when I'm not on call, and I actually get to see my kids at dinner. Six calls a month beats every other weekend plus holidays in the unit.
Honestly the part that worries me isn't the pay, it's two kids with a partner on nights. Who's home at 2am when the pager goes off and you have 30 minutes? Get that plan nailed down before you sign anything, because 'most nights on weekends' is going to mean pretty much every weekend call shift.
Slept in my scrubs for the first year. Year three I still sleep in them. It doesn't get easier, you just stop fighting it.
$4 is on the low end but not insulting. I've seen $3 to $8 depending on region and whether you're union. The real question is whether they guarantee a minimum number of hours when you get called in. Ours guarantees 2 hours, so a 40 minute case still pays like a real shift.
22 minutes with no traffic is cutting it close. First winter storm or one detour for road construction and you're explaining yourself to the interventionalist. I moved closer after my second write-up for being late.