HR's mistake hurt my paycheck

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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?

I was showing up as renewed right after I did it on a Wednesday morning. My shift did not start until Friday evening. I even notified my director once I'd renewed. There was no reason for me to be locked out of the system. I did my part before the deadline and with enough buisiness hours/days left that they should have been able to get it updated in the system.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

So you renewed with 48 hours until your next shift -- and I'm sure you've known for at least six weeks that your renewal was due. My state renews annually, and I get notified 6-8 weeks before my license expires. I'm sure you were notified, too. So why not renew right away and avoid all these issues? You were locked out of the system because you didn't renew in enough time for IT to stop the automatic lock-out that occurs when your license expires. Your head nurse has no ability to override that lock-out - it takes an IT person to do it.

The day before your license is due to expire IS the last minute. I'm sorry your paycheck is taking a ding, but it's not HR's mistake and it's not IT's mistake and it's not your manager's mistake. It's yours.

Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.

Yes leaving it to the second to last day of the month IS the last minute. These are the consequences of YOUR actions, not HR or anyone else. This is a lesson learned to not wait till the last minute.

no matter how irritated y'all want to get with the OP, she is within the law, she renewed, plenty of time for HR to deal, 2 plus days. she did her part, within the law, now it is her employers turn to do there part.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
no matter how irritated y'all want to get with the OP, she is within the law, she renewed, plenty of time for HR to deal, 2 plus days. she did her part, within the law, now it is her employers turn to do there part.

Two days isn't really enough time unless IT has enough staff to check DAILY for license renewals and update their lock-outs accordingly. It turned out NOT to be enough time at her facility. It's unfortunate that she raised a ruckus and initiated an investigation. I've seen nurses FIRED over situations like this. She missed a weekend of work, probably leaving her unit short staffed, for a licensing issue that she's had WEEKS to resolve. If I were her manager, (or if my manager was), she'd be getting disciplinary action.

If she'd renewed 6 weeks ago, and after multiple calls to the BON her license STILL didn't show up as current on their website, I'd have some sympathy. But right now . . . she just seems pretty cavilier about the whole issue. On my unit, she'd be sitting in the manager's office discussing whether or not she wanted to continue to work on the unit.

Two days isn't really enough time unless IT has enough staff to check DAILY for license renewals and update their lock-outs accordingly. It turned out NOT to be enough time at her facility. It's unfortunate that she raised a ruckus and initiated an investigation. I've seen nurses FIRED over situations like this. She missed a weekend of work, probably leaving her unit short staffed, for a licensing issue that she's had WEEKS to resolve. If I were her manager, (or if my manager was), she'd be getting disciplinary action.

If she'd renewed 6 weeks ago, and after multiple calls to the BON her license STILL didn't show up as current on their website, I'd have some sympathy. But right now . . . she just seems pretty cavilier about the whole issue. On my unit, she'd be sitting in the manager's office discussing whether or not she wanted to continue to work on the unit.

What a ridiculous statement. You are saying that a nurse should be reprimanded because her hospital's administrative side is inefficient, she gave them plenty of time in my opinion. IT should be checking every day for license renewals. I imagine all it takes from them is hitting a checkbox to stop someone being locked out of the system.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
What a ridiculous statement. You are saying that a nurse should be reprimanded because her hospital's administrative side is inefficient, she gave them plenty of time in my opinion. IT should be checking every day for license renewals. I imagine all it takes from them is hitting a checkbox to stop someone being locked out of the system.

My guess is that you aren't a nurse yet. And that the OP is a new nurse. You're both young and have much to learn.

This could all be avoided in some instances if the facility changes the way that they do things as far as "giving until the 31st of the month". They do NOT in fact give until the 31st, they must need "X" amount of business days in order to process the renewal from their end.

If you are a newer nurse, if this is your first renewal, or sometimes even one's second time renewing, sometimes if the job says by the 31st, there are some who will wait until the 31st, or the 30th. And in this instance, the OP learned the difficult way that this is misinformation.

The part of the post that sticks out for me is the increase in the "outscoring" of so many jobs. So instead of calling Suzy in HR and having her pop on the computer, verify the renewal, and punch in a code and one is all set, there is some sort of alternate process happening in a completely different site, by people who are contracted for IT/HR, who may or may not realize the importance of being timely--and what it costs a nurse and ultimately the facility sending nurses home.

We all live and learn. And as we learn, several weeks before a license is due to expire is a good time to renew. And to look at the rest of the expirations on any other various certifications--for instance, there are many facilities who no longer offer CPR to employees in full. It is computer learning on your own time, and setting up a practical portion at some obscure time/date (every 4th Thursday between 12-2 is a prime example)--and you can not work (at most facilities) without a current CPR, so plan accordingly.

If you live by your phone, be sure that you set up WAY ahead of time reminders so that you are compliant. If they SAY you have a month, give yourself another few weeks, or if you are an old fashioned person (which I am, alas HAHA) I have a date book.It is my bible and I have everything in it. Copy it to one's computer is also a good thought.

OP, you could argue that they said the 31st and you did your thing on the 30th. They may want to change the way they do things, if they mean "at least 14 business days prior the the 31st." Which would make more sense. Now you know. And I am betting you will not make that same choice again in the future. Because at the end of the day, a person sitting at a desk 5 states over, or in most instances another country, could care less if you are misinformed regarding dates of renewal. They get to you when they get to you. What will be interesting is how HR decides to explain it as far as "giving you until the 31st", which is not entirely correct.

What Ruby Vee said is not so much opinion, but FACT. I've seen nurses in trouble/fired for this as well. The OP would probably face disciplinary action with my manager, as well.

I was taught 20 some years ago to send in the renewal the minute you get the notice in the mail. If it gets lost in the mail, or something goes wrong, it won't be the BON that takes the hit. You will take the hit. Some employers still want a paper copy of the license.

This is the first year I've been able to renew online in my state, and my employer still needs a copy of the actual license.

Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
My guess is that you aren't a nurse yet. And that the OP is a new nurse. You're both young and have much to learn.

Well, I'm not young and I'm not a new nurse, and I think what happened to the OP sucks. She renewed it within the guidelines of the law and hospital policy. HR screwed up. It sucks. Sorry, OP. :(

Specializes in Education.

Yes, it should be amazingly easy for somebody in IT to jump online each morning and check for license renewals. However, it isn't. My husband is in IT, and he laughed when I asked him if he - or anybody else in his department - would have the time to do something like that on a daily basis. And the IT department he works for is rather large in comparison to equivalent locations. I know other IT departments that are so short-staffed, you're lucky to get a response that day based on your complaint.

And, when you're outsourcing things to a third party? You aren't the only place outsourcing to them. That makes it even less likely that you'll get a prompt response.

Yes, OP, you renewed your license with a few minutes to spare, and ended up getting dinged for it. Should you be paid for those six hours you worked? Yes. You worked. But for the hours that you didn't work, I agree that you shouldn't be getting paid.

Long story short, take this as a learning moment to not leave this to the last minute in the future.

Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Still curious as to how OP managed to safely work 6 hours without accessing the computer. Apparently she "viewed" charts at the beginning of shift via the outgoing nurse's log-on. I don't know about anyone else, but my memory isn't good enough to take report and work for 6 hours without at least refreshing my memory, let alone get some basic charting done.

However, that's definitely beside the point.

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