Arriving early and not clocking in

Nurses General Nursing

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On the unit at the hospital where I work, it is the culure of my unit to come to work 15-30 mins before your shift to begin your pt research and prepare for the start of your day. If nurses decide to do this, however, they are NOT allowed to clock in until the actual time they are scheduled for bc otherwise, the hospital would have to pay overtime. So we have nurses working before their shifts, and then someone comes around and reminds people to go clock in when it's actually time. Some nurses feel strongly that everyone should be doing this, and then there are others that show up about 5 mins before their shift.

Is this the culture or expectation in any other facilities?

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
Just to clarify for people who might read this post wrong, you can't just write your report and then go, you need to have the charge nurse or someone actually agree to take on the care of this patient until the replacement comes otherwise you are jeopardizing your license d/t patient abandonment.

Yes, that is true. I have heard of nurses taping their report, but they cannot actually LEAVE the unit until appropriate relief has arrived and have gotten report. Good feedback Ayvah.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.

My culture of expectation is that I do NO work that I am not getting paid for.

None.

So if I can't clock in, until, let's say 7:00, then no one had better look for me before 6:55.

They cannot require you to do it either. Slave labor is dead.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

No.

I come in 5 minutes before I start to drink my coffee.

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Specializes in ICU, MICU, SICU.

I have a routine and I have done it for 5 years now without any deviation (usually!). I get to work around 6:30pm. I look to see where I am, I go to that pod and get my assignment. I then go to the breakroom and copy my stuff down. I am ready for report by 6:50pm at the latest. That way I am done report by 7:10 and I can get started early and the dayshift clocks out on time. The thing I hate most is to start my night late and I know dayshift wants to get out on time. It is a win win in my book.

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Specializes in FNP.
I had a coworker do that. We were sitting around the report room, waiting for the oncoming shift. 7:05 and they still weren't there, so she gave report to an empty room.

We give report at the nurses station, which is adjacent to the coffepot, coat cubby area (lounge is quite far off). Years ago, there was a day nurse that arrived on time, but dawdled before taking report. I would start talking to nobody basically while she farted around. She missed most of it b/c she was looking for creamer, chatting to others, reading stuff on the cork board. Whatever. I'm not waiting. At 6:45, I start talking.:cool:

She's long gone, and none of my relief have been late, that I recall, in years. If they were, I'd simply call the house super and tell her to get her tail down here, because I leave at 7:15, period.

I have the flexibility to come in early and I am willing. I do not, and will never, stay late.

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Ok, wondering what kind of floor is this that you only have 4 patients? Is it an ICU step down? or similar kind? And what is going on that you don't report until 7:50? Why doesn't the night shift tape record? And what time is report "supposed" to take place? For example: our shifts begin at 7:00 and the night shift ends at 7:15. That 15 minutes of overlap is designed to be able to give a quick verbal report, or updates if you had taped.

What is your "overlap" period?

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I never said you said that. I was referring to Tittytat's post regarding the people who come in early to start complaining about their assignment and trying to get moved. I was not referring to the OP. I was referring in general to those people who do that.

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Klone, I just looked back... the OP is another poster. I don't recall responding to any of your messages. My input was in regards to the OP and in agreement with a post made by Tittytat. It seems like you were a little offended, but I was only responding to the OP not you dear. Sorry.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

When I worked in the hospital I arrived 20 minutes early even though I was not sitting at the nurses station or getting in the way. I functioned better with a peaceful zone of time between traffic stress and work stress. Luckily we had break space away from the beehive so that wasn't an issue. If I knew what my assignment was going to be I may have started a "brain" page, but mostly it is a personality thing with me.

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Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.
Just to clarify for people who might read this post wrong, you can't just write your report and then go, you need to have the charge nurse or someone actually agree to take on the care of this patient until the replacement comes otherwise you are jeopardizing your license d/t patient abandonment.

Yes, you can, if hospital policy dictates you can. And yeah, you can bet my NM has our backs, seeing as she's the one who supports it.

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Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.
Yes, that is true. I have heard of nurses taping their report, but they cannot actually LEAVE the unit until appropriate relief has arrived and have gotten report. Good feedback Ayvah.

So what's the point of taping a report if you can't leave until the oncoming shift finishes listening to the tape? Sounds ridiculous, and if a nurse gets written up for "abandoning patients" then management shouldn't enforce policies they are unwilling to uphold.

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Ottowa, not sure if you work in Canada but here in the states if you leave your patients when they have not been "passed off" to another nurse to be responsible for you can bet an abandonment charge will stick to your hide. I have worked in many states and settings as a travel nurse and NO ONE plays that in any facility that I know of. You are leaving your patient without care. If you walk out and your relief is on the highway and that patient codes, who is responsible ? From 16 years in nursing I know that the nurse who walked off is on the hook. Maybe things are different where you work but any newbies reading this had better not think about trying anything like that or you'll have a serious problem.

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