Overtime - When do you do it?

Nurses General Nursing

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Overtime - when do you do it?

There is no mandatory overtime in my town, but everyone I know does work overtime RNs,LPNs, and CNAs.

When you answer the phone, how do you decide whether or not to work?

Specializes in ER.

Chatty- tell them to go straight to H-E- double- hockey- sticks.

You shouldn't have to justify why you can't, you have a life. If they don't have a life they can stay, and welcome to it.

I had never heard of MOT until I came to the USA and still don't get how nurses can swallow such crap. Just say no, what are they going to do? This is the time to put your feet down as they are likely short of nurses and jeopardize themselves by losing another one.

Just watch, once one person has the guts then the others will follow.

I work overtime from the minute my contract hours are up. The NHS has this time honoured system of " time owing " where if you work more than your contracted hours, the unit " owes " them to you till you can take them back in "Extra" time off! I like to point out that if we are so busy/ short staffed that I work extra hours, then A) They can pay overtime, since they obviously couldn't find anyone else, and B) If we are so busy, etc. when will the time be available for me to take back my time owed?

Mandatory overtime is unheard of in the NHS. It seems to be a device for poor management to cover insufficient staffing levels.

Specializes in LTC, MDS/careplans, Unit Manager.

Canoehead...I work at the VA...ie....FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!!! I was not aware of this mandatory thing until AFTER I was hired!!! Also...there is a union there and I believe this MOT was negotiated through them. When you work any type of overtime, your name goes in a book. When there is a call in, they go to the book and they go down the list until it is determined which person will be mandated. This is all fine and good except, there are people that volunteer to work ALOT of overtime so they get to put their name in the book too...therefore when it comes time to be mandated they rarely have to. This is one of the many reasons I am looking for a new job. Some day I will find my "dream job". Hey...I think I feel a new thread coming on!!!

Shari

We do not have mandatory overtime. If I'm asked to stay over or work extra, I say yes if feel like it and no if I don't feel like it. I used to feel guilty about saying no but Idon't feel guilty any more. Sometimes I feel they would work me 24/7 if I'd let them. I work 7A-7P and already more that pull my weight. I need the time off.

Just remember when you are feeling guilty about saying no"

Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

AMEN!!

Is mandatory OT still time and 1/2?? And...when a nurse works three twelve hour shifts are the last four hours overtime of time and 1/2 each day? Thanks!

Time and 1/2 applies to anything worked over 40 hours. At least that is how it works where I am.

We do not have mandatory OT either. I occasionaly sign up for an extra shift, but otherwise I just let my answering machine and caller ID screen my calls. The one thing that really pi**es me off when there is a hole in the schedule and it has been known for 3 weeks! Our schedule is usually posted for a month at a time. The administration doesn't even look at the schedule for the whole month, just the next shift! I figure if they don't have enough common sense to at least try and fill the holes before the 11th hour, it is not my problem. Of course though, those are the times I can negotiate for another day off that I really need!!! ;)

Where I work, OT is anything over 40 hours or over your usual shift.

For instance, I normally work 12's, so anything over 12 is OT. If you are classified as an 8 hour person, anything over 8 would be OT.

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