has anyone been mandated to stay over their shift

Nurses General Nursing

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Saturday was first a night from you know where. I came on at three pm and they said census was low, we had 14 for the 2 nurses(I was included). No charge nurse, and no secretary. I was working with a new nurse 30 days off of orientation and we got 8 admissions. I came to work sick with a migraine and was being charge and secretary trying to hold things together. The new nurse did her best but she broke down crying several times which I honestly could not blame her, telling her to buck up and just do the best you can did not seem right but what else could we do? As 10pm rolled along, the nursing supervisor called me and said she had absolutely no staffing for midnight other than another nurse and I had no option but to stay. Realize I had a migraine and had puked twice and was just counting the minutes I could go home. So i got mandated to stay til 7am with being sick, talk about safe nursing.

What would have happened if you refused the admits?

I have never been mandated. I think I would call ER and get a stress admit for myself. Then I would quit.

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please check your state laws. Illinois has passed a law making mandatory overtime illegal unless there is a disaster. And short staffing does not constitute a disaster. Even then, the maximum is I believe 4 hours past a predetermined shift length. The reason for the law is to protect you and the patients. You are tired, sick and more likely to be unsafe. Again, please check your state laws as this is in more than just Illinois.

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FYI: It ias against the law to drive if you have been up for 24 hours. If you get in an accident you will be charged with dangerous driving and have no insurance! How do they expect you to get home? My employer has tried this crap with me. I have 3 dogs, 4 horses and a house that depends on supplemental wood heat 8 months of the yr. So my horses are supposed to go without care for 24 hrs, my dogs are going to pee in the house, Im supposed to drive home after being up almost 28 hrs, do horse chores, walk my dogs, set my fire, sleep for 6 or 7 hours and go back to a job where lives are on the line and my critical thinking is supposed to be 100%. Are you for real?

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Specializes in ccu cardiovascular.
Ok, so my first big question is this: where were the mandated nurses from day shift?? How is it that you walked into having 7 patients, AND being charge nurse, AND being unit clerk AND having only one new nurse for 14 patients, with EIGHT admissions coming your way?

If you were mandated to stay to cover the short shift that followed yours....WHERE WERE THE NURSES FROM THE PREVIOUS SHIFT??

I don't work in a mandated facility, but never thought I'd mind one because it would mean that every shift WOULD have enough staff (that's how it is at a nearby hospital that does mandation, anyway: if a nurse is staying over, it's to make sure the next shift is sufficiently staffed. Why did this NOT happen for YOU??

Unbelievable.

One of the nurses was getting married and our manager thought she would be nice and let some people off. I guess they thought patient care will fill the holes. I did not ask off. Our hospital currently seems to think our sdu can work short since we scored high on press ganey ratings. They are overstaffing the medical floors since they scored so low. Let's see how fast our ratings will drop.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.
fyi: it ias against the law to drive if you have been up for 24 hours. if you get in an accident you will be charged with dangerous driving and have no insurance! how do they expect you to get home? my employer has tried this crap with me. i have 3 dogs, 4 horses and a house that depends on supplemental wood heat 8 months of the yr. so my horses are supposed to go without care for 24 hrs, my dogs are going to pee in the house, im supposed to drive home after being up almost 28 hrs, do horse chores, walk my dogs, set my fire, sleep for 6 or 7 hours and go back to a job where lives are on the line and my critical thinking is supposed to be 100%. are you for real?

not against the law here in nc, if my kids get me up at 5am, yep i still have to work 7p-7a i can't call in every time it happens, i'd be fired. you are required to have back up for emergencies for child care, dogs, horses and the like in the event of these circumstances. it's required by my employer, i have a back up plan and it is only utilized when in extreme emergency... and yep, 5 hours of sleep will do, sry, but i don't buy it. can't drive safe? the house supervisor is responsible for providing you with a place to sleep and a shower.

we are legally and ethically responsible, in the event of storms, hurricaines, snow, mass casualites, you must have a back up. there are laws that provide you a rest period in between shifts in these events... not a ride home and 7 hours sleep.... think katrina..have a back up plan. so i respectfully disagree with you, especially if i was the sick one in the bed- dependent on you, vrs your dogs. not said in any nasty way, just as a matter of fact. and not meant to get ot, sry.

the usual mandated is no different, if you want me to stay later and return i'll need a place to sleep, shower and clean scrubs. let the supervisor figure the details out, it's on them. i've spent many a nights sleeping in the hospital with both hurricanes and snow storms as well as staffing adjustments, if you meet my basic accomodations, i have a back up plan, it will work. not a popular opinion at all, but i still do it, because i'm prepared.

