Clock out by 8am or get reprimanded!!!

I am a new grad and I do come in early to read charts before I clock in, and sometimes stay after I clock out to finish up what I couldn't finish during the shift. I only clock out before finishing if what I am finishing is regular charting I know I should have been able to do during the shift. If something happens, like a discharge right at shift change, I stay clocked in. I don't feel my employer is taking advantage of me. I come in early and stay after for my own peace of mind. I am still struggling with getting organized and learning time management. I am getting better, but it will be a while before I am up to speed. I work on a busy, fast, surg/tele unit. The staff are very supportive, as is management. When I truly "get it", I think I will be able to get my job done on time most of the time. And if I can't because of hospital issues (as opposed to my own time management issues), I will stay clocked in every time.

But for now, I need the extra time. Not for management, for me. I need to read up on the pts so I don't get overwhelmed. So I know what's going on. So I can get better at being a nurse. I WILL get there, but it is taking some extra time in the charts. I am giving myself that extra time because I know I need it and I deserve to have it.

Now, when I am an experienced nurse and I am working hard and I feel they are trying to squeeze too much work out of me, I will not put up with that. But for right now, I feel like I am still in school and I do what I did in school when I had a hard class. I spend more time studying and figuring things out. But they are not asking me to do that. I am doing it on my own. I guess that is the reason I don't feel bullied.

Emma "can't wait to be bored" Peel

I bolded "nationally excepted standards" because if they exist I've never seen them.
Does anyone know what these standards are?

OK I guess that I may be alone on this one but here goes... Just remember that their are two sides to every story but I am on the other side of the over time situation. You see, I am one of the people that get the overtime list and nasty e-mails from the corporate office when the nursing budget is over time.

If every nurse stays one or two hours overtime each night, do you know how many extra staff you could add to each shift with their overtime?
Sorry.. but Nurses need to hold the nurse that is signing off to you that they have done their job and they need to be ready to give you your shift report when you come in. I work with a lot of nurses that are very poor planners and they wait til the end of the shift to chart instead of doing it while they work. They bring in their breakfast and sit down to eat before they write the CNA's assignments. They are text mess their friends.. I can go on.
While I work with some nurse that are wonderful, I also supervise some that are easy distracted. They dont ask for help when they fall behide.

When I worked for an Nursing Agency, you were paid only for 8 hours and if you were not done, you didnt get paid. I was always done.

Come on, you know that you have worked with nurses that are just slow workers some even goofed off! Perhaps that environment is not for them.
I know that this may not be the popular thought, there is a method to the madness.

Originally Posted by herring_RN
I bolded "nationally excepted standards" because if they exist I've never seen them. Does anyone know what these standards are?

There are a number of staff/patient ratio matrix systems out there, but each facility needs to adjust them to fit their own staffing patterns

Bottom line is you have 3 different situations/scenerios :
1) The nurse who has poor time management skills and is always clocking out late due to inability to finish her work in the scheduled shift...
2) The nurse that routinely stays late to "milk the clock"...
3) The nurse who is ususally out on time however had a very bad day...