What do you do when you're on call?

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Sarah Wheeler — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:16:44 GMT

In my first job, I had a standing invitation for Sunday lunch at my boss's house whenever I was on call. When the phone rang in the middle of dinner (as it usually did, it was a busy practice) he would say "she's had a very busy morning and is just having her dinner. She'll be with you when she's finished." He was the founder of the practice and ran it single handed for over 10 years so knew how important it was to get your dinner into you.

I'm back in the same practice now and it's still busy OOH so I usually try to get a bit of paperwork done in the surgery, read journal articles etc to pass the time. I keep saying I'll work on my certificate essays but that's too much to commit to LOL.

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Camilla Edwards — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:22:14 GMT

Thanks for all the responses - very interesting!

In my first job on calls were usually fairly busy, so when I wasn't working I was sleeping, but I dreaded them as I really only did large animal work when I was on call. Since then I have worked in ooh practice (so I'm not too worried about what I'm actually going to be called up about!), and in practice which didn't do it's own ooh, so it's just getting used to it again!

But I have decided (for my long term health and sanity) that it probably is best to try and do what I would normally do, and not let on call have too big an effect! (probably more easily said than done!)

It has been useful to see a wide variety of perspectives from you all!

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Colin Cameron — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:12:50 GMT

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]

I was on-call every night (almost) for 4 1/2 years. I just got on with normal family life. I wouldn't go swimming or to the cinema, I wouldn't go more than a 30 minute drive away from the surgery but otherwise I did my normal things. If you let on-call alter your life too much it will eat you up and all you gain is extra stress. Life is too short and precious to worry about on-call.

Ian

[/quote] I agree! Having worked on call rotas for 30 years I can tell you that on call has altered immeasurably since the invention of reliable mobile phones. I once had a boss who insisted that a fixed land line was manned at all times which did limit ones movements a bit!! Nowadays I stick my mobile in my pocket and get on with normal life, going to gym, walking dog etc etc. If I am called out , I'm called out out. If not , a normal evening or weekend. Do not let on call rule you. Use modern technology to live more normally ( like normal non vet people).

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:44:28 GMT

Paddy - you've said exactly what I was thinking - stop worrying about it! I wonder if that is why so many recent grads are looking for jobs without on-call - unrealistic expectations of what is expected of you. So OK, you may get the occasional dire emergency that you want to see NOW, but the vast majority will wait until you get there. Don't get in the habit of saying 'I'll set off now and see you in 5 minutes' and putting yourswelf under pressure - it is OK to expect a sore ear or a burst anal gland abscess to wait an hour until you've finished your meal or got back to your car from your dog walk. Carry on life as normal (aside from the obvious like swimming / drinking alcohol / shopping in a town that is gridlocked on a Saturday etc) because none of your clients will be worrying about you when you are stressed out....!!!

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

PATRICK MARSHALL — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 07:50:49 GMT

[quote user="Camilla Edwards"]

I've recently started working part time at a practice where I'm on call once a week, and one weekend a month. It's a very quiet practice, so I don't get a call every night I'm on call. This does mean I'm left twiddling my thumbs a bit and that's when I get most stressed - waiting for the phone to ring.

I guess the things I'd like to be doing - walking the dog, going to the gym, to distract myself, just feel like I'll be just too far from the car, which I feel I need to be within a few meters of at all times! I only live about 10-15 minutes from the practice.

So I'm just wondering what do people do to distract themselves from the thought that the phone might ring?

Camilla

[/quote]

Camilla

As an employer I have to admire your dedication to the cause but at the same time appreciate that the stress that being on-call is causing you is not sustainable in the long term. So, for what it's worth, here is my advice.

