Low-Census Rotation Clause Samples
A Low-Census Rotation clause allows for the temporary reassignment or rotation of staff when the number of patients or workload falls below a certain threshold. In practice, this means that if a hospital or healthcare unit experiences a drop in patient census, employees may be rotated to other departments, placed on call, or sent home according to predetermined procedures. The core function of this clause is to provide flexibility in staffing, ensuring efficient use of personnel and controlling labor costs during periods of low demand.
Low-Census Rotation. It is recognized by the parties that the basic policy shall be to use the low census procedure to accomplish short term staff reductions. When low service volume requires adjustment in nurse staffing, such adjustment may be made by floating nurses to available assignments for which they are qualified. If there are no such opportunities available, nurses may be low censused under the following guidelines. Low census and standby will be assigned in the following descending order of priority:
a. Agency nurses.
b. Nurses working at the overtime rate.
c. Requested low census by employee: where there exists more requests than needed, the requested low census day will be granted in the following order:
Low-Census Rotation. When low-service volume requires adjustment in 24 nurse staffing, such adjustment shall be by rotation under the following guidelines. 25 These guidelines assume appropriate clinical proficiency of the nurse(s) who will remain 26 in a department following low census of other nurses. Low census and on-call will be 27 assigned in the following descending order of priority:
Low-Census Rotation. When low service volume requires adjustment in nurse staffing, such adjustment shall be by rotation under the following guidelines. Low census and on call will be assigned in the following descending order of priority:
a. Agency/Traveling nurses who have not yet met their contractual exposure to low census.
b. Nurses who have earned overtime in the pay period, unless an exception based on skill mix requirements is approved by the Patient Care Manager.
c. Volunteers who have requested low census. Where there exists more volunteers than need, the low census will be assigned first to the volunteering nurse whose turn it is in the rotation. Where volunteers have similar standing in the rotation, requested low census shall be awarded in the order of the nurses' requests.
Low-Census Rotation. Voluntary Low Census may count in LC rotation, for the purpose of determining mandatory low census order, as long as it is a full shift. Mandatory low census days will be assigned when there are no volunteers. Low census days will be assigned on a rotational basis within a clinical group, as outlined below, and by shift, provided skill, competence and ability are adequate to meet patient care needs. The nurse to be assigned the low census day will be the person within the clinical group and shift that is next on the rotation list. The rotation list will be provided upon request from the scheduler for the appropriate clinical group, and from the Bed Planner after hours.
Low-Census Rotation. Subject to skill, competence and ability, low census will be rotated and shared equitably among all bargaining unit nurses including Charge Nurses. Alternative solutions can be made to keep nurses working during their low census rotation if management deems it necessary. Low census will be given as follows when skills and abilities are equal:
1. Nurses working premium and/or bonus time shifts;
2. Volunteers;
3. Per Diem Nurses;
4. Agency nurse;
5. Nurses with the fewest low census hours and who have not reached the maximum low census requirements set forth in Section 7.6.
Low-Census Rotation. The Employer will make a good faith effort to rotate low census days equitably on each shift by classification within a department. Subject to skills and ability, prior to instituting mandatory low census, the Employer will endeavor to first cancel employees working in an overtime condition, volunteers, per diem employees, agency personnel and employees working extra shifts. If an employee is inadvertently low censused out of turn, the mistake will be remedied on the next rotation or as soon as possible.