Low Census. Low census is defined as a decline in patient care requirements resulting in a temporary staff decrease. During periods of low census, the Employer will assign low census to nurses in the following order:
Low Census. An employee that is on stand-by that is called back can be released and put back on stand-by due to low census prior to seeking volunteers. The reason is that an employee called back is not on a regular scheduled shift.
Low Census. Low census is defined as a decline in patient care requirements or workload in a particular department or unit resulting in a temporary staff decrease. Prior to implementing the low census procedure within a job classification, the Employer will float the surplus staff to other areas of the Hospital if the Employer determines the need exists. During temporary periods of low census after canceling any overtime hours on the department or unit affected, the Employer will ask for volunteers within the job classification to take time off before determining and implementing the reduced staffing schedule required. In the event there are no volunteers, the Employer will endeavor to rotate low census equitably among all employees on the shift starting with the least senior employee first, providing skills, competence, ability and availability are considered equal as determined by the Employer.
Low Census. When patient census and acuity create a need to reduce nurse 11 staffing after the schedule has been posted, individual nurses will be subject to low census 12 pursuant to the following procedures. In the application of the factors described below relating 13 to low census decisions, the primary considerations shall be the maintenance, at all times, of 14 safe patient care, continuity of care by the nurse currently assigned to such activities, and the 15 maintenance of adequate nursing staff to serve Hospital patients. The appropriate mix of skill 16 sets, certifications required to care for the immediate patient census and continuity of nursing 17 care will be evaluated and determined by Hospital supervisors/manager/charge nurse.
Low Census. Low census shall be defined as a decline in client care requirements resulting in a temporary staff decrease. Reduction of hours due to low census does not have any notice requirements. After the schedule is posted, in the event the Employer reduces the workforce in a job classification on a given shift due to low census, scheduled hours will be reduced in the following order: First Cut: Agency Personnel Next Cut: Employees working in an overtime pay condition Next Cut: Employees working a scheduled extra pickup shift which will result in overtime during the pay period Next Cut: Employees that volunteer to take a low census day Next Cut: Employees working a scheduled extra pickup shift which will not result in overtime during the pay period Next Cut: Non-voluntary rotational cut of full-time and part-time employees in a job classification on the affected shift by using the seniority list in that job classification. The list will be created with the employee who was hired last being the first to take a low census day when the facility is overstaffed. Such employee’s name will then be removed from the seniority list. If the next day the facility is overstaffed, the employee who was hired second to the last will be asked to take a low census day off, etc. until each employee has taken their turn. After every employee has taken their turn, the list will start over again. For employees that have volunteered to take a day off or for employees that have agreed to work an alternate day or shift prior to their name being called on the seniority list, that employee’s name will be crossed off from the list, and when his/her turn comes up, staffing will skip their name and proceed to the next employee. Employees subject to low census may elect to utilize earned PTO benefits which are otherwise available for scheduling. Quarterly, on November 1, February 1, May 1, and August 1, the cycle of applying cut hours will start over.
Low Census. In the event of a temporary decrease in occupancy and/or the level of care required by residents in the facility to the extent that there is insufficient work to require the normal staffing, the Operator shall have the option to assign low census days to Employees. Low census days shall be assigned pursuant to the following procedure:
Low Census. Low census is defined as a reduction of hours for all or part of any employee’s shift as necessitated by reduced medical center volumes or other occasions when staffing levels must be adjusted on a temporary basis. If an employee is low censused, the employee may choose to take time off without the use of Paid Time Off (PTO). Provided the department has the appropriate skill mix, employees will be low censused in the following order.
Low Census. Nurses who report for work as scheduled and who must leave because of low census shall be paid a minimum of four (4) hours report pay at the straight-time rate. The Employer shall continue its efforts to provide at least two (2) hours prior notice of low census day off. Low census call will be voluntary whenever feasible. Procedures for insuring effective contact and communication between nurses and the hospital shall be referred to the Conference Committee. Where skill, ability, experience, competence or qualifications are not overriding factors as determined by the Employer on the basis of relevant criteria, low census days will be rotated equitably among all nurses, registry nurses first, then volunteers, then nurses receiving time and one-half or double time overtime/premium except those nurses working a scheduled shift, per diem staff and part time staff working an extra shift. Nurses may also be offered the option or may be assigned to float to areas where they are needed, qualified and recently oriented on the basis of the nurse having completed a written technical skills checklist for the area, or to be oriented to a new area, or to take an indirect patient care assignment. Floating is primarily intended to be used to address fluctuations in census and employee absences. No nurse shall be required to float more than twice per shift. Regular full-time and part-time nurses will be given priority over casual and/or per diem nurses for filling regularly scheduled staffing needs provided the full-time or part-time nurse is available and skill, ability, experience, competence or qualification are not overriding factors as determined by the Employer on the basis of relevant criteria. Mandatory low census will be limited to no more than forty-eight (48) hours per nurse per six (6) month period. Generally low census is house wide, meaning there is only one 48 hour cap. Except that there shall be no such limit for nurses in a unit that has been mutually agreed by WSNA and SRH to be identified as a “closed” unit. Low Census hours will be tracked by the Employer but nurses who believe they have reached their cap and do not want to be low censused must notify the individual advising them of the low census assignment at the time the need for low census is being identified. The nurse may request of their manager or nursing office staff to determine accumulated low census hours and the nurse’s place in rotation in relation to other core staff on his/her unit.
Low Census. A. In the event of nurses not working all or part of one of their scheduled working days at the request of the Medical Center, the following order for assigning time off shall be used, provided the nurse remaining on the unit is qualified to perform the assignment:
Low Census. Low census is defined as a decline in work requirements resulting in a temporary decrease in staffing. During temporary periods of low census, the Employer will: First, seek volunteers to float to other work areas where there is a need. Second, Agency will be released first and then any overtime employees. Third, assign employees to float to other work areas where there is a need. Fourth, ask for volunteers to take time off before implementing the reduced staffing scheduled required, i.e. sending home. The Employer will endeavor to rotate low census equitably among all employees within a job classification in a given work area, starting with the least senior employee. If an individual volunteers to take a low census day off, that day off will be counted for purposes of the rotation list. Employees placed on low census will have priority for any standby assignments. Employees may agree to trade with their positions in the rotation list. At the employee’s discretion, PTO may be used to offset low census hours. Employees who are scheduled to work but are either canceled or released from duty due to low census will continue to receive medical and dental insurance coverage. Further, low census hours taken will be considered hours paid for the accrual of all benefits under Article 15 as well as seniority.
