Low Census Procedure Sample Clauses
The Low Census Procedure clause outlines the steps to be taken when the number of patients or participants in a facility or program falls below a predetermined threshold. Typically, this clause specifies how staffing levels, resource allocation, or operational hours may be adjusted in response to decreased census, such as reducing staff shifts or temporarily closing certain units. Its core practical function is to ensure operational efficiency and cost control during periods of low demand, while maintaining compliance with regulatory and contractual obligations.
Low Census Procedure. When patient census and acuity create a need to 30 reduce nurse staffing after the schedule has been posted, individual nurses will be 31 subject to call off pursuant to the following procedures. In the application of the factors 32 described below relating to call off decisions, the primary considerations shall be the 33 maintenance, at all times, of safe patient care, continuity of care by the nurse currently 34 assigned to such activities, and the maintenance of adequate nursing staff to serve 1 Hospital patients. The appropriate mix of skill sets, certifications required to care for the 2 immediate patient census and continuity of nursing care will be evaluated and 3 determined by Hospital supervisors/managerNursing Leadership.
4 a. Low census call offs may occur for a portion of a scheduled shift (including 5 a decision to delay the start time of a previously scheduled nurse) or for the entire 6 scheduled shift. Nurses who are designated to be called off by Hospital 7 managementNursing Leadership will be provided notice of such call off no less than one
(1) hour in advance of the nurse’s scheduled shift by way of a documented telephone 9 call or acknowledged text to the telephone number provided by the nurse to Hospital 10 managementNursing Leadership. Employees may utilize Paid Time Off (PTO) at the 11 employee’s discretion for all low census hours.
13 b. After evaluation of the factors described above, nurse call offs shall occur 14 in the following manner:
15 1. The nurse to be called off shall be any nurse scheduled to work or
20 2. If permitted by the terms of the Agreement between the Hospital 21 and the agency or traveler nurse, agency, traveler or locum tenens shall be the first 22 nurses called off under this procedure. If the Hospital is required to continue to pay 23 agency traveler or locum tenens nurses even if such individuals are called off, such 24 nurses will not be called off pursuant to these procedures but neither shall they displace
25 a nurse working their regularly scheduled and positioned hours;
27 3. The Hospital shall continue to maintain a Hospital wide list of
32 4. ▇▇▇▇ matter nurses shall be next called off;
34 5. Next in order priority shall be per diem nurses;
2 6. Next in the order of call off priority shall be regular part time and/or 3 regular full time nurses based on the following criteria:.
Low Census Procedure. When low census reductions are needed, nurses will be given the opportunity to float to available assignments for which they are qualified.
Low Census Procedure. When the Medical Center experiences a decline in patient care requirements that necessitates a temporary decrease in staff, the Medical Center will implement the low census procedures in the following order:
1) Where low census reductions are needed, nurse(s) will be assigned to float to available assignments in accordance with Section 9.12.1 of this Agreement.
2) On a shift to shift basis, voluntary low census days will be granted if possible within the clinical group, and staff will be floated to areas of need in accordance with Section 9.11.1 of this Agreement. Low census will be granted to volunteers including those who decline stand by status before assigning mandatory low census. If the Employer seeks a nurse(s) for partial low census and no nurse volunteers for partial low census, the Employer will grant requests for voluntary full low census, regardless of whether the nurse volunteering for the full low census is willing to take standby for the day, before assigning mandatory low census. A nurse assigned a mandatory or granted a voluntary low census may not be required to return from low census so that a nurse from the nurse's unit can provide functional coverage (float) on another unit outside the unit's float group.
3) As assessed on a daily basis, nurses will be assigned by management to take mandatory low census on an equitable rotation. A nurse assigned a mandatory or granted a voluntary low census pursuant to this section shall be given credit toward seniority, PTO, EIT and Insurance benefits. The maximum amount of mandatory low census per nurse will not exceed the hourly equivalent of one shift per pay period not to exceed forty eight (48) hours/year. Mandatory Low Census Hours shall be applied to the forty eight (48) hour limit. There will be a minimum of two (2) hours credited towards the nurse's forty eight hour limit for any Mandatory Low Census Hours assigned. Nurses assigned mandatory low census by management may refuse to return from low census for the remainder of the nurse's shift. The hours the nurse elects not to work will be considered mandatory low census and count as part of the maximum mandatory hours as described above.
4) First, supplemental nurses, and then nurses working extra shifts (i.e., scheduled on their normal day off) shall be canceled on units prior to assigning a nurse a mandatory low census who is qualified to work on that unit within the clinical float group. On a unit basis, supplemental nurses canceled due to ...
Low Census Procedure. During times of low patient census in which less staff is required, AHS shall apply the following procedure:
Low Census Procedure. The Charge nurse determines how many nursing staff members are needed to work on the next shift in the unit based on the unit-level staffing plan.
Low Census Procedure. Nurses scheduled to work in a unit and shift 9 experiencing Low Census will have their shift or portion of their shift 10 cancelled in the following sequence:
11 1. Agency, Traveler, or ShareCare nurses.
