lrhicp

That is overboard. I agree, white scrubs are white scrubs. The hair and nails bit...who has the time!

I don't think it is ever fair to not pay someone when they are working. Addressing the quality/quantity of work while on the clock is fine. Plus, like almost everyone else has said, it is illegal to have a policy to not pay for work that was done outside the expected time frame.

You are right, it is the NM fault.

There are a number of staff/patient ratio matrix systems out there, but each facility needs to adjust them to fit their own staffing patterns

You'll get there.

Having been on both sides of this (staff and manager) I get it. Your employer is legally obligated to pay you for any and all time worked. You should not be clocking out and going back to work, that leaves you in a legal dilemma (notes say your there, the clock says your not). From the managers perspective they budget for "x" amount of hours based on adjusted patient data. Assuming your nurse:patient ratio is safe (compared to nationally excepted standards) then perhaps as a group the staff can address some of the concerns and make suggestions on how to improve the work flow. I suggest that you take a long hard look at your time usage while you are working and ask yourself if you are, in fact, working to your full capacity. Reading scrub catalogs, checking your personal email, or spending 15 minutes after report complaining about assignments may be the extra 1/2 hour your needing at the end of your shift. I have not worked in a single institution where everyone worked all the time (myself included). Overtime, unless necessary, can kill an nursing unit's budget and your manager has nothing to go back to admin with unless the unit is truly working as effeciently as it should be. Plus, in some states (mine included) "mandatory overtime" bills have made this issue even harder for employers.

um..yeah.. wear a bra...that goes for guys with breasts too!

I personally feel that as we progress towards other professions vewing nursing as a profession, not mandating continuing education would only be to our detriment.