Late nights at doctor's office

[ShiphrahPuah]

I am wondering how many other clinic nurses end up working late nights. I left the hospital so I could have more work/life balance and work 8-5. I worked for a really great clinic for a few years where the nurses each had one late night (until about 6:30) but usually worked until 5 or 5:30 the rest of the week.

Then I took a job MUCH closer to home in family practice office where I was told the hours were 8-5 with one or two nights per week until 6, but reality is that we usually stay until 7:30 to 8:30 pm most nights. The schedule is always so overbooked that even when the docs are only scheduled until 5, they are not done seeing patients until about 7:00. THEN they get to answering their phone messages, and we have to stay until everyone is called with reponses. With these hours, I might as well work 12 hour shifts in the hospital and make more pay and only work 3 days per week instead of 5.

I am thinking of trying to get back into my previous clinic where I usually got out at 5:00, but I hate leaving a job when I have only been there for a few months (the employees who have been there a long time say it has always been like this).

I was wondering if any other clinic nurses are experiencing neverending hours -- I don't see this complaint very often. Since I have only worked in 2 clinics since leaving the hospital, I don't know if I was just extremely lucky with the first one or if these hours at the second one are pure insanity. I want to be home in the evenings with my kids.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I used to work with a wonderful doc who would take tons of time when needed with patients and that happened frequently.

Maybe you could adjust your shifts to 4 10 hour ones or something. I knew I was never going to change this doc so I made sure we never had clinic on friday afternoons - with his happy agreement.

[g8sushma, ASN, BSN, MSN]

I have this problem with one of the doctors i work with i need to find a way to figure out how to get this stopped it is not fair to me or the patients he is always running late and the patients harrass me and the front desk.

[HippyDippyLPN]

We have three late nights at our clinic that go till about 9 pm. We each take one night a week. But we do not go in that day till 1 pm and we get another half day off the next day so from 8 to 12. Our hours are 8 to 5 but there are times we may be there till 6 on a non designated late night. This does not happen too often although we rarely get off at 5, more like 5:20 - 5:30. We have 3 MD's but only one is constantly late because he is well liked and due the shortage of PCP's in our area, we are always swamped! But we are well staffed so we never go over 40 hours, if we get to 40 on a friday before the day is over our boss will send us home early which I like.

As far as the md messages we only see to the urgent ones which the mark in the EHR before we leave. everything else stays till the next day.

[HippyDippyLPN]

we run into the pt's getting mad about wait times with our popular MD as well. but he spends a lot of time with each pt, making sure all their concerns are addressed. The pts know he is always behind its nothing new so we dont offer up any explanations honestly, they like that he is so thorough so while they may complain we know they will come back or they can switch to another MD in the practice that is more timely

[Becca_Anne]

I work 4 10 hr shifts 8-6:30, and these do run over. The latest I ever worked was 10pm but all of our clinics had been closed the day before and we had a huge backlog of labs and phone calls to wade through. Most nights I am heading home by 7pm. I love working 4 days and having regular hours, holidays and weekends with my family. Wouldn't trade that for anything!

[bubblejet50]

My ob doctor is like that! She is so popular that I have literay been seen at 6pm when my appt was at 3. I was not happy waiting THAT long (usual wait time is 1 hour after your scheduled appt) but I felt bad for her and the staff who still had quite a few patients left after me.

[kirschbalb]

I am just wondering if you are paid overtime if you stay beyond your schedule? Thanks for the input because I am considering office job. Thank you.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

I am just wondering if you are paid overtime if you stay beyond your schedule? Thanks for the input because I am considering office job. Thank you.

Unless one is a manager, or other exempt status, that person must be paid for all hours worked. At what point it becomes overtime depends on applicable labor law

[JZ_RN]

Not a chance in he-double hockeysticks I'd stay late. I am supposed to according to the other nurses who all leave 15 minutes before closing, but it's not in my contract, and I told the new manager that I already work 2 hours longer a day then I am paid and I'm not going to do any more free overtime. If they gave me a 12k raise to spend all those extra hours at work I'd say okay, as then i'd be making the same as the nurses who put in non-regular hours, since my time is valuable!

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Well this occured often in the physician's office I worked previously. They ALWAYS were behind. Oh yea and I had to find a way to prevent O/T or I would be written up.. It was so unfair.. I couldn't help it when they ran behind. Glad to be through with that constant stress.