Clock out by 8am or get reprimanded!!!

Seems the hospital has 3 choices. 1) Pay the OT 2)pay nurses a salary 3)Intimidate nurses into aquiessing and forgoing what is legally due them

Yes, we are encouraged to clock out no later than 0730. I am sometimes there after 0730 because of being unable to give verbal report because of late staff, interruptions, etc. I now leave the floor at exactly 0730, go out to my car and continue with verbal report by calling from my cell phone. This way I am off the clock, starting my drive home and still completing my duties. If I have had a hectic night and paperwork is not completed I send myself an email outlining the situation. The email is timed, dated and stamped. This way if I am called in for paperwork violations I can show them I made an effort. Of course I always complete essential documention (I&O's, change of status), but the fall risk, skin score and endless repetitive nonsense I will not complete if running behind.

there is a very simple term for this process--its called illegal.

unless you are salaried, you may not lift a finger off the clock. a quick call to your state labor board will make short work of this practice.

had a nm try this 15 years ago. not only is she no longer a manager, she is no longer an rn.

I knew a nurse who would clock out and then go back and finish her work....I told her I would NEVER do that - and she shouldn't either. It seemed illegal to me to have someone so intimidated that they would work for "free" - if there is too much work then the mgt needs to look at staffing. Unfortunately mgt is never looking out for the nurses' best interest.

The email to self timestamping the probs on a shift is a great idea:twocents:

Working for free, under intimidation, equals slavery.

They attempted this where I work too. I am not sure where they stand with it, but i frequently clock out past 1930...nothing has been done yet, but I am sure they will find a way to get me. Actually, I probably won't get a raise at my annual review! in any case, I have doubts about the legality of this practice.

Forced working for free to me equates with slave labor. For others it may not but at a minimum it is theft of services.

Regardless of situation.....you cannot lift a finger off the clock. Work is work, and you deserve to be paid for it. Worst case, do you really want to work for a place that doesn't pay you for doing your job?

I only clock out when I am totally finished and leaving the floor, I don't care what management says or thinks, its illegal and I won't do it

seems the hospital has 3 choices. 1) pay the ot 2)pay nurses a salary 3)intimidate nurses into aquiessing and forgoing what is legally due them

or,...4) add up all that over time,..use it to hire more staff and we can all leave on time as we would like to!!!

What would be the legal issues if something happened (a code maybe) and you performed any nursing while you were not clocked in? would you be covered by anyone's malpractice insurance? I think you need to be on the clock to be covered by the hospital's insurance

We have this, too. They had been putting papers in our mailboxes where we had to write reasons why we were past 7:30AM/PM. I always wrote, "NOT STAFFED PROPERLY OR ACCORDING TO ACUITY." For some reason I only got a couple of those!

Most nurses on my unit are there late. In fact, I do not understand how people get out on time and come to think of it, the ones that consistently leave on time hide to do their charting, do not answer phones or call-lights and make the PCTs do EVERYTHING. What good employees b/c they leave on time!! They are also the ones that you know do not chart properly, and take many "short-cuts."

I do not understand how management does not see if they would just staff accordingly they would SAVE money just from nurses leaving on time! I wouldn't stay a minute past if I didn't have to!

There are a few RNs that do clock out before they finish charting, giving report. I always "yell" at them about it...they are only causing more problems for all the RNs when they do that. If management doesn't want to staff properly, then they need to pay for it!!