How late after your shift do you stay at work?

Nurses General Nursing

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Recently, my unit manager asked us all to write an email explaining why we are clocking out after our scheduled shift. This is to be done after every late clock out.

While I am a new RN, I have a feeling this issue is not limited to being a new grad learning time management. There are so many factors that affect whether or not I get out on time.

I'm curious, on average, how long after your shift do you stay, giving report, documenting, etc? What kind of circumstances get in the way of you clocking out on time? If you don't mind also sharing, how many years experience do you have in acute care?

I will share: I have six months exp.

Factors that affect me: interruptions during report, late admissions or discharges (6:30 or later), late med passes, having to complete documenting, giving report to multiple nurses, a generally hectic day, just to name a few...

Specializes in Case manager, float pool, and more.

Unless there was a code, trauma case or a fall at the end of my shift, I am out on time. Of course it also depends on the floor I get floated to as well. Once in a while I may be over for 5 - 10 minutes on a med-surg floor.

Be sure to stay on the clock while you're writing your report about why you're late getting out that day and don't forget to mention having to write that as yet another part of why you stayed over.

I have worked 5 jobs in med surg tele. The jobs with staffing issues and sending too high acuity patients I always would leave late. 15min-30min-1hr. Some jobs if the staffing is good and patient a acuity is appropriate I leave on time.

This happens often on our floor (getting high acuity patients). It's difficult to manage when you have 6 patients.

Unless there was a code, trauma case or a fall at the end of my shift, I am out on time. Of course it also depends on the floor I get floated to as well. Once in a while I may be over for 5 - 10 minutes on a med-surg floor.

Be sure to stay on the clock while you're writing your report about why you're late getting out that day and don't forget to mention having to write that as yet another part of why you stayed over.

I think I will start doing this, writing my report as part of the reason why I'm still there. I wasn't sure if I would come off as being a smart a** to do so but I do spend extra time writing this report.

Specializes in Case manager, float pool, and more.
I think I will start doing this, writing my report as part of the reason why I'm still there. I wasn't sure if I would come off as being a smart a** to do so but I do spend extra time writing this report.

I must admit to being a well known wise a#$% at work. :)

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

After forty years, most of it in ICU, I clock out on time most shifts. If we get a late OR admit or someone codes at the end of the shift, I may stay 30 minutes late to do the charting. When I precept, I stay until the orientee is finished charting. There was one orientee that consistently stayed 2-2.5 hours late to chart, and we had to be back the next day. That was a rough six months!

Specializes in ED, psych.

My unit had been tough on us staying past our scheduled time. The NM "asked" us to submit emails detailing why we were 10+ minutes past clocking out.

See, the day shift were leaving minutes BEFORE their shift ended. So why, evening shift? Why indeed. We weren't so lucky. We had several patients who were sundowners, we were short staffed by one, the ED typically sends up new admit(s) close to shift change, and the night nurse typically showed up 20 minutes late. And that was just a few examples.

The NM was so inundated with the info that she had us stop and just accepted that some times? Staff punch out late ...

10-15 mins after, usually no later. And that's just because of report taking a while. I have 6 months RN experience on Tele but I was an LPN in LTC before so charting wasn't new for me.

We do not get admissions starting 30 min before and 30 min after shift change. If I get one at 1700 or later, I do everything I can before passing it off to the next shift.

We do not get admissions starting 30 min before and 30 min after shift change.

Our ER seems to have a magical eject button that shuttles all the admits to the floors/units at exactly this time. Shift change is a chaotic mess!

I clock out as soon as I can but I do not work for free. I rarely clock out with no overtime. Typically, I am there 5-15 minutes after my shift is over. This is NEVER because I need to finish something I did not complete, like charting. This is always due to either delays in giving report (80%) or random stuff like an admit or discharge where it would be significantly easier if I just did it rather than pass it on to the next nurse.

After forty years, most of it in ICU, I clock out on time most shifts. If we get a late OR admit or someone codes at the end of the shift, I may stay 30 minutes late to do the charting. When I precept, I stay until the orientee is finished charting. There was one orientee that consistently stayed 2-2.5 hours late to chart, and we had to be back the next day. That was a rough six months!

As a preceptor, did you or do you guys help with how to chart in a timely manner? Does it matter how long, as long as the charting is correct? Or is it a learn as you go type of thing?

I am rarely out on time due to the massive amounts of charting. Basically a good night means I leave 30 minutes after my scheduled time to leave. At most, I have stayed 3 hours late for charting. When the next nurse didn't show up, I stayed up to 8 hours late.

Specializes in NICU, High-Risk L&D, IBCLC.

I have 11 years of experience in the NICU. Just this past week was the first time in forever that I was still there 30 minutes past my shift. My night went to you-know-where in a hand basket around 5 A.M. and as I was trying to give the oncoming nurse report, I was constantly interrupted by every service imaginable coming by on early rounds to see my patients and needing some form of assistance (supplies, dressing changes, questions answered, etc.). I would say 95% of the time, I'm out on time or even early. The other 5% is usually over by just 5-10 minutes, mostly because the oncoming nurse is late and/or asking numerous questions. My employer doesn't require any explanation if we go into overtime.

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