Forced overtime

U.S.A. Massachusetts

Published

Specializes in Case management, hospice.

Hi, can anyone tell me if this is legal. I work in Home Health. A case manager, Monday thru Friday 7 to 430. We are short handed and don't have an on call night nurse right now. So we, the day nurses, are forced to take the call shifts. So this means we work all day till 430, then start the call shift at 430 until 730 the following morning. Then begin our next day shift until 430. It works out to be a 36 hr shift. Non stop. We are at home while on call, but at times we are also out seeing patients all night. The last 36hr shift I did, I only got 3 hrs if sleep.I know Massachusetts changed the laws for forced overtime, but does this apply to on call?

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Specializes in Pedi.

Being on-call is not the same thing as mandatory overtime.

I also work as a Case Manager in Home Health... I don't take call but we never go out in the middle of the night to see patients. What is going on that you need to be out all night?

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Specializes in Case management, hospice.

Mostly the hospice patients with issues or death pronouncements. I rarely will go out for regular home care patients.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Aahhh... ok, well hospice is a whole 'nother beast from what I know about it. Do you work 7 days on/7 days off like some other hospice nurses? Massachusetts technically requires 24 hrs of rest every 7 days but I don't know if there are certain positions this doesn't apply to.

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Specializes in Case management, hospice.

No, I do mon thru Fri, 730 to 430. Then the couple on call shifts each week. Just hate it! And when we have a bad night on call we still have to do our shift the next day. Ugg.

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