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.
Oh and to anyone wondering how they would accuse you of theft- they CAN prosecute you for it. And also deny you unemployment also. I know someone in a nother setting( not healthcare) that had taken a piece of small machinery or something from the GARBAGE outside, and was accused of theft. They were throwing the item out!!!!! NEVER trust your employer.
let's bring it a step further shall we? how 'bout ect? bilateral lobes, 5x/wk x 8 wks.
let the labor board get wind of this...copy of the policy mailed anonymously ????
interesting there isn't anything written. perhaps the attendants of the meeting, could ask for the 'mins' of the meeting, or a written copy of it? i'd be interested to hear their response.
tell them if they dont want you working late, hire more nurses. see what their smug arrogant ass will say to that.
that'd be awesome to witness. unfortunately, there are nurses who just cannot afford to lose a job.
good for you and other nurses who are standing up for themselves.
again, i'm pretty sure more would stand up for themselves, if they could afford to lose their job. it's a abhorrent situation and i'd like to hang them by their... nevermind that. but for those who are stuck working for that facility, i'd suggest keeping a journal for yourself, of all adverse events, verbal threats, whatever you deem relevant...do not stay later w/o compensation. put everything in writing. and if you are terminated for whatever illegal reason, maybe consider filing a class suit by all affected employees. either way, get a lawyer for yourself. you can't afford not to.
op, along with the link for dol, i'm sending you a link for dept of health. they're the agency who oversees ltc. take a peek at the page i'm sending you. lots of contacts there.
Just a suggestion: I would write down everything that you do for a day and how long it took to prove that you have to stay over to complete everything. That way they can see what you do and you can see what you do and that could prove that you have to stay to finish everything. It also could help in some time management too. We had to do this once.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
ROTFLMAO.....:hhmth:!!!!!! What an A-hole!!!! I want whatever he's smoking!
Seriously, they can't do that....If it's not in writing it isn't policy. I'd start carrying a little digital recorder when such outrageous things are being said.......Let them fire you and tell unemployment why you got fired......I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.
I'd also look into a complaint with the NLRB for unfair work practice and intimidation/threats at work.
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!!!
Exactly! I see more and more posts about this treatment and it's spilling out into other types of nursing including hospital, etc. We can't work over 40hrs, so they cut us off at 36 if we're lucky. I don't work LTC either. Corporate is so far removed from medicine it's insane! It's about crunching numbers, how many nurses for how many patients for how many cares, blah, blah, blah. Instead of how many does it take to give EXCELLENT care?! It just amazes me how a pencil pusher in another state makes such awful decisions and then has the b*lls to sit in front of you and TELL YOU this is best way to do things.
Do you clock out for your lunch? Do you get a lunch each and every day? If you don't do you fill out a "no lunch" form and get credited? If not that's THEFT!!! And many, many places have been in big trouble for it! I'd be watching that. Where I am you have no good excuse for turning in a lunch form...they get ticked off and begrudgingly credit you the lunch and then "warn" you to get one every day. Uh yea...that works. It's to the point that many people just keep quiet if they didn't get a lunch because the hassle is not worth it. I am owed the lunch or the credit...so I speak up.
We just need to rise up and unite and stop all of this crappola! It's gettin' O*L*D!
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.
Not tying to hijack your thread, but I too, have had a lot of different jobs and I find you are exactly right. Nurses allow themselves to be abused way more than other groups of workers do. I am always shocked by how acceptable it is to nurses. You go ahead and turn your notice in! Show that kid of yours mooma doesn't put up with stuff!
You peeps are keeping me up tonight, God bless you! My hubby is even riled up about this one. Document, document, document! Oh, make sure it's on your "free time" though! :)
The OP is good reason for all of us to stay awake at night!
This sort of s**t will sort a precedence throughout all of nursing. If everything the OP said is true, and her coworkers don't protest or organize against the CEO's unethical and illegal practices, other areas in the nursing profession will see that the bullying is effective. They may adopt the same practices then before we know it, it will be standard throughout our profession in all facilities We will have nobody to blame except for OURSELVES!
Think about this.
The time to stop the abuse of all nurses is before it even starts.
So the nightmare will get worse.... Corporate is coming by tomorrow! One of their "reasons" is they want to find out why "so many" of our residents get sent to the hosptial....let's see, on the LTC side, it is either a trip to the hospital or a trip to the morgue.....two ways to leave the facility! Our most recent transfers are those with significant co-morbidities who will NEVER get better, but the family leaves them "full code", so when gramps or grandma start to tank, we have to send them to the hospital. (Where the majority pass away.) Then there are those who stay in the hospital for so long, we don't know if they are coming back!
Guess that is just another thing they want to pin on the nurses.
Put in my notice today. I would rather be unemployed than put up with this place....and YUCK, I have to go to work tomorrow with that circus going on!
:mad:
It's to the point that many people just keep quiet if they didn't get a lunch because the hassle is not worth it. I am owed the lunch or the credit...so I speak up. 
martymoose, BSN, RN
1,946 Posts
as one of the other posters put it, I'd rather go live in a cardboard box under a bridge than to have that kind of crap hang over my head every day.
Mr CEO- YOU can go F8&*&^* yourself!!!!!!!!!
To the OP- I hope and wish you are all in a position to have a mass exodus. There MR CEO, now you have no one working for youu , you piece of shirt.