Ah, pagers. Still a part of life. The prevailing culture in UCLA Psychiatry is for physicians to be on pager 24/7. UCLA staff are using iPhones for pagers with the exception of external rotators who download the virtual paging app, Spok, on their phones. As always, reach out to your chiefs with any questions.
For now, with proactive safety planning and boundary setting with families, we should be able to structure our on-call pager time so that it is manageable. There is a high priority for us to have pager coverage during our didactics and during grand rounds, with current arrangements listed in the chart below.
Per ACGME requirements, we must be off pager completely for 1 day every 7 days. To fulfill this requirement, we cover each other’s pagers. Dulce will provide a coverage schedule.
Pager Nuts & Bolts:
- Pages will be sent to you when you are on-call. This is automatically done for all ED call, based on the Amion schedule. For CL call, you will need to update your pager information manually to the on-call system (see instructions below). For inpatient, ABC, and outpatient clinics, attendings and staff will have your pager number by which to contact you. On inpatient, pagers should be forwarded to the psychiatry resident on-call overnight, as described below.
- On ER/CL you will cover your own personal pager and will alternate covering the virtual consult pager (p97801) with your co-fellows on service. On Inpatient and ABC you are only responsible for covering your own pager and arranging for a co-fellow to cover your pager if you are out.
- Each page you receive will also trigger an email carrying the message of the alpha page. We strongly recommend also activating “Spok,” a mobile paging app that is provided free of charge with registration. You should receive an email requesting you to activate Spok, with instructions provided. Between email and the Spok app, you should never miss another page!
- The page operator can look up who is on call, send a page for you, or forward pages to your pager or someone else’s (or any iterations of the above). They can be reached at 310-266-6766 (internal extension x66766). Plug this into your cell phone for that time when you’ll need it!
- Families will only have your pager number if a) you give it to them or b) they call the page operator. We recommend developing boundaries with patients that are sustainable and with which you feel comfortable. Please discuss your pager responsibilities with your rotation director for each service, who will support you. Required and recommended pager availability practices are outlined below for each rotation:
| Rotation | Required Pager Availability | Recommended Limits |
| ED, day call | 8 AM – 4:30 PM | Redirect after-hours pages to resident psych OD (p95722) as appropriate. Attending covers pager during didactics. |
ED, evening call | 5 PM – 9 PM | Redirect after-hours pages to resident psych OD. |
Inpatient | 8 AM – 5 PM | Redirect after-hours pages to resident psych OD. Do not provide pager # to families (refer to page operator). Arrange coverage with residents during didactics. |
CL | 8 AM – 5 PM | Attending covers pager during didactics. Redirect after-hours pages to resident psych OD. |
| ABC | 7:30 AM – 5 PM | Do not provide pager # to families (refer to page operator). Create a safety plan outlining emergency procedures with SW for each new case. Attending covers pages during didactics and grand rounds. |
| FPC | Not required. | Consider not providing pager # to families and using only voicemail and page operator. Create a safety plan at first visit. Check email regularly for indication of voicemail. Email must be checked every 24 hours for voicemail notification and review. During vacation, notify families of covering fellow and change voicemail message. |
| Outpatient clinics | Varies per rotation. | Consider not providing pager to families and using voicemail and page operator only. Create a safety plan at first visit. Check email regularly for indication of voicemail. Email must be checked every 24 hours for voicemail notification and review. During vacation, notify families of covering fellow and change voicemail message. |
How to Send Pages:
Online:
- Go to https://mednet.uclahealth.org and click “Paging” under “Quick Links”
- Go to https://uclapaging.mednet.ucla.edu/smartweb/
Through CareConnect:
- Click on “Paging” icon on top right corner
By Email (Mednet accounts only):
- Email pager#@page.mednet.ucla.edu. For example, to page 95722, email 95722@page.mednet.ucla.edu. The body of the email will be sent via page.
By phone:
- Call page operator (310-206-6766, on campus x66766)
- Call automatic paging system (numeric pages only, ex. phone number)
- From hospital phone, dial 231
- From outside, dial 1-800-BEEP-231 (1-800-233-7231)
Signing Out/Forwarding Pager:
Online:
- Go to: https://uclapaging.mednet.ucla.edu/smartweb/
- Log in with your pager number
- Default password is generally “12345.” Alternatively, try to enter your pager number for the password. You will be prompted to set up a new password. If unsuccessful, call the help desk at x44357 (310-794-4357).
- Click on “Personal Profile” tab
- Click on “Profile”
- Select “Coverage” then “+ New” button
- Enter covering fellow’s pager number, start time, end time
- Click “Save”
- You can add multiple coverage periods at once
By phone:
- Call page operator (310-206-6766, on campus x66766)
- Provide the following info: covering clinician, start time, end time
Work iPhones
As part of our latest contract negotiations, we now have the option of utilizing an iPhone XR provided by UCLA for pages via SPOK app, local phone calls (you will be responsible for any long distance phone call fees), and other work related activities. See https://it.uclahealth.org/services/iphone for more information.