13 2. Nurses whose work would be payable at overtime or incentive shift 14 premium.
16 3. Nurses who volunteer, with the earliest request for time off given 17 preference.
19 4. Per diem nurses.
21 5. Remaining nurses in accordance with the unit’s Low Census rotation 22 system. The system of Low Census rotation shall be written and 23 communicated by the manager, in consultation with the nurses on the 24 unit. Nurses on a unit may change the system of rotation by majority 25 vote, provided that the system is approved by the unit manager and is 26 in writing. 28 **Nurses who volunteer may be considered prior to the low census of
29 a Traveler who has already been low censused once per pay period.
Low Census Procedure. 6.14.1. During times of low patient census in which less staff is required, AHS shall apply the following procedure:
a) Cancel any employee who is working an overtime shift on a rotating basis using inverse seniority;
b) Cancel contract registry/travelers within the affected job classification and affected department/unit;
c) Cancel SAN employees within the affected job classification and department/unit on a rotating basis using inverse seniority;
d) Offer employees an education day in order to complete CEUs or other educational requirements pursuant to Article 12.2 on a rotating basis beginning with the most senior employee; employees must provide documentation to the manager; for calculation of time, one continuing education contact hour will be equal to one hour of Education Leave up to the balance of the shift being cancelled;
e) Solicit volunteers on a rotating basis beginning with the most senior employee from among employees in the affected department who are presently at work and, if time permits, among those scheduled to arrive for the upcoming shift. Employees who volunteer to be canceled may take the shift as unpaid or vacation time if accrued and available;
f) Float employees pursuant to the Float Policy attached as Side Letter #3 to an alternative assignment.
g) If an employee declines to float, then the employee shall be considered to have opted to voluntarily be canceled pursuant to ‘e’ above.
6.14.2. AHS agrees that in the implementation of this policy, it shall continue to give first priority to the delivery of high quality patient care for reasonably projected increases in census and acuity.
Low Census Procedure. When the Medical Center experiences a decline in patient care requirements that necessitates a temporary decrease in staff, the Employer shall exercise its best efforts to rotate mandatory low census hours equitably on a shift by shift basis within a department/unit, except that it will be by department for MHCs and Respiratory Therapists, subject to employee qualifications and patient care considerations as determined by the Employer. The Employer may make exceptions to granting voluntary or assigning mandatory low census based on the number, classification, special expertise/skill of staff required to provide adequate coverage to meet the overall patient care requirements/acuity of the Medical Center and overall cost effectiveness. The low census procedure will be implemented in the following order:
1. The Employer will make a good faith effort to determine if a need/float opportunity exists in another department in the same job classification.
2. Staff scheduled for overtime/premium pay on their non-regularly scheduled shift may be cancelled.
3. On a shift-to-shift basis, voluntary low census days will be granted by the Employer on a designated volunteer list on a first-requested basis for the unit and job classification experiencing the low census. If the employee is not contacted by the Medical Center, the employee is expected to report to work.
4. When low census requires further staffing reductions, the Employer will cancel agency staff, then non-overtime supplemental employees, and finally employees working extra shifts as described in Article 7.
Low Census Procedure. If employees need to be sent home due to low census, they shall be sent home in the following order:
1. Agency employees;
2. Solicit volunteers in seniority order;
3. Casual employees;
4. Part-time and full-time employees in reverse seniority order.
Low Census Procedure. The Hospital may temporarily decrease the normal work day/work week of RNs due to low patient census. In that event, the Hospital will apply the following procedure, in order, to the extent necessary to deal with the low patient census:
(a) Cancel any RN who is working an extra time opportunity from outside the work group on the affected shift;
(b) Cancel premium pay/overtime within the affected job classification and work group on the affected shift;
(c) Check to see if there are volunteers by:
(i) seeing if any RN has, in advance, indicated an interest in being canceled at that time on the assignment sheet, the schedule, or on a specific Cancellation Request Book that a Nurse Manager may keep. This advance request option will be on a first come, first served basis;
(ii) if there are no advance requests for cancellation, the Hospital will solicit volunteers from RNs in the Work Group who are already present at work and, if time permits those scheduled to arrive for the upcoming shift. Hospital seniority will prevail if there is more than one such volunteer;
(iii) where a work group has staggered starting times, it is understood that it may not be appropriate for the RNs who start at the latest time to be offered a cancellation option because it could lead to overtime. It is understood that the purpose of the Hospital’s seeking volunteer cancellations is to accommodate the RNs, and not to create “rights” by any RN to be canceled. An occasional deviation of this subsection (c) will not constitute a violation of this Agreement. If there is more than an occasional deviation, the Association may file a grievance.
(d) Cancel contract/agency RNs within the affected job classification and work group on the affected shift
(e) Cancel per diems within the affected job classification and work group on the affected shift
(f) Cancel part-time RNs working more than their regular scheduled hours within the affected job classification and work group on the affected shift