Not allowed to SIT during 12 hour shift and MORE

Specialties Med-Surg

Published

I have had it.

On the premise that we must get our scores up, we are now given assigned charting times, one time per shift , must chart in a break room (this never works because our assigned charting times are when our patients are needing help, getting new admits, others are at lunch, etc.). We are not allowed to sit down to chart at the station at any time. We are told to "Get up and get moving" if we do sit down and chart. If we are sitting, we are told that it is "percieved" that we are not doing anything. So we are totally on our feet for 12 hours and then end up staying over to chart. We are not allowed to manage our own time and chart when we have the opportunity to. If another nurse, lab tech, or RT or someone stops and communicates with us about our pt. at the nurses station, we are told to get moving, we are being "percieved" as not doing anything. I am fed up with not being allowed to do my job. The last few days would have been really good days at work. But this situation ruined them. I am so angry and frustrated. I have already turned in my notice and others will soon follow. They will be losing good nurses. No efforts to communicate the level of stress that these rules are adding to the job are listened to. So, "percieve this"...I am outa here.

And if my next job is like this, I will be gone from there too! I WILL NOT be treated like a child any longer. I am an educated professional and I take great care of my patients. I am done with the scripts, being told when to sit or stand, and all the other garbage that does not help patients or employees. And I mean, DONE.

Had to vent.:mad:

Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.

So as not to be dispensing legal advice....I will just say what I might do in that situation. Since I have some low back pain and my ankles swell quite a bit (it is okay for a while as long as I keep moving and don't stand in one spot, but I need periodic "sitting" to take the pressure off the lower back and alleviate the pain). Typically, I find that I can do my job without any problem with very short periods of sitting...it doesn't take long. I would get my MD to document these things, along with a note that says that I need periodic rest times (in which I can do charting, in case anyone wanted to complain that I could not do my job), and then MOST IMPORTANTLY I would ask for rest periods under the "reasonable accomodation" clause of the ADA. Periodic sitting for 3-5 minutes at a time would certainly be considered a "reasonable" accomodation. Then, if they did not wish to allow the periodic sitting breaks, hence I was denied reasonable accomodation under the ADA, I would REPORT them to the EEOC and let them know that I was doing it by cc'ing my letter to human resources. Then they could answer the questions posed by the EEOC. This is not to say that they could not come up with some other reason for termination, but I would still have a case with the EEOC. Just thinkin' what I would do...

Specializes in Med-Surg; Telemetry; School Nurse pk-8.
Can see your frustration here; this kind of stuff could only work if the patients' time is similarly regulated: Rooms 203-212; toileting only between 9 and 9:30; no longer than 6 minutes in the bathroom please. Call lights only to be used every 2 hours, from the hour to 20 min after...please save requests for PRN medication until scheduled RN rounds and 15 min per day will be allotted for answering family questions on a first come first served basis.

:lol2::lol2::lol2: Nice!

That sounds like it would go against labor laws! Good luck on your next job, & hopefully your former job will change their ways when they see that they can't keep nurses.

Specializes in med/surg, ob/gyn, CM.

Just to let everyone know, I am 2 months into my new job, learning new things, and SITTING DOWN TO CHART. I am glad I made the change. From what I hear, things are pretty much the same at my old place of employment. And I am not sorry I left. I took a pay cut to leave, and I am not sorry about that either. Some things are more important than money. I did have a dream a few nights ago that my old manager offered me tons of money to come back, and I just smiled and said "No thanks". Feels good to know I made the best decision for me.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Good to hear it worked out for the best, katieusa. You can't put a price on peace of mind, that's for sure.:)

QUOTE=♪♫ in my ♥;4125426]Abusive workplace practices are precisely what engendered the unions in the first place... and stories like this show why they're still relevant.

What's happened is that management in general is taking full advantage of the weakening of unions in healthcare because they apparently no longer fear the unions will come in and organize as they tried at my hospital in the seventies. If they aren't afraid, they stop treating people well. What a betrayal.

