No Overtime

When you clock out, have your keys in your hands and may way to the front door...don't even think about looking back! If this is the new policy and EVERYBODY follows it, employers will soon mandate that you DO NOT clock out until you've completed all of the duties in which you were assigned for the shift.

Once 40 hours hit ask if the manager wants to take report to take over the assignment or approve your overtime. If a write up does occur, find another job and report the scum lords.

DO NOT do anything remotely patient care related (including charting) while off the clock. In addition to the political and professional reasons that have already been mentioned, there are numerous permutations of legal issues. For instance, even if you're just charting, you have a problem on your hands any time you're signing off or timing/dating or doing computerized time-stamped charting for a time/date you supposedly weren't there.

Then what happens when you're sitting there doing that and someone says "can you help me with ____ [name of pt], everyone is busy?" You'll feel guilty saying no, so you'll go do that, too. Now you're handling patient/residents while off the clock, which involves risk of injury or unforeseen event.

You're finishing charting and you see someone fall out of their wheelchair or start choking, or ______. Now you're involved in an "incident" while off the clock.

The phone rings and it's Dr. So-and-So, who needs to give an order for a patient. No he doesn't have time to wait on hold for anyone else. Now you're taking and transcribing phone orders when, according to your lovely employer, you weren't there.

It goes on and on. If these scenarios aren't applicable to your exact situation, imagine ones that are.

If they're gonna play hard ball, it'll probably get ugly. Don't be bullied into doing ANYTHING where you don't have a legal "leg to stand on", such as all the examples above, and more. When you clock out, you're done. I just can't emphasize it enough.

That illegal. I would follow the chain of command and voice your concerns about what is going on. If problem persists about the "No Overtime Rule" then I would quit the job and find something else. Or consider legal advice if you the time and money for it.

I am shocked because right now the LTCs in my area are so hard up for nurses that they know better than to pull that crap because even if your a new LPN, you can just walk right next door for another LTC job. I had a job that did this, I was a new LPN at the time so I did it anyways like you and I wish I had not. I would never do that now. Go get a new job, 33 patients is a lot, even for LTC, I never took more than 25.

Don't work off the clock. Hand off to the next nurse, and then clock out. Sorry that you are going through this. I hope it all gets worked out.

I agree with what others are saying about clocking out and leaving. However, just keep in mind when charting to prioritize your charting. There are some things that are not better left until the next day/shift so just keep that in mind.

I agree with what others are saying about clocking out and leaving. However, just keep in mind when charting to prioritize your charting. There are some things that are not better left until the next day/shift so just keep that in mind.

True, however this shouldn't be an issue for the OP since the facility is required to pay staff for their time.

OP as the others have said, the facility's "rule" is prohibited by the federal Dept of Labor. It is NOT optional -- they can either change the "rule" of their own volition, or they can be compelled by the government to change it. I'm guessing that changing the rule themselves is a much better option than dealing with the legal consequences.

Fact Sheet - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S. Department of Labor

Licensed practical nurses and other similar health care employees, however, generally do not qualify as exempt learned professionals, regardless of work experience and training, because possession of a specialized advanced academic degree is not a standard prerequisite for entry into such occupations, and are entitled to overtime pay.[/Quote] (this applies to RNs who are hourly paid as well -- this was just the first result that turned up, and it was contrasting the LPN law with the salaried RN law.)