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Specializes in ER/EHR Trainer.
not against the law here in nc, if my kids get me up at 5am, yep i still have to work 7p-7a i can't call in every time it happens, i'd be fired. you are required to have back up for emergencies for child care, dogs, horses and the like in the event of these circumstances. it's required by my employer, i have a back up plan and it is only utilized when in extreme emergency... and yep, 5 hours of sleep will do, sry, but i don't buy it. can't drive safe? the house supervisor is responsible for providing you with a place to sleep and a shower.

we are legally and ethically responsible, in the event of storms, hurricaines, snow, mass casualites, you must have a back up. there are laws that provide you a rest period in between shifts in these events... not a ride home and 7 hours sleep.... think katrina..have a back up plan. so i respectfully disagree with you, especially if i was the sick one in the bed- dependent on you, vrs your dogs. not said in any nasty way, just as a matter of fact. and not meant to get ot, sry.

the usual mandated is no different, if you want me to stay later and return i'll need a place to sleep, shower and clean scrubs. let the supervisor figure the details out, it's on them. i've spent many a nights sleeping in the hospital with both hurricanes and snow storms as well as staffing adjustments, if you meet my basic accomodations, i have a back up plan, it will work. not a popular opinion at all, but i still do it, because i'm prepared.

we are not supposed to work after 16 hours, i have worked 18! however, i volunteered. we have a mandate order, we must be notified 3 hours prior to shift end...those lowest on the totem pole are left holding the bag if no one volungteers or can stay. of course, in emergencies we too are expected to stay....even in snow storms or any other disaster, the oncoming nurse is expected in, with leeway of course as to time.

as for those of us with responsibilities...nursing is my job, my family is my life. i will not be bullied, or made to work unsafely!

maisy

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

In my younger days I had to stay over a couple of times because oncoming shift didn't show up or staffing made a mistake. The hospital wasn't mean about it, just implored so I worked the 18 hours evening/night. But I don't think I could do it anymore, plus I am on too many medications that have to be taken within certain time limits. Has anyone else had a problem in having to stay at work, whether because of mandating or the weather being too bad to get home, and needing medicine they didn't have with them?

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

Just the other day on the floors, my friend told me that 10 nurses called in sick, and they couldn't get agency nurses to fill in, so, they had no choice but to mandate the nurses who already worked 12 hour shifts to stay. I wonder how they fared, because you cannot mandate them for more than an additional four hours...

I hear that this has been happening for so long, now that they are considering revolking the 12 hour tours. Basically, the nurses are taking a serious beat down. No wonder so many run away from the bedside...

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Specializes in UR/PA, Hematology/Oncology, Med Surg, Psych.

Haven't been since my every first job which was LTC. At that place it was common. If your relief called in or didn't show, you had to stay for the next shift. One particular nurse called in at least 50% of the time and I always hated to see her scheduled to follow my shift. Of course this is also the place that after I worked a 16 hour shift tried to mandate me another 8! I told them in no uncertain terms that it was illegal for me to work a straight 24 hours and the DON had to work the floor herself. Needless to say this place is now closed and long gone.

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Specializes in OB.

Situations like this are why I am so impressed with the hospital at which I am currently on contract. Just the other night a situation occurred in which a nurse didn't show up for her shift (I posted about this in the travel nurse section). After going to check on the missing nurse and calling the police to check on her the DON of this hospital came in, put on scrubs and worked the night shift - taking a full patient load!

It's going to be hard to move on from this contract!

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

The last time this happened, I was working in ICU with another nurse. We only had one patient who was doing well. As I was getting ready to leave at 3:20 PM and pick up my son from Day Care, I received a call from the DON telling me that I had to stay until 7:00. When I told her that my husband was out of town on business and my son had to be picked up from the nursery by 6:00, she became hostile and beligerent, which was uncalled for. She even got nasty with my co-worker, when she offered to stay in my place. If my next-door neighbor had not been available to care for my child, I don't know what I would have done. Anyway, I didn't give this DON another opportunity to force me to make a decision between taking care of my son and staffing that unit. I turned in my two-week notice.

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