Someone has to stay!!!!!

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I work in a large hospital. Many times we are short staffed. Sometimes it is due to lack of staff even scheduled other times due to call offs. How does your hospital handle this? Usually about 5 times a week someone is made to stay under the threat of patient abadonment or no threat even required. Most people work 12.5 hour shifts so that means 16.5 hours of working, possibly already short. I know we have a law against being mandated in our state but the hospital doesn't seem to care at all. what is the punishment for them, if any ? this facility is the biggest in the area and the company controls almost all other hospitals in about a 150mile radius. stirring trouble or not being a "team player" is not worth the ability to leave when scheduled to leave. some people are very very receptive to being mandated and don't seem to care, just see it as their "nurse duty". some are very agaisnt it and confrontational with management when it happens. i don't know what the point of this rant is , aside from a vent and for perspective on what goes on in other hospitals. i mean we can't work THAT short, so how is it dealt with in other places?

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

When we are left short staffed our steps go like this:

1. Call other similar units to see if they have an extra nurse who can float

2. Call per diem employees

3. Call part time employees

4. Call full time employees and offer overtime

5. If no one can be found, call the nurse manager to see what she wants to do before mandating overtime.

We also just recently opened a few positions that are "on call" positions. These staff members have to give five days of availability per week and they can be called up to two hours before the shift and asked to come in. This is a great way to fill last minute needs in the schedule.

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You know, I don't mind staying extra when something unexpected comes up. People get sick, accidents happen and stuff like that. Can't be helped.

What frosts my buns, is when I'm being given the guilt trip because the person in charge of scheduling screwed up or always does a p*** poor job making sure of coverage.

What?? Because YOU screwed up, I have to stay?

Noooooooooooooooooooooo.

Seriously, I don't make their staffing problems my own.

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Just from reading posts over time on this board. Don't you all know that short staffing, or, "not being able to get anyone" is done on purpose?!

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Just from reading posts over time on this board. Don't you all know that short staffing, or, "not being able to get anyone" is done on purpose?!

Ha!

What's funny is the schedule coordinators swear up and down left and right that they "called everybody" and are "desperate"...

But everyone you know never got a call asking them to work.

I would come in and hear stories about the "shift from ****" and about how they called and called and no one would come in. Interesting... because no one called me.

I don't know if they do it on purpose all the time or not.

Wouldn't be surprised.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

mandated ot is a big issue and there are a few states that actually have laws on the books about mandated ot for nurses the problem is that there is usually a clause that states that if the employer has made "all reasonable efforts" to fill the hole they can mandate ot. yes, the reality of abandonment is real and if you leave without giving report and have another "qualified professional" accept your patients you may not just leave and can be considered abandonment and you can be found negligent. many union hospital facilities i am familiar with have very specific contract restrictions about mandatory ot and the enforcement of mandating any nurse to stay.

http://nursingworld.org/mainmenucategories/thepracticeofprofessionalnursing/workforce/nurseshortagestaffing/overtimeissues/mandatoryovertime.aspx

http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/journalarticle.asp?article_id=423284

ana's position on mandatory overtime may be found at its ana workplace advocacy page.

states with restrictions

sixteen states have restrictions on the use of mandatory overtime for nurses:

fourteen identified restrictions in law: ak, ct, il, md, mn, nj, nh, ny, or, pa, ri, tx, wa, and wv, while two states have provisions in regulations: ca and mo.

nc (2009) legislated the study of mandatory overtime as a staffing tool.

the plans in place for restricting or regulating mandatory ot are individual to the states employment laws. those facilities that are jacho (the jc as they now want to be called) ask for schedules on surveys and the hospitals submit "staffing plans". if your facility is not in compliance you can file a complaint with the jc.

http://nursingworld.org/mainmenucategories/anapoliticalpower/state/statelegislativeagenda/mandatoryovertime.aspx

now as a supervisor that had a centralized staffing office calling for help, i would call or not call nurses on the list depending on who i knew would work, who has or been mandated already, those who have requested off and there were days that i avoided calling the nurses that they, or their family members, would chew me out for calling. we would then call the managers to see if they could cajole their staff into working and bargaining for pto. mandating for me was always a last resort.....and i have only had to do it a handful of times. i was usually able to sweet talk someone into staying those 4 hours or i would stay myself to help. i have also been known to ask for a 2 hour stay over and ask nights to come in 2 hours early. i do realize that there are supervisors that say they called and don't bother.....:nono:shame on them.

i hope this helps.......:D

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Specializes in Med/Surg Tele; LTC; Corrections.

I feel if you make me stay over because you're short staffed, the next time I'm off and you call and want me to come in.......my phone is going straight to voicemail!

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Where I work, night shift does the staffing sheets for the next 24 hours. Part of that is anticipating what discharges we have, comparing that to how many nurses we have scheduled to work, and deciding how many patients our floor can handle given the number of nurses. Then the nursing supervisor is made aware of any staffing issues (if we are short or if we are over) and then the supervisor looks at the data from all the floors in the hospital and sees if anyone can float to a floor where a unit is short. If we cant get any help from another floor, we usually ask the people who are already on the floor if they want to stay for overtime or call people from home. If no one wants it, then basically is sucks if you are on the next shift. No one is ever forced to stay over their allotted scheduled time, the next shift just runs short.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I feel if you make me stay over because you're short staffed, the next time I'm off and you call and want me to come in.......my phone is going straight to voicemail!

I know it stinks....but when you don't answer your phone someone else has to stay...it's just a vicious cycle and there are NO easy answers. Calling people in or making people stay was by far the most HATED part of the job

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Specializes in LTC.

I am just thankful I have a part time job, and if asked to stay over I JUMP on top of it :))

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Specializes in Med/Surg Tele; LTC; Corrections.

That's true its just so very frustrating to have worked 12 hours had the worst group ever and be told at the 99th hour you have to stay cause no one is coming for another couple hours. Agh!!!

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Its happened to me twice, i was working 0700-1500 and at 1430 i get told that i need to stay as no one else can possibly work the late shift 1330-2130.

They havent rung anyone else as this would mean that they would be shortstaffed another day, the bank/pool cant cover it ' at this short notice' despite the rota showing we would be short staffed on the late shift for a week, other wards/departments cant lend us anyone.

So stupid gullible me ends up working 0700-2130. oh but i cant use that as time owing or get an extra day off as 'the rota is already done and we would be short staffed'.

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