Emergency Day

Otherwise known as a "k day"

In Article XV, section 4, the Emergency Day is defined. It may also be referred to as a "K day" because that is the code the hospital uses to define the day in their records.

All NYPNU nurses can use one (1) Emergency Day per calendar year. The time comes from your "free hours bank." A nurse accrues thirty (30) free hours per year

Why an Emergency Day? Most days that a nurse takes off are planned and prescheduled. However, as the name indicates, when emergencies arise, there is no way a nurse could schedule months in advance for the pipes in her house breaking or her car breaking down or her child getting sick. For these unpredictable times, a nurse can call the Nursing Office and claim an Emergency Day. An Emergency day is scheduled with little notice.

However, little notice does not mean no notice. A nurse must notify her/his supervisor that she/he is taking an Emergency Day at least two (2) hours before the start of her/his regularly scheduled workday.

A nurse won't lose any time if she/he doesn't use an Emergency Day for the year. Remember that the time comes from your free hours. You can always schedule free hours throughout the year.

An Emergency Day cannot be used on the following holidays:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Super Bowl Sunday
• President's Day
• Easter
• Memorial Day
• Mother's Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas