Magnet and nursing mandation

[PAMaleRN]

Bear with me, this is my first post! I was always told that "real magnet hospitals don't mandate!" Our hospital is in the process of applying for Magnet status and we are being told that we need to eliminate mandation entirely. We only have a 6% RN vacancy rate which I believe is very low. We use very limited traveler agencies, offer very lucrative "voluntary overtime incentives" but still end up mandating to cover last minute call ins or emergencies. What are other hospitals doing to eliminate mandation or do you still have mandation and hide it by calling it something else?

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Our hospital does not mandate overtime, ever. We have a voluntary on-call system, that many part-time and PRN employees (myself included) like to participate in, since you can get overtime pay for whatever hours you work when called in. Enough people are willing to take call that mandatory overtime is unnecessary. We also maintain a large pool of unit-specific PRN employees who fill-in gaps on the schedule and pick up shifts when full-timers need a day off. It works well for us.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I am not sure if mandation has been eliminated in my hospital because I work in a clinic. I would say not totally, because here in the clinic, the late nurses must remain until the last patient has been seen. That, to me, is a mandation. However, we are also applying for magnet and they are mandating us to come in one hour early and remain at least one hour after the clinic is over each day to review magnet material. It is such a joke to me; they are taking sucking up to a new level. They are coming to visit us on 9/5-7 and I can't wait for it to be over and while it may sound cold, I can care less if we get it or not.

[blackIrish]

I used to work in a Magnet Hospital with a GREAT reputation. Someone would get mandated once a week on the 22 bed unit I worked on. We also had pretty unsafe nurse: pt. ratios, IMO. But that's another thread.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

There WAS a hospital I worked at that didn't mandate- the managers had to come in and work if they couldn't cover holes. Staffing was in their job description so it was their problem. Imagine.

[CITCAT]

In reponse to the magnet hospitals and patient ratios, thus once again nurses get the gold encrsuted s--------- because they choose not to unionize and stand up for there rights for safe patient care and quality in my humble opinion,i think it time for change, nurses do have the leverage,to create the change working with state and federal governments to create across the board patient/nurse ratio ,changing antiquatted nursing law my state nursing boards may also be the answer, Its up to you to make the change talk is cheap actions speak louder than words but plan carefully so you precious nurses dont get the shaft. This is just my humble opinion .

[actioncat]

I worked for a magnet and union facility. We had mandation.

[llg, PhD, RN]

My hospital tries to minimize mandatory overtime, but still has some ...

In addition to maintaining a large PRN staff and offering incentives for people to sign up for the volutanry call schedule, we maintain a large "float pool" of nurses who are paid well and have more flexibility in their schedules. They have their own department and a few are scheduled to work each shift. When they come into work, they don't know on which unit they will be working (which is why they are well compensated). The Supervisor assigns them to the unit that needs the help the most. They are experienced nurses with enough expertise to work on many different units. It's a nice solution for many of our staffing issues -- but, of course, it can't fill 100% of the holes.

[Agnus]

I have worked at 6 different hospitals no where where we ever mandated. Magnet status or not. No we were not mandated and calling it something else. I would not work where there was mandating.

This trick is hire enough RNs to cover contingincies. Give them enough hours so they do not walk while waiting to be called. If you staff adequately to begin with this becomes a moot point.

My current hospital automatically give a $50 bonus (with the employer paying the tax so you get the full $50) for EVERY 4 HOURS that you work that you are not normally scheduled for.

I have yet to see them not find someone to come in and work volunteerly.

No one is ever guilted into working over. They simply ask and thank you regardless of how you respond and move on to the next person.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

been there done that yo ho ho and a bottle of rum