I have some questions about facilities requiring staff to stay after their shift is over because they cannot find people to work the next shift. This hasn't happened to me yet as a CNA (thank goodness), but I know of plenty of others who have told me that their nursing home told them that if they left, they would be accused of abandoning their residents, which would mean they would supposedly either lose their jobs, or their certification. I also have had a couple of CNAs tell me that their workplace threatens to discipline them, or accuse them of abandonment, if they call the CNAs on their days off, and they don't come in. This worries me a lot, as I am already exhausted from my 40-hour week, but I don't want to be accused of resident neglect if I don't stay to help. Is it legal for a nursing home or hospital to require CNAs to stay past their shift, and can they also require you to come in on your days off if they don't have enough staff? I read about mandatory overtime for nurses, but I don't know if that applies to CNAs, as well.
