Attending work class after shift?

[haunani, BSN, RN]

We are being told, on my unit, that we aren't 'allowed' to attend 4 hour education courses (mandatory) after working a 12-hr shift. For those of us working night shift, this is often our only option. Plus, aren't we a better judge of what our bodies can handle? Unit manager says it comes from "senior management", but offers no documentation to back it up.

Do any of you work at hospitals that have a rule like this?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

It doesn't 'just' come from your senior management, it comes from the known statistics on drowsy driving and motor vehicle crashes. Many motor vehicle crashes have been caused by fatigued shift workers who fell asleep at the wheel a/o could not pay attention to the road a/o had a slowed reaction time. Employers who mandate night shift workers to stay after work for education, are putting them at unnecessary risk for MVCs. Employer's have options when it comes to mandatory education, they can provide it during the night shift or online.

[haunani, BSN, RN]

They'll allow us to stay over (or come in early) to work an extra 4 hours, but not attend a class.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

The difference between staying over for mandatory education and staying over for voluntary staffing coverage, is that mandatory education does not have to be done before or after a shift, it can be done during the shift.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

The difference between staying over for mandatory education and staying over for voluntary staffing coverage, is that mandatory education does not have to be done before or after a shift, it can be done during the shift.

Good luck getting education at night. Our CUE will come in for unit education but hospital wide? Forget about it. And when you need vendors to provide the education (EPIC training, for example) Vendors are loathe to come in at 3 am to educate night shift. (And no way do we have time to have training at the start or end of shift. Busiest times for us)

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

I have seen this before, I think it is for a few reasons.

#1 - Staying past your 12-hour shift will likely result in overtime (could be time and a half or even double time) and that is an unnecessary expense for the employer when they can just tell you that you have to come in on another day when you aren't already working. You as the employee may see attending this class after your shift as more convenience but your employer likely sees it as an extra cost that isn't financially responsible.

#2 - When you stay for an extra 4 hours of work or come in early for 4 hours of work it is overtime but is probably unavoidable because your unit is short staffed and your employer may have no choice but to approve the overtime. Creating overtime for an educational training can be avoided (in most cases) and a nurse manager might be criticized for approving it only for your convenience. I know this because when I was a nurse manager I approved overtime for some of the night nurses when it came to mandatory education courses so they didn't have to come to the hospital on a different day and I was spoken to about it by senior leadership/management.

#3 - As other users have said, do you really believe it is safe or that you get the most out of the educational training when you just completed working a 12-hour shift? As much as it is inconvenient to come to the hospital/facility on another day to do the training, do you want to risk your safety by working for such a long period of time?

Just some food for thought...

!Chris

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I can understand the rationale, but it would make me mad. I hate coming in on my days off for education, unless it is actually good education. The drivel they have been making mandatory lately has been downright insulting, and it is actually better for everyone if I fall asleep during it because I can't get angry and write nasty comments all over the evaluation if I wasn't listening and getting offended.

[Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN]

...sounds like an overtime issue, to me. I doubt they care about anyone being tired.

[bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN]

May be an overtime issue as others have said. Some states also have laws regarding the max number of hours one can work in a 24 hour period and how many hours between shifts one has to have off. For example if you work a 12 until 0700 and then stay for a class from 0730-1130 (because we all know shifts never end on time and classes never start on time) then your next shift starts that evening at 1900, that only give 7.5 hours between shifts. If your state requires 8 hours between shifts then your employer is in violation of that labor law.