Favorite saying of my friend from NS. We were both vets and older students....
I got a he// to the NO moment today. Our CEO has decided that NO nurse will work more than 8 hours on the clock (and policy forbids working off the clock). We were told that effective today, anyone working "unapproved OT" will be CHARGED WITH THEFT!
I know of one nurse that put in her two weeks notice at the end of the meeting. I am in my first 3 month probationary period.....and not sure I will go back on Monday. Aside from the patient load, documentation (charting), processing new orders that came in during the 2nd med pass (meaning you can't get to them until end of shift)....etc....we were also told that when there is only one RN in the building, SHE is responsible for anything that happens in the facility, including the acute/sub-acute side - where we did not "accept" those patients nor do we know anything about them. We don't go to that section during shift. We now must also be able to say what room our CNAs are in at a given moment (good luck with that).
During the meeting, the acute side's ADON suggested that since it is our license on the line, we would be wise to clock out and still do documentation (all the while saying the the DON, sitting at the head of the table, 'isn't hearing this'...). I mentioned that if something then happened to us, while off the clock, the facility would then say we were violating corporate policy and we would not be covered!
Sorry folks, we need to stand up to this. I WILL NOT do this. I don't work for free. I will not leave my life, safety, or license on the line for this.
Charge you with theft how? The police? First of all, I don't see a cop wanting to write a ticket like this. And if they do, you have a right to your day in court. At that point, I would contact the media and invite them to do a story on it. I think your hospital would be very embarrassed with an article like this in the paper. Especially if you use the "key words" in your trial, like, "I had to stay late to ensure patient safety," or "for the comfort of the patient, I did A, B, and C, towards the end of my shift and ended up clocking out late." Can you imagine any judge, especially one who has ever been in the hospital or had a loved one in the hospital, finding you guilty for doing things that promote patient safety and comfort? The very things that are a part of our job description.
Another reasong I don't plan to return to hospital nursing, unless absolutely, we can't eat if I don't.....Hang in there.
I don't think this is a hospital....it sounds like some sort of LTC with an acute/subcute rehab side..she mentioned only having 1 RN in the building....that wouldn't be a hospital....also NO acute care hospital would EVER send out a policy like that ...they would have their credentials yanked in a minute.
It is a LTAC. I am looking for a hospital job. This place is insane!
As a veteran, I have learned that I can put up with a lot of sh*t. As a single mom of 5 for years, I learned that I would do whatever it takes. In IT, I always stayed until the job was done.....was wakened in the middle of the night to fix a problem, but I was ALWAYS paid for my effort. NEVER was I chastised for doing the best job I could!!!!!
I have worked in state and federal government, telecommunications, the beverage industry, a medical book wholesaler, railroad company, grocery chains, and the automotive industry. Nurses, this is not how business treats its employees even in right to work states. From what I can see, it appears that hospitals have 'abused' nurses since time immemorial(from posts on this site). I am not a union fan because it ended up where unions became the problem. But, this type of crap is why unions were formed in the first place!!!
As I said to my coworkers last night.....if we ALL put in our notice, they will realize that they crossed a line they never should have. If the workers follow this policy, it will get worse and their licenses and safety are on the line.
I, for one, would rather be unemployed without benefits than to allow myself to be abused like this.
I would be SO tempted to have another job lined up on the back burner and go in with a "try me" attitude...but I'm one of those outspoken troublemaker types. :)
Seriously, I'd be strongly considering going to the facility's accrediting agency, corporate, and local/state gov't about this one. It's so wrong on so many levels that I really don't think any amount of reaction would be over the line.
That's crazy!!!! No job should treat an employee like that. Nurses take so much crap! We need to start sticking up for what's right, stop being wimps and crying about "I need my job". We all need are jobs but we also need respect. Jobs that are mostly populated by men would NEVER tolerate such behavior.
:mad:
Gold_SJ
159 Posts
XD Funny.