Mandatory overtime and volunteer overtime?

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · Mar 17, 2014

That's going to change widely depending in your state and where you work. I'm in PA. When I worked an a subpar LTC facility mandation occurred about 3-4 times a week on the 3-11 shift. We would rotate who would be made to stay. You could move yourself to the bottom of the rotation list by volunteering to stay. I moved to a better facility and never knew of any mandatory overtime for the entire three years I was there. My present job is PRN so I'm free to get overtime, or not. Some states regulate overtime and mandation. In pa I cannot work more than 16 hours in a 24 hour period,except in periods of declared emergency, and facilities are not permitted to use mandation to cover routine schedule openings.

MedChica · Mar 18, 2014

Mandatory OT? I don't know that world.

Where I work, management would birth live cows in the middle of the facility if we stay 15 minutes past.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Mar 18, 2014

A company tried mandating me once. It was during a snow storm. They were putting the DON, ADON, and unit charges at a local hotel. The rest of us were SOL. I was the only Nurse who didn't have next shifts Nurse show ( even though she lived 3 blocks away ). I said if the unit charges were already there then one needed to stay to cover the patients for me.. DON agreed and I drove home. Where I work now they hate OT, they want absolutely none from anyone for any reason.

Jessmarie002 · Mar 19, 2014

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing

NurseQT · Mar 27, 2014

I think it's going to depend on the facility you work for as well... Some facilities have mandatory OT and call times, some do not.. Some facilities consider any time over 8 hours as OT, other facilities only consider any time over 40 hours/week or 80/payperiod as OT. I have never worked in a facility that had mandatory OT, and I don't think I would want to either! Of course with healthcare funding cuts I think many facility administrators will demand no OT from their hourly wage staff. I'm surprised I haven't heard of facilities going to salaried floor nurses!