Told "No WAY I could claim overtime tonight"

[steelydanfan]

OK. so here is one for the ages. I was working on my unit. Newly opened this AM, staffed with 2 RN'S, a preceptor, a HUC, an NA and the charge RN. 6 transfers, 3 admits from ER. At 10:00, we are told that the HUC is gone as of 1200. We are still expecting 3 transfers as of 1200, as well as 2 new admissions.. Long story short, I have 5 pt's , 2 I am settling at 1 pm, a VERY slow charge nurse who can't seem to get a grip on new orders, charts flying everywhere. At 3 pm, we are told that the NA is to leave. she quickly does 4pm VS for us. DID SHE CHART THEM? She never bothered to give ME a final report!

And of course the Manager who decided that this was ok, was out the door at 4:30!

So, I finally got to sit down at 6:40 to do my final charting, 10 minutes tops, then another 5 to give my late meds that Pharm had forgotten to send despite 2 calls and a computer message. OBTW, this also includes doing the NA's final charting as well, the ADL's, the I/O's etc.

Wrong! Family intervention, then a late pain med call, than a BR call at 1900. I give report, than try to sit and make

final entries. The charge nurse than comes over and tells me "You absolutley cannot have overtime". I tell her that I will clock out when I am done. She restates her case. I tell her again that I will clock out upon completion of my shift.

If I get called on this, it will be because I did not leave tasks for the next shift. Yeah, I hung an antibiotic that was ALREADY 2 hours late. I guess I should'nt be concerned with pt. drug blood levels if it costs the hospital 12 dollars. Even if I knew that if I left it, it would not get hung for 1 additional hour. I guess it's not important that those 15 OT minutes were about a pt. who needed to use the BR at 1900, and there was no NA to send. I guess I should have ignored her, because it took 15 minutes? And let her get out of bed by herself and probably fall?

"Excellent customer service". Yeah, as long as it doesn't cost us money.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the general discussion forum

[caliotter3]

My home care client decided to poop at shift change, while I was repositioning him. The Mom gave no indication that she didn't expect me to do the cleaning. I knew I couldn't just walk out. I finished, and then when I informed the agency, of course, I did the extra work for free. It is always that way. I'm fed up with working for nothing. I didn't tell the patient to wait until shift change to poop.

[Bella'sMyBaby]

I would have "delegated" my duties to that "Charge Nurse" to prevent any Overtime.....

[Old.Timer]

I know many will disagree, but even though they both qualify as "overtime", I view them differently and would be okay with letting the home care one slide as just unlucky timing. In the case where the facility is trying to save every last penny , I would demand all that I am legally entitiled to.

[wound warrier]

Our facility did the same thing with overtime, we were told there would be no overtime paid for the 1st half hour. Someone got smart and contacted lawyers, and the facility was found guilty. Facility had to go back a # of years and pay out the overtime to those that were affected.

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

You must not be a unionized facility. If you have a contract, overtime should be covered, and how to file a grievance as well. I would not go without the OT for what you just described, and although our facility likes to keep OT to a minimum, this is an instance where it would be approved without a second thought.

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

Thing is though, managers and charge nurses will walk and squawk every chance they get about OT, but nothing really is done about it. I'm on a unit that is littered with nurses who boldly state they will take their time with things and if they have to stay late to chart..........."Good, my OT will cost them as much as having the proper staffing in the first place would have cost them." These people are called into the office on a weekly basis and.............well, two years later they are still there singing the same mantra "I'll take however long my duties require, I'm not rushing so some administrator's son can get through college without loans or some manager can buy a new car."

If you are good at tuning out the "We can not have OT" comments and dirty looks, nothing will come of it. Just keep taking however long it takes to get things done.

[pinksugar]

If there is no way that I can get overtime then there is no way I am working it. Problem solved. I work for pay.