New graduate mandated overtime in supervisor position

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as a new graduate, i am happy in my current position in ltc as a staff rn on the 3-11 shift. however, i have been mandated to work as shift supervisor on the 11-7 shift x2 when the 3-11 supervisor left to go home and the on call management personnel did not come in. on both occasions i had worked the 3-11 shifts beforehand. therefore, mandating required me to be up more than 24 hours by the completion of the 11-7 shift. i never was oriented or trained to this position nor do i feel that i have the practical experience to handle any extreme emergency that may develop without some training. i was told by the 3-11 supervisor who was going home that if i left it would be considered job abandonment. there was another nurse on duty on the 3-11 shift who has worked as supervisor. she, for some reason, was allowed the option to choose to go home. i have the sense that the requirement was only the rn that follows my name. this was spoken out loud to me by an incoming lpn who supposedly repeated what a supervisor had said. at some point, with proper training and orientation, i might consider such a position. at this time, however, i have concerns. what can i do to handle this situation in the future as a pattern seems to be developing?

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I would run very far away from this place - FAST!!! It is one thing to be mandated (and it absolutely sucks!) but how can you be mandated for a position that you weren't even hired or trained for?

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
as a new graduate

run quiverfull08 run...while you still have license

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as a new graduate, i am happy in my current position in ltc as a staff rn on the 3-11 shift. however, i have been mandated to work as shift supervisor on the 11-7 shift x2 when the 3-11 supervisor left to go home and the on call management personnel did not come in. on both occasions i had worked the 3-11 shifts beforehand. therefore, mandating required me to be up more than 24 hours by the completion of the 11-7 shift. i never was oriented or trained to this position nor do i feel that i have the practical experience to handle any extreme emergency that may develop without some training. i was told by the 3-11 supervisor who was going home that if i left it would be considered job abandonment. there was another nurse on duty on the 3-11 shift who has worked as supervisor. she, for some reason, was allowed the option to choose to go home. i have the sense that the requirement was only the rn that follows my name. this was spoken out loud to me by an incoming lpn who supposedly repeated what a supervisor had said. at some point, with proper training and orientation, i might consider such a position. at this time, however, i have concerns. what can i do to handle this situation in the future as a pattern seems to be developing?

quiverfull08,

the other posters who replied gave you the best advice. you are being used in the worst possible way. i wish i could honestly tell you that this is unusual...but it's not.

this exact scenario happened to me three times as a new grad working acute med/surg/ortho. night charge called in and i was mandated to stay on and act as charge for the 11-7 shift. besides being exhausted and in need of sleep.

i had no charge or supervisory training, had only been with the hospital for 4 months and i wasn't yet up to speed with the computer system for order entry. in addition to charge duties of admission and order entry, i also had to carry my usual load of 7 to 8 pts. the first time i was forced to be charge i gave myself a lighter load of 6 pts.

when the nm came in the next morning all fresh from a good night's sleep, she called me into her office, not to thank me....she called me in for a meeting to "clarify" that the charge rn isn't allowed to take a lighter load.

i later realized that the hospital would not have backed me had something bad happened on the three nights i coerced into covering in a supervisory role for which i had now training. i'm just grateful that none of the pts were harmed, because i was clearly unqualified to run the unit.

please protect your hard earned license. that ltc sounds horrible.

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quiverfull08,

The other posters who replied gave you the best advice. You are being used in the worst possible way. I wish I could honestly tell you that this is unusual...but it's not.

This exact scenario happened to me three times as a new grad working acute med/surg/ortho. Night charge called in and I was mandated to stay on and act as charge for the 11-7 shift. Besides being exhausted and in need of sleep.

I had no charge or supervisory training, had only been with the hospital for 4 months and I wasn't yet up to speed with the computer system for order entry. In addition to charge duties of admission and order entry, I also had to carry my usual load of 7 to 8 pts. The first time I was forced to be charge I gave myself a lighter load of 6 pts.

When the NM came in the next morning all fresh from a good night's sleep, she called me into her office, not to thank me....She called me in for a meeting to "clarify" that the charge RN isn't allowed to take a lighter load.

I'd have been hard-pressed not to use her to mop up the floor. I hope you reminded her that you were new, not oriented, and exhausted - and then resigned.
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