mandatory overtime

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a staff development instructor. I am very concern over the subject of mandatory overtime for nurses. Do you feel that mandatory overtime is an acceptable way of dealing with the nursing shortage? I would appreciate your comment and suggestions for resolving this crisis.

Management goes home on time... I want (and deserve) to as well. That's not to say that I WON'T work OT when certain situations arise... but I insist that it be MY decision.

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James is right. MOT is the surest way to drive nurses away from the bedside. MOT and chronic understaffing were the main reasons I left bedside nursing.

Patty, if you have the power to help decide these issues for your institution, then I urge you to find another solution to your staffing problems.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
originally posted by catlady

i would refuse to work in a place that had mandatory overtime. if everyone else refused, the issue would go away. you can't mandate staff you don't have.

ditto, ditto, ditto! :p

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No more ot for me. Not for anything short of a disaster. I put in over 110 hours in 6 days/nights last June. I didn't get paid overtime. In fact, the office manager was hateful when I gave her my hours. She wanted a detailed outline of what I did and when.

I had been paid time and 1/2 before when ot turned in.

I was not in a management, hire/fire type position.

When I miss 2 hours or so, it was deducted from my income.

I was not salaried. I was not considered "exempt", that is until this happened. Now, correct me if wrong, but you can't be exempt one week and nonexempt the next.

But, I had to work in order to get ready for CLIA, and no one else would do it.

I didn't get the money, I didn't get a thank you for getting a perfect score from CLIA. The manager got paid overtime that week though.

HMMMM.

The previous statements are right on target. YOU and YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS should come first. If you don't take care of yourself, nobody else will. They will suck the life right out of ya.

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Specializes in Leadership/Critical Care/Surgery/Seniors.

For those of you who work in an ICU where MOT is illegal....how does the facility cope when you aren't able to get enough nurses on a shift to look after the patients? Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that MOT is at all right. Just interested in how you as staff nurses/management cope. Do you close beds? Transfer patients? Work short/unsafe?

We have had very little MOT where I work, and it is VERY unpleasant when it happens. I think our unions are working toward banning MOT as well.

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There are different shades of OT.

By making nurses stay beyond their designated shifts is suicide. If one is scheduled for an 8 hour shift, they should be out in a reasonable time frame.

You could always try voluntary OT, but of course the catch is obvious. Someone who works 32 hours dont get time and a half until above 40 so what is the incentive to do it...and then if you changed it so that anyone who worked any hours over their scheduled work week ( if 32 hour a week person, then hour 33 would be time and half) they would get time and half then you would have your 40 hour people going to 32 hours so they would get time and a half for doing the 40 hours they are already doing.

But you would reap the benefit of your 32 hour people giving you more time.

Paying people extra money if they work over their scheduled time is nice, (getting paid time and half for any hours worked over 8 or 12 depending on what your shift is), but guess what if you are going to pay me time and a half after my 12 hour shift to hang around and chart.......and not have a pt load (because I have already given report to the next nurse)...there is some extra bucks for me and I dont need to come in and work another shift.

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I think mandatory overtime is wrong. What a sure fire way to increase the nursing shortage and steer people away from becoming a nurse.

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Specializes in Leadership/Critical Care/Surgery/Seniors.

PhantomRN,

The way the OT works here for our unionized nurses is pretty fair. ALL nurses - whether FT or PT get 22 scheduled days of rest in 6 weeks. A PT'er is able to pick up (at straight time) if they choose, on one of their off days, so long as they still have the 22 days off. Once they have used up all their extra days, anything over and above is OT.

Interestingly, many PT'ers are upset with this new clause in the contract because they want to pick up more. When giving staff more shifts, the less OT the better as far as management is concerned.

However, if a PT'er is called in on their scheduled day of rest, it is automatically OT.

This system helps to keep the PT people from being abused, and ensures they get the same benefits of OT as FT people.

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Personally I think any hours worked over the part timers regular hours should be OT. If they want parttimers to work as full timers do then they should hire them as full time (with the benefits that go with it).

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I would refuse to work MOT...if they fired me, who cares? It isn't worth it.

I have occasionally worked OT - but it was my choice.

If they took that choice away from me, I'd be out the door.

There are better ways to solve staffing problems, starting with administrators treating nurses like professionals, and as humans.

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Originally posted by Brownms46

Just the other nite...I worked with a wonderful nurse who had never worked in a hospital before ...and had no experience on Telemetry at all! I also worked with a NA who had NO formal training... at all ! In the past this would have never happened on any hospital unit...let alone telemetry! I hesititant to even think about what I will find working tonite!:o

Just before I left the nursing home, I had a very nice agency nurse come to work on my floor. I did my best to help her out, but it was clear she had no experience in pushing a med cart down the floor. When I mentioned it to the ADNS, she snapped, "She came from home care. They have to learn somewhere." No, they have to learn by taking a staff position and orienting, not by signing up for agency work, getting premium pay, and getting thrown into a situation where they have no clue and a high probability of not getting any orientation. When I did agency and travel nursing, you had to have experience before you could work in a clinical area. Now, I guess you just have to have a license.

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Originally posted by fergus51

Personally I think any hours worked over the part timers regular hours should be OT. If they want parttimers to work as full timers do then they should hire them as full time (with the benefits that go with it).

Well said fergus! I'm scheduled 2 days a week, but I always pick up at least one extra, ON MY TERMS. I hate it when my supervisor acts as if I'm obligated to pick up. SHe's called me at home before, "I see you haven't picked up any time this week, I thought I'd call so we could schedule you for something". HA! I didn't pick up any time that week for spite!

If you want me here more, contract me for more! (But that would mean they pay out more for bennies - OH NO!)

I also wouldn't work any place with MOT.

Heather

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