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 think we must work at the same hospital. I live an hour away and made arrangements to stay in a hotel an exit away. I left all of my belongings at the hotel Saturday morning, including needed medications, and they said I couldn't leave. Well I did anyway and made it back for my 7A no problem. No way you are keeping me hostage when I paid for a hotel to make sure to make it to work and basically worked for free because of the cost incurred for the hotel.
What comes to mind is that most facilities need to have an emergency food supply regardless of whether the kitchen staff makes it to work or not. The nurses should either have a place to store emergency food or have the key to the kitchen since their responsibilities include feeding people. It's a matter of common sense to be prepared for disasters so people don't suffer quite as much.
I see what you're saying, but even with keys to the kitchen, how would the RN be able to actually cook the meals? I imagine kitchens are stocked with ingredients, not meals. An RN on her 15th hour should go make meals in a commercial kitchen? When I worked floor we had some frozen Healthy Choice meals in our galley...but that wouldn't work for the Dysphagia I-III diets, or renal diets, etc.
Heck I only know how to cook for my family. Meal planning for a team of pts with varying dietetic needs? I would be lost.
And who would do the actual nursing work? I work ICU now and the majority of my pts are tubefed, but our hospital kitchen is 7 stories down, and in an adjoining building. It would be impossible to leave critical pts to go get food from our kitchen...because we keep very busy being hands-on nurses.
I would submit that kitchen staff is essential staff.
Now if the hospital kept a stockpile of specialty MREs that could accommodate the dietary needs, that would be different, and feasible for the RN in an emergency. Hopefully that's what you meant.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I see what you're saying, but even with keys to the kitchen, how would the RN be able to actually cook the meals? I imagine kitchens are stocked with ingredients, not meals. An RN on her 15th hour should go make meals in a commercial kitchen? When I worked floor we had some frozen Healthy Choice meals in our galley...but that wouldn't work for the Dysphagia I-III diets, or renal diets, etc.
When I worked in dietary services, we had contingency plans for disasters. Plenty of lunch meats for sandwiches that could be made even by those without training on the kitchen equipment or for those under the age of 18 who weren't allowed to run the equipment.
But yes, I was considered essential staff then too.
My facility prepared ahead asking for those willing to stay to reserve a room on an unused unit. they provided food, linen, towels, cable tv . etc. The administrators actually went out after the storm sunday and dug everyone out so we could go home. Many of us worked 12-16 hour shifts because some people could not make it in, but it was a great moral booster to see the administrators there with us in the trenches.
Specializes in Med-Surg, OB, ICU, Public Health Nursing.
As a nurse at a county hospital, we sign on a "disaster service workers." I never really thought about how long they could make us stay. The main thing is, they can call us in and mandate us to work.
If you are in a private facility, I think they have lost their minds.
As a nurse at a county hospital, we sign on a "disaster service workers." I never really thought about how long they could make us stay. The main thing is, they can call us in and mandate us to work.
If you are in a private facility, I think they have lost their minds.
How does that work--do they pay you to be on call? I really wonder what the DOL would say about it, because it seems like if they call you with the expectation that you WILL come in, that is you being on call.
or external disaster they can keep you, but you can also leave and most likely be fired. Check your
employee handbook, it's
probably outlined in there. Not saying I like it, but if they outline it in a policy then it is what it is.
When had we had that huge electrical outage here several years ago we had people, including some management that left after the disaster had been called. When they came back they were handed their walking papers.
How does that work--do they pay you to be on call? I really wonder what the DOL would say about it, because it seems like if they call you with the expectation that you WILL come in, that is you being on call.
I wonder about that too. Our official policy is that all staff are "on call" during bad snow storms. However they are not paying staff that are not scheduled an on call wage to sit home by the phone, therefor I refuse to consider myself on call and don't answer the phone if I don't feel like trying to make it in to work. I have to say despite their silly on call policy nobody has ever been disciplined for not answering when they call so I guess management knows this policy doesn't really have any teeth.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
My facility prepared ahead asking for those willing to stay to reserve a room on an unused unit. they provided food, linen, towels, cable tv . etc. The administrators actually went out after the storm sunday and dug everyone out so we could go home. Many of us worked 12-16 hour shifts because some people could not make it in, but it was a great moral booster to see the administrators there with us in the trenches.
HigginsdogRN
16 Posts
I think we must work at the same hospital. I live an hour away and made arrangements to stay in a hotel an exit away. I left all of my belongings at the hotel Saturday morning, including needed medications, and they said I couldn't leave. Well I did anyway and made it back for my 7A no problem. No way you are keeping me hostage when I paid for a hotel to make sure to make it to work and basically worked for free because of the cost incurred for the hotel.