The BON gives us until the last day of the expiration month to renew our license. I renewed my RN license on the morning of 30th and checked to make sure I was showing on the Board's site as renewed. I was. I printed out the receipt and notified my director.
Two days later, I went to clock in for my 7p weekend night shift. The clock let me clock in. I went to the unit, took report (viewing computer chart data via the off-going nurse's log-in), and started caring for my patients. Later, when I finally had occasion to log-on, the computer wouldn't let me in.
The IT folks said I was locked out because of an expired license and that the only one who had the authority to change it was HR.
My clinical mgr. was as caught off guard as I. She'd already verified my renewal and, obviously, let me come to work. By the time she checked with the director and arranged for someone to take my assignment, and I gave report, it was after midnight. I'd worked roughly 6 hours. I was sent home for the weekend until HR could straighten things out.
Apparently our HR uses a 'third party' to handle much of it's processes, this included. I told my director I wanted to be paid not only for the time I worked but also for the time I missed due to the error--someone else's error, not mine.
Result: They are 'investigating it.'
Has anyone else had this happen to them?
What was the outcome?
Are there any laws that govern this, or are we at the mercy of company policy?
HR made an error. whether we want to admit it or not. she obeyed the law, her employer is not above the law.
You waited until the last minute to renew and now you are upset because this happened? Seriously? You know basically 2 years in advance of when you need to renew. It's not like it jumped out from the shadows on the 29th.
Sorry, suck it up and learn to stop putting important things off until the last minute.
Btw: HR's mistake didn't hurt your paycheck. You did.
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
In Illinois, every license expires at the same time (based on discipline). We use online verification and this year RN licenses expired midnight Saturday May 31. Always frustrating when some people wait till the last minute. Especially when all they have to do is renew online, and they're done.
My rule was if you didn't show up as verified on the website by noon on Friday, you would be cancelled. No receipts for payment, no printouts, they have to show up as renwed on the state site. I wasn't going to scramble to cover a sudden staffing need on the weekend.
However, I do think this needs to be handled by the manager, not by HR, not by IT. That would have avoided the creation of an unnecessary staffing hole.
So, if the 31' was on a sunday, and the website worked 24/7; you would actually prevent a licensed nurse from working the w/e?iQUOTE=MrChicagoRN;8062954]In Illinois, every license expires at the same time (based on discipline). We use online verification and this year RN licenses expired midnight Saturday May 31. Always frustrating when some people wait till the last minute. Especially when all they have to do is renew online, and they're done.
My rule was if you didn't show up as verified on the website by noon on Friday, you would be cancelled. No receipts for payment, no printouts, they have to show up as renwed on the state site. I wasn't going to scramble to cover a sudden staffing need on the weekend.
However, I do think this needs to be handled by the manager, not by HR, not by IT. That would have avoided the creation of an unnecessary staffing hole.
I'd like to know how the OP worked for 6 hrs unable to access her patient's charts?
If she paid/renewed her license on the 30th, a Friday at the last minute, and HR left early on that Friday, it's easy to see what happened. Also, maybe a little punitive action by HR for last minute activity.
Either way, I don't think HR, or any other supervisor did anything wrong, as long as the OP is paid for the 6 hrs she was at work.
I don't want to pile on the OP, since I'm notorious for last minute hysterics myself. So I won't.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
My nursing license enables me to earn the funds to pay for shelter, food, clothing, education, and the rest of life's necessities and comforts. Since my license is my livelihood, I always pay the renewal fees several weeks before they are due so I can keep working without interruptions.
One coworker allowed her license to lapse for a month. She said she did not have the money for the $67 renewal fee, yet her Samsung smartphone cost nearly $400, the cell/data plan cost nearly $70/month, she frequently ate out, donned expensive hair styles, and smoked a pack a day of Marlboro Lights at $6/pack ($180/month smoking habit).
By the time she was caught up on the renewal, another nurse had been hired into her coveted weekend double Baylor position.
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
Even if the manager "stood up" for her she still didn't have chart access and undoubtedly the IT folks have strict policy and procedure to follow and can't just "take the word" of the manager.
i have always renewed mine the first day I am eligible to just so I don't have to fret about it. Hopefully this is a firm "never again" life lesson for the OP. I would be pretty floored if she gets paid for time lost. It is an unfortunate but entirely preventable chain of events.
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
So, if the 31' was on a sunday, and the website worked 24/7; you would actually prevent a licensed nurse from working the w/e
Absolutely. Our nurses are given plenty of reminders and are informed ahead of time of the consequences. Before online primary license verification was CMS/TJC approved you had to produce the actual physical state license to show legal compliance. Nurses used to drive to Springfield in order to beat the deadline because they waited so long. Now it's an easy online renewal.
While the website may be available 24/7, I have no reason to expect that our state employees are going to be verifying eligibility and entering it on the weekend. These are professionals and need to be accountable for themselves. House managers are too busy to be spending their weekend deciding who needs to be suspended and also trying to find replacements.
Or, are you ok working short staffed because your coworker couldn't find 5 minutes in the previous 2 months to renew his/her license?
BTW, I had zero suspensions. My units were fully staffed, and my patients were well cared for.
For one, I didn't wait until the last minute. I renewed on the 30th of a 31-day month, and more than 48 hours before my next shift. I was unaware that HR was now outsourcing to a third party.
As far as my manager not fixing it, HR is the only one with the authority to do so. And THAT, in my opionion, is the problem. They should give the OA the authority after hours and on weekends if the nurse can prove she's renewed.
elkpark
14,633 Posts
This kind of situation happening is a chance you take when you wait until the last minute to renew. Lesson learned, I hope.