contracts

[kidzcare]

I have asked this before but thought I'd try again....

This is a contract year for my district and I'm wondering if you guys can tell me what is in your contracts that is "nurse specific" or otherwise relevant to what we do daily?

I was thinking of it while reading the lunch break thread. I have read some contracts of other local schools and read something along the lines of this (for teachers, but could be reworded for nurses)

"The rate for teachers who lose their lunch or preparation period due to internal substitution or other assigned duties will be as follows: 30 minutes or less $16.00 31 to 45 minutes $24.00 46 to 60 minutes $32.00"

I'm open to anything you think is pertinent!

[OldDude]

We do not have a teacher's union so we are offered individual contracts on a yearly basis. Mine is "broadly" nurse specific but there is always the phrase, "and other duties as assigned."

[kidzcare]

We do not have a teacher's union so we are offered individual contracts on a yearly basis. Mine is "broadly" nurse specific but there is always the phrase, "and other duties as assigned."

That's what really chaps my @ss. My district has 7 schools, my school and one other are significantly larger than the other schools and far, far more duties are delegated to us that to the nurses at the other schools, simply because there is so much happening at the schools. There is no additional compensation for that, though it eats up a significant portion of my time and energy while I'm being paid at the same rate as the nurse's who are not doing these things.

[Farawyn]

"chaps my @ass"!

Bwhahahaha!

[SassyTachyRN]

We have a teachers union and a nurses union. I don't have "additional duties." I'm a nurse and nurse only. 😄

[RatherBHiking, BSN, RN]

Our contact is very basic stating our position, year, pay, etc. for duties assigned to our position which is outlined elsewhere. It does say other duties as asssigned somewhere but I'm rarely asked to do other things except maybe cover for the secretary when she's out to lunch at one school. We don't get compensated for missing lunch so that's nice some do. I do get annoyed that "professional staff" which includes teachers and nurses are to be provided a 30 min duty free lunch and a 30 min planning period yet most nurses get neither and no one cares. One school years ago I did ask staff to not send any students the last half hour of the day unless emergency for my "planning period" to get caught up on paperwork, immunizations, etc and they actually listened! They also started covering my lunch. I did have to threaten to call the union but whatever works! I think we as nurses are so used to working the hospital before this job where we literally don't have time to eat (even though they will pay us for that) and so when we do get busy at this job we forget that most of the stuff is not life and death and can either wait or be handled by someone else! However, for this low pay I want and expect to have a lunch break!

[SassyTachyRN]

Our contact is very basic stating our position, year, pay, etc. for duties assigned to our position which is outlined elsewhere. It does say other duties as asssigned somewhere but I'm rarely asked to do other things except maybe cover for the secretary when she's out to lunch at one school. We don't get compensated for missing lunch so that's nice some do. I do get annoyed that "professional staff" which includes teachers and nurses are to be provided a 30 min duty free lunch and a 30 min planning period yet most nurses get neither and no one cares. One school years ago I did ask staff to not send any students the last half hour of the day unless emergency for my "planning period" to get caught up on paperwork, immunizations, etc and they actually listened! They also started covering my lunch. I did have to threaten to call the union but whatever works! I think we as nurses are so used to working the hospital before this job where we literally don't have time to eat (even though they will pay us for that) and so when we do get busy at this job we forget that most of the stuff is not life and death and can either wait or be handled by someone else! However, for this low pay I want and expect to have a lunch break!

You are so right! I have pretty good people who are good about covering my lunches. I'm also supposed to get that "plan period" every day but since that doesn't happen and my supervisor is aware of this, we are allowed to leave our schools on Fridays after lunch, and go to a centralized location and keep on call until dismissal. This allows us time to get all those things done like paperwork type things. Of course, there are busier times of years than others and sometimes you don't need to take that time, or sometimes the clinic just doesn't allow you to get away. Friday afternoons once a month are also our district nurse meetings and also the days our various nursing committees meet, so school staff is pretty used to us utilizing our plan time on Friday afternoons.