First of all:

Stop reading "Marvel" comics when on duty - or indeed at any time
Stop subscribing to the myth of "the apotheosis of the vet-on-call as superhero"

Then:

Agree what can realistically be expected of you by both your employer and your clients when on call. Address any areas of concern - it is quite possible that your expectations of yourself far exceed those that are required of you
Acknowledge that few calls require urgent (1/2-1 hr?) attention - probably 1/20 or even fewer. In reality these are going to occur on 2 weekends and 2 night duties that you are on call a year.
The rest of the calls that you get will either require advice/reassurance and/or can be seen at routine OOH consultation times which gives you a structure to you OOH work. I would suggest;
- 8.30-9.00 pm weekdays
- 4-6.00pm Saturdays
- 9.30-10-30am and 4-6.00pm Sundays
You can then stop worrying so much but do have to accept that occasionally things don't always go to plan. Over the years I have had the full range of missed calls, voice mail messages delivered 12 hours later, failed texts, telephone messages gone wrong, clients turning up at the wrong vet practice/surgery and a whole host of other mishaps. Strangely .......the Earth has continued to turn on its axis whilst continuing on its eliptical orbit around the Sun

Paddy Marshall

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Vikki Halliday LLB — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:30:03 GMT

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]

Ian

[/quote]

Couldn't agree more. When I was a new graduate I used to sit at home watching TV, obsessive if I had to go anywhere or do anything that I had the mobile/pager, and that no trip would take me more than 5 mins from the surgery.

As you realise that being on call is a bore when you sit channel hopping, you just tend to get on with your life, walk the dog, ride the horse and even go clay shooting/shopping/out for a quiet pub meal if it's within 1/2 an hour of the practice.

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Ian Mostyn — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:01:46 GMT

Ian

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:02:20 GMT

I am quite good at relaxing and so long as I am contactable, in the practice area and fit to drive then life carries on as best it can. Majority of OOH calls are farm animal so if I go into town (7 miles one way, 10 miles the other) I could be nearer the call than at home!

I would never go out for a meal as sods law would dictate a call, but I have been to a pub quiz in the village, domino drive, clay pigeon shoot behind a nearby pub, walk the dog [within 15 mins of home - I have a ~30 mins circular walk], local bonfire, village sports day, etc.

I do use on call time to do things like wash and tidy the practice car as I feel it's work time and I'm not doing it in my own time!

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Catherine Williams — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:24:39 GMT

[quote user="Rebecca Benge"]My next planned job for when I'm on call is to sort my wardrobe/clothes out and declutter! [/quote]

That's a job I've been on the cusp of doing for sometime, but don't you find that you get just enough time to take it all out the cupboards + scatter it around but then you get called before you manage to get it put away again. I then come home some hours later to find the animals entertaining themselves in the debris.

My last weekend on call I did manage to just sit down with a good book for a hour or 2 and not feel guilty that I should be doing one of the many other jobs because I couldn't really start them if I was going to be called out.

[quote user="Rebecca Benge"]it's rubbish hanging around all night/weekend feeling on edge![/quote]

Even after 13yrs of on call duties I still find I can't relax entirely when I'm on call, there's that "am I going to be called?" tension and if the phone doesn't go off I then start to twitch about whether it's working properly, has someone set the answerphone messages wrong, is there signal - I invariably end up double checking which always seems to prompt a client to call!

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Rebecca MacMillan — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:26:21 GMT

I know, it's rubbish hanging around all night/weekend feeling on edge!

I tend to clean the house too, but invariably the phone rings as soon as I'm half way up the stairs with the hoover! I guess I mainly watch TV/DVDs and do online CPD stuff too. The dog has to make do with just going to the local park when I'm on call which is about a 5-10 min walk from home (the practice is a 5 min drive away from home), and yes I have been called plenty of times whilst out with him and have to rush home again! I've also done things like sort out my graduation photos and print them off to put in a photo album, I'd been meaning to do it for ages and managed get round to it on a quiet weekend on call. On call varies so much, so if I'm having a busy one then invariably it's all I can do to grab some food and a sit down in between calls!

My next planned job for when I'm on call is to sort my wardrobe/clothes out and declutter!

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Catherine Williams — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:27:20 GMT

[quote user="Roberta Prina"]I was used to stay at home and clean my house [/quote]

That makes me feel better I was going to say the same

I can guarantee that if I try to go somewhere or take the dogs out then the on call phone will ring so that's when I try to do the housework or sort out paperwork or gentle gardening or similar; I tend to leave these jobs for my on call night.

Unfortunately most of the time our on call is pretty busy, it's rare not to be called in so chances are the housework doesn't get done. A layer of cat fur on the carpet makes the place homely doesn't it?

Re: What do you do when you're on call?

Roberta Prina — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:21:29 GMT

I was used to stay at home and clean my house (really sad, I know...)