ddunnrn

Are you salaried or paid hourly? If you are not exempt from overtime, then you have to be paid for all hours you work, which includes having to stay in the office for "emergencies" during your break. You must a completely relieved of all duties not to be considered on the employer's time

Federal labor law states that, unless you are exempt from overtime, which is very unlikely, any hours more than 40 in any given 7 day period must be paid overtime. The pay period dates do not matter, but many employers try to get over on employees who don't know the law. If you have worked 8 days straight of 8 hours, at least 16 of those hours must be overtime, regardless of where the pay period boundaries are. Google federal labor laws and download the rules regarding wat is paid time, overtime, on call time, etc. I always kept a copy handy when my employers tried to deny me proper pay. They really don't want the Feds involved, because they will check every employee's pay retroactive for several years to find violations, if they get involved.

I worked night shift, in psych, for about 25 years. The pattern I eventually developed, especially if I did any OT, was to get as many errands done (grocery shopping, post office, etc.) on the way home. Wind down and eat a light meal, then get about 4-5 hours sleep, up for a while, then brief power nap before work. Several caveats: I'm basically single, no family to consider at home; live in big city where errands are close together and commute us short. And I can usually fall asleep on a moment's notice. The most important of these steps for me was the nap right before going to work. PS I forgot to mention I only did 8 hr shifts unless I did OT. If I had more than 2days off at a time due to holiday or vacation time, I usually spent the first day "recuperating". Good luck!!

Best thing my Psych instructor ever taught us was "never let the patient get between you and the door", which meant to always have an escape route in mind when dealing with Psych patients. This came in handy numerous times in my 25+ years as a Psych RN, and I've regretted every time I failed to listen to my inner voice and not followed this precept. i only wish my instructors had taught us how to deal with co-workers and management, who really were more problematic than almost ant patient I ever had.

Very interesting topic--Personally, I prefer to be called by my first name, because being called "Mr. D---" makes me feel like an older coot than I already am. Having been in psych nursing, I usually didn't wear uniforms, so I would get called "Doc" a lot, especially if I happened to wear a white lab jacket. Correcting the misnomer became futile, so I eventuall gave up trying. The only name that every really tickled me was used by some of my older patients--"Male Nurse". "Male Nurse! Male Nurse! Are you a male nurse??" "Well, I tried out for Female Nurse, but I couldn't pass the physical."

I agree with Davey Do (who is obviously also a genius since his initials are DD like mine) that psych nurses get stereotyped as " not real nurses", etc. I have almost 30 years psych nursing experience, all in psych, in a variety of settings. The thing I most,liked about it is that you can use all of your life's experience to help your patients--if you know music or art or sports, etc., that will be a bridge to help you connect with someone. The other thing I learned very early on is that being a normal, functioning human being yourself is the most important part of the therapeutic experience you help to provide. Your "book learning" theory is just icing on the cake. Trust your intuition, make safety your #1 priority, and you'll be fine. There are lots of different ways to be a psych nurse, from correctional nursing D&A, grief counseling, et al. Good luck!!

I can only tell you from personal experience that being in a union can protect you and your coworkers from the whims of management. Without a union, you can be fired or disciplined without much recourse, because the grievance process, if there is one, is stacked in favor of the employer. I have been involved in situations where a person brought a problem to management's attention, and they were the ones disciplined, while the problematic staff were not. Sometimes management wants to get rid of problems as quickly as possible, rather than to actually confront the causes, and innocent nurses can get caught in the crossfire. At least with a union, you will have someone to defend you. In my case, my Union had to fight for years until my employer finally fulfilled the terms of a financial settlement. I was appalled at the "dirty tricks" that the management stooped to to delay and obfuscate the outcome. Nonetheless, I hope you have a more rewarding experience.

I'm just curious--what is the purpose of a mission statement? Back in the '90's they were popular at a hospital I worked at. They even laminated ours and made us carry it with us as part of our uniforms. To me, it was just another useless and clueless distraction from the fact that staffing was inadequate, that we sorely needed a nurses' union, and that management was trying to delude us into thinking that they were really going to act according to the all-hallowed "mission". Spending so much time on something with little or no usefulness seems like a waste of time to me, but that's why I'm asking.

I agree with the poster who suggested Ebola, but it would refine it to deal with how nurses can educate the public regarding hysteria over unrealistic fears of epidemics (whipped up by media, in part). Another topic in the public eye is the rise of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks like measles and whooping cough as a result of anti-vaccine misinformation hysteria. Good luck!

According to federal labor law you cannot "donate" that time to your employer. All time worked must be paid for. They are in violation of the law for allowing you to do it. They would also be justified in firing you, especially if one of your coworkers reported the situation. Your employer would not risk the fines and back pay they would be assessed if the Feds were made aware.

Thanks for the citation. I actually printed the whole shebang out from the web and posted it on my employer's bulletin board. When I later referred to it, they thought that they had posted it. The employer can fire you for being "off the clock" but they can't not pay you for that time. Over the years I've heard the Feds > go after employer violators, to the point of going back 3 years on EVERY employee's time.

Don't know I'd it's benn mentioned here by others, but my all-time favorite, as a psych nurse is "hound dog" instead of Haldol or haloperidol. Although it's not a mispronunciation, I also got a kick whenever my psych patients would scream, "I want my PLACEBO" at the top of their lungs, obviously not having a clue what it was.

Labor law is very clear--any work you do for employer must be paid for. That includes answering the phone during your "lunch break", coming in during off hours for disciplinary actions or in services, et al. Over the years I've had to remind various employers of this, and when they realize they are exposed to massive back OT payments, they enforce the law strictly. I worked at a major teaching hospital a while back that installed turnstyles with ID card readers for clocking in and out. That lasted 1 day, because they realized they would have to pay everyone by what the in/out times were, including the time they used to get "free" when people would stay to finish charting and whatnot "off the clock". There is no such thing as working "off the clock"

1. Confer with your union, if you have one. Management pranks like this are a prime reason to be unionized. 2. Some states outlaw mandatory OT for healthcare workers except in dire emergencies. Call outs and bad staffing are not dire emergencies, but mismanagement. Good luck!!

I had a slightly different experience when I was a psych nurse in the Philly jail system. I wore casual clothes so I had no obvious signs of being a nurse. Newer patients or other inmates would almost always call me "Doc", assuming a male must be a doctor. I got tired of trying to correct them politely, so I eventually gave up. I guess there are worse things they could have called me!