That is absolutely ridiculous. If I am a patient being taken care of by a nurse who isnt even allowed to sit down to write a nurse I am concerned. Good luck to you and I hope this place gets it together quick!

Specializes in CTICU.

I can't believe ALL the nurses employed there didn't walk [out!] when this ridiculous rule was introduced. I mean, I don't know how I would physically keep from laughing in the face of someone who told me I could not sit to write my notes.

If only nurses would stick together [like doctors do], think what they could achieve.

I have had it.

On the premise that we must get our scores up, we are now given assigned charting times, one time per shift , must chart in a break room (this never works because our assigned charting times are when our patients are needing help, getting new admits, others are at lunch, etc.). We are not allowed to sit down to chart at the station at any time. We are told to "Get up and get moving" if we do sit down and chart. If we are sitting, we are told that it is "percieved" that we are not doing anything. So we are totally on our feet for 12 hours and then end up staying over to chart. We are not allowed to manage our own time and chart when we have the opportunity to. If another nurse, lab tech, or RT or someone stops and communicates with us about our pt. at the nurses station, we are told to get moving, we are being "percieved" as not doing anything. I am fed up with not being allowed to do my job. The last few days would have been really good days at work. But this situation ruined them. I am so angry and frustrated. I have already turned in my notice and others will soon follow. They will be losing good nurses. No efforts to communicate the level of stress that these rules are adding to the job are listened to. So, "percieve this"...I am outa here.

And if my next job is like this, I will be gone from there too! I WILL NOT be treated like a child any longer. I am an educated professional and I take great care of my patients. I am done with the scripts, being told when to sit or stand, and all the other garbage that does not help patients or employees. And I mean, DONE.

Had to vent.:mad:

We are dealing with the exact same situation where I work. Perhaps you left the same stinking place I work at even. I don't see how this can be even legal!!! In the midst of the storm, it sure doesnt feel like there is any ray of hope at all, no life preserver in sight:crying2:

We have only one hospital in our area. We live in a rural area. The hospital is notoriously bad for patient care and treatment of their employees. They also have the no sitting policy. We went there for clinicals a couple of months ago and there is no resting whatsoever. When the girls (and some guys) got caught up on their work, they just kind of stood around in the halls or snuck into patient rooms to sit. The charting is computerized AND the charting computers are either mounted on the wall (at standing height) or are mounted on stands (at standing height) so the charting is done standing up as well.

I just thought it was absolutely ridiculous that the employees are expected to stand for a 12.5 hour shift and never sit down to rest their legs, feet, and backs.

This particular hospital also utilizes employee "spies" for things like hand washing. Of course hand washing is of the utmost importance but I have heard so many stories of these "spies" falsely reporting their co-workers whom they didn't like. I know of a couple who were actually fired based on one person's word even when other employees vouched for them.

The whole situation is bizarre.

I would really like to know where this place is.....I would almost swear it is the very place I work at! What can we do to defend ourselves?

Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.

No way, would I keep a job like that.

12 hours is too long.

Alternative: Get a physician's note requiring your employer to allow you to sit part of the shift...I seriously doubt if you would have trouble finding out.

katie,for the life of me i cannot find a way to respond to your message, it tells me i dont have the priveledge or something like that....i even thought i would be a genious and send a separate email to you, or message, text or whatev, but nope,that doesnt work for me either.....at any rate, the answer is no, im not in alabama

Specializes in med/surg, ob/gyn, CM.

Not the same place then, :). I did leave that job, however. It is such a shame because it was a great place to work until HCAHPS and everything is what the patient "perceives" (even though they are sick and drugged most of the time!!!). I am currently at a hospital that works on perception but goes about it in a totally different way, that doesn't make the employee feel like the enemy. If the employees are being mistreated to supposedly get better HCAHP scores, then that hospital is all about the money and not about the relationships. Better off leaving that behind...because sometimes the grass really is greener.

+ Add a Comment