How late after your shift do you stay at work?

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 7, 2017

The only time I clock out after my scheduled end of shift is when I'm actually doing work (like dealing with charting or similar activities) or giving report or being required to do some other activity. My employer hates paying overtime (like most) and hate paying "incremental" overtime when your activity at work keeps you just far enough past the end of shift that OT must be paid. Most of the time, once my scheduled end of shift time arrives, I clock out and I'm gone before the next minute rolls around.

Sour Lemon · Dec 8, 2017

Recently, my unit manager asked us all to write an email explaining why we are clocking out after our scheduled shift. This is to be done after every late clock out.
While I am a new RN, I have a feeling this issue is not limited to being a new grad learning time management. There are so many factors that affect whether or not I get out on time.
I'm curious, on average, how long after your shift do you stay, giving report, documenting, etc? What kind of circumstances get in the way of you clocking out on time? If you don't mind also sharing, how many years experience do you have in acute care?
I will share: I have six months exp.
Factors that affect me: interruptions during report, late admissions or discharges (6:30 or later), late med passes, having to complete documenting, giving report to multiple nurses, a generally hectic day, just to name a few...

It's rare for me to stay for more than 15 minutes past shift change and I often leave 10-15 minutes early when I'm giving back patients to the same nurse I got them from. My employer staffs well, though.

Make sure you stay clocked in while you're writing your report about why you're late ...and go ahead and add that to your list of reasons. Why do they think giving us more work makes us finish faster?

Purple_roses · Dec 8, 2017

I usually clock out on time. The latest I've ever clocked out is 30 minutes past my shift. Our ER isn't allowed to give us new admits close to shift change. I also work night shift, so I usually am not the one discharging patients. My unit's patient ratios are also pretty decent. When we're short staffed and the patient load is heavier, people tend to get out later but luckily this doesn't happen often.

7 mos experience.

MunoRN, RN · Dec 8, 2017

I will stay over for however long it takes to do report and do the charting that is legally required of me, which really isn't that much. Being in a no-mandatory-overtime state I am free to leave after that.

RNperdiem, RN · Dec 8, 2017

Have worked 20 years, most of it in ICU. The next shift comes on a little after 7. Unless everything falls apart, or I have a late admission, all the charting is done before report.

Report takes anywhere from 5 minutes (returning the same patients to the same nurse who gave me report and the shift was uneventful) to maybe 30 if there are interruptions and lots of details to go over.

On rare occasions I will stay later if a patient takes a serious turn for the worse during shift change. I will stay long enough to deal with doctors and interventions and have the patient more stable before I leave.

NuGuyNurse2b · Dec 8, 2017

My med surg unit was understaffed. no charting was done until end of shift. I usually stayed 1-2 hrs and rack up OT. Management obviously hated it, but with the revolving door of nurses, they couldn't do much about it.

FLnurse1127 · Dec 8, 2017

I work on very busy M/S floor with 5-6 patients. I can start my day with 6 patients and have a whole new 6 patients by the end of shift. On average though, I have 3 discharges and 3 new admissions per shift. I have been split between three hallways and have had to give report to 4 different nurses. These nurses are also getting report from other nurses so I have to wait for them to finish. On the extremely rare occasion where I have had 4 patients, I have never had to clock out late.

caliotter3 · Dec 8, 2017

I clearly remember the nurse who consistently came to work forty minutes late. If she was my relief, how was I supposed to leave on time?

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Dec 8, 2017

I leave typically close to being on time. You are punished if you clock out early.. It counts as a tardy (what sense does that make?) Sometimes I could leave 5-10 minutes early if it wasn't for that rule. Now if I get a late admission or have a crashing patient that is a different story. Then I try to stay and help out (depending of course who the oncoming nurse is).

There is a nurse that I work with who MILKS the clock. She often stays at least one hour after her shift to finish charting. She's been part of the team for years now. About a month ago she stayed nearly 6 hours after her shift ended to "finish" charting. Nothing is done to address that issue..

Guest716906 · Dec 8, 2017

My med surg unit was understaffed. no charting was done until end of shift. I usually stayed 1-2 hrs and rack up OT. Management obviously hated it, but with the revolving door of nurses, they couldn't do much about it.

I have worked 5 jobs in med surg tele. The jobs with staffing issues and sending too high acuity patients I always would leave late. 15min-30min-1hr. Some jobs if the staffing is good and patient a acuity is appropriate I leave on time.

Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP · Dec 8, 2017

Rarely later than 15 minutes. It depends on who I'm giving report to, and if I have to wait for them to get done with their other patient. We do bedside report in the MICU, and always do the first turn with the oncoming nurse, so if there's a poop situation that will delay things too. But for charting, almost never, unless it's been an astronomically bad day.