does anyone else get this at their job? I mean, for the most part depending on how your night/day went you would clock out right about on time or a little/waaay past it if you had a grueling shift. BUT!! what if now you receive a memo about all nurses, not just you must clock ou tor are ENCOURAGED to clock out at eight am/pm because accruable OT is too expensive and being busy that shift is not an excuse. TOP that with being told that having not complied with this matter you will get reprimanded. Hell, some nurses I have wokred with started clocking out at 8AM and going back to finish off charting and even report at times just so they wont get written up. Mind you we do have small forms that we can present to state why we are late clocking out etc which in turn has to be approved by the manager and supervisor, but with the staffing issues at our hospital of 3:1 AVERAGE IN ICU and even worse on the floors (we're not union) that has been recently brought forth our clock out times on average has been 30 minutes -1 hour from the set standard. Anyways, just wanted to pose that in the event the hospital fires or forces nurses to clock out on time secondary to an ultimatum is that illegal? this is for the state of NJ.
I am a new grad and I do come in early to read charts before I clock in, and sometimes stay after I clock out to finish up what I couldn't finish during the shift. I only clock out before finishing if what I am finishing is regular charting I know I should have been able to do during the shift. If something happens, like a discharge right at shift change, I stay clocked in. I don't feel my employer is taking advantage of me. I come in early and stay after for my own peace of mind. I am still struggling with getting organized and learning time management. I am getting better, but it will be a while before I am up to speed. I work on a busy, fast, surg/tele unit. The staff are very supportive, as is management. When I truly "get it", I think I will be able to get my job done on time most of the time. And if I can't because of hospital issues (as opposed to my own time management issues), I will stay clocked in every time.
But for now, I need the extra time. Not for management, for me. I need to read up on the pts so I don't get overwhelmed. So I know what's going on. So I can get better at being a nurse. I WILL get there, but it is taking some extra time in the charts. I am giving myself that extra time because I know I need it and I deserve to have it.
Now, when I am an experienced nurse and I am working hard and I feel they are trying to squeeze too much work out of me, I will not put up with that. But for right now, I feel like I am still in school and I do what I did in school when I had a hard class. I spend more time studying and figuring things out. But they are not asking me to do that. I am doing it on my own. I guess that is the reason I don't feel bullied.
Emma "can't wait to be bored" Peel
...I think you should really think about this. You ARE still learning lots of the ropes of nursing; you ARE an employee and should be clocked in, imo. Your supervisor should take it into consideration that you are new to nursing and may need extra time to chart properly, etc. Management needs to see and feel reality.
...when someone does work off the clock, it gives a false impression that all is well on your floor; plus as mentioned before, there are legalities to consider.
...sure there will be people who seem to always be ahead of the shift; but you deal with YOUR patients that YOU are responsible for: meds; treatments; progress; blood sugars; whatever. And it is YOUR license; so don't waste time, while on the clock but don't feel pressured into clocking out and finishing ANYTHING. You don't want to find out later it wasn't legal/acceptable/etc.
Specializes in Acute, long-term, home and hospice care,.
OK I guess that I may be alone on this one but here goes... Just remember that their are two sides to every story but I am on the other side of the over time situation:saint:. You see, I am one of the people that get the overtime list and nasty e-mails from the corporate office when the nursing budget is over time.
If every nurse stays one or two hours overtime each night, do you know how many extra staff you could add to each shift with their overtime?
Sorry.. but Nurses need to hold the nurse that is signing off to you that they have done their job and they need to be ready to give you your shift report when you come in. I work with a lot of nurses that are very poor planners and they wait til the end of the shift to chart instead of doing it while they work. They bring in their breakfast and sit down to eat before they write the CNA's assignments. They are text mess their friends.. I can go on.
While I work with some nurse that are wonderful, I also supervise some that are easy distracted:bugeyes:. They dont ask for help when they fall behide.
When I worked for an Nursing Agency, you were paid only for 8 hours and if you were not done, you didnt get paid. I was always done.
Come on, you know that you have worked with nurses that are just slow workers some even goofed off! Perhaps that environment is not for them.
I know that this may not be the popular thought, there is a method to the madness.
I don't think it is ever fair to not pay someone when they are working. Addressing the quality/quantity of work while on the clock is fine. Plus, like almost everyone else has said, it is illegal to have a policy to not pay for work that was done outside the expected time frame.
Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.
I think management turns a blind eye to shortcuts to keep within budget constraints as long as no one raises a stink... if you don't see it, it doesn't exist. But the minute one of those shortcuts results in a problem, time management isn't a consideration anymore. It can't be both ways.
"If every nurse stays one or two hours overtime each night, do you know how many extra staff you could add to each shift with their overtime?
Sorry.. but Nurses need to hold the nurse that is signing off to you that they have done their job and they need to be ready to give you your shift report when you come in. I work with a lot of nurses that are very poor planners and they wait til the end of the shift to chart instead of doing it while they work. They bring in their breakfast and sit down to eat before they write the CNA's assignments. They are text mess their friends.. I can go on.
While I work with some nurse that are wonderful, I also supervise some that are easy distracted. They dont ask for help when they fall behide.
When I worked for an Nursing Agency, you were paid only for 8 hours and if you were not done, you didnt get paid. I was always done.
Come on, you know that you have worked with nurses that are just slow workers some even goofed off! Perhaps that environment is not for them."
So, Dialysis, what do you think is the ratio of lazy nurses to greedy employers?
Does corporate know what constitutes good nursing practice? And budgets... well, they are arbitrary, abstract, and profit-driven... but a sick person is not abstract standard unit. "I'm sorry, you only recieve $0.47 worth of butt-wiping today. You've already had your alotment... If nothing else, remember that you are building the healthcare system that you will spend your own old age in.
It saddens me that it only takes a few bucks and a title to make some nurses betray others.
I wish you happiness, prosperity, and courage to find what is important and stand by it.
I hope by the end of your life, you can look back with real pride at what you've done.
I feel like it is my fault if I am not done. I also have an undisclosed disability that makes me slower than the average person and am not sure what to do about it
I feel like it is my fault if I am not done. I also have an undisclosed disability that makes me slower than the average person and am not sure what to do about it
Does your employer know about your diability? There has to be reasonable accomodations for employees who have diabilities that may affect performance.
No I have not disclosed it. I have kept it hidden for years and I have attempted to compensate for it. I have only recently discovered through research that My inability to manage time and organize is another part of my disability. I always thought it was my fault and I have not had any medical treatment or therapy since I had corrective surgery to correct my physical defects. Therefore, I am not sure what to do now. I am going to try to talk my family doctor but she is not always receptive. Idon't want to say anything since I have no proof. My childhood record were sealed when my physician died and I am not sure that the hospital that did my assessments and surgery at age 9 would still have any info.
psalm, RN
1,263 Posts
...I think you should really think about this. You ARE still learning lots of the ropes of nursing; you ARE an employee and should be clocked in, imo. Your supervisor should take it into consideration that you are new to nursing and may need extra time to chart properly, etc. Management needs to see and feel reality.
...when someone does work off the clock, it gives a false impression that all is well on your floor; plus as mentioned before, there are legalities to consider.
...sure there will be people who seem to always be ahead of the shift; but you deal with YOUR patients that YOU are responsible for: meds; treatments; progress; blood sugars; whatever. And it is YOUR license; so don't waste time, while on the clock but don't feel pressured into clocking out and finishing ANYTHING. You don't want to find out later it wasn't legal/acceptable/etc.