Hello, I am a Nurse in the State of West Virginia.
We are currently in the wake of Winter Storm Jonas which has left our hospital in a bind with staffing. I am well aware of the mandation laws currently in action for the state of WV. I understand that a nurse can be mandated to work a 16 hour shift if staffing is needed for the safety of the patients, which I have no problem with and will gladly volunteer in this time of need. However, at our specific facility after a nurse has worked a 16 hour shift, management will not let us leave the building, even if we are not scheduled to work for several days, requiring us to sleep here.
They are at this point threatening us with discipline.
I have just worked a 12 hour shift and am not needed to work an additional 4 hours as my replacement has arrived, they have no use for me. They will not let me leave the hospital even though they have no need for me. They say, "they cannot guarantee that I will make it in for my shift tomorrow night and I am not allowed to leave due to this."
Although extreme, I feel that this is somewhat a hostage situation, lol. I live 5 minutes away from the hospital of which I work, I have even said that I can walk to work of for some reason my 4WD lifted truck cannot make the 2.2 mile trip.
This cannot be legal, refusing a nurse from going home if they are not mandated and are not needed. For instance, a nurse worked her scheduled shift this past Friday and was going to leave at 7pm. They told her she was not needed but she was not allowed to leave.
She isn't scheduled to work again until Monday morning and are forcing her to stay here throughout the weekend? I cannot see how this is legal in anyway, and then on top of forcing us to stay they are intimidating us by throwing termination in our face if we leave.
I live and work in one of the areas hardest hit by that blizzard, here in WV. There was three and 1/2 feet of snow here and I think at one point there was a travel ban, but seeing as your replacement had made it in hence you would probably be able to make it back yourself. Your boss didn't have the right to keep you.
Where I work they were offering to pay for people to sleep here voluntarily the night before the storm hit so people would be here in the morning along with the overtime and weekend pay differential.
in nc my hospital tried to make us stay like that, when we called the nc board of nursing to inquire/complain the lady at ncbon told us why did you call us you should call the fbi, thats kidnapping and hostage taking
martymoose, BSN, RN
1,946 Posts
This thread is still going????