Staying late, not getting paid.

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I am a new grad and I just started my very first job at a skilled nursing facility. The place is nice and my co-wokrers are wonderful. But, I am greatly concerned. Management is on a mission to have zero overtime and is constantly on nurses to clock out on time. But these nurses don't have enough time during the 8 hour shift to do their med pass, chart and fill out all the paperwork from the day. So they end up clocking out when their shift is over with and staying unpaid to finish all of their tasks for 2-3 hours. I am not comfortable doing that. Am I being naive here? Is this the norm?

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
It is very common for unpaid overtime to be expected or even requested in the LTC environment. I was told during the hiring spiel one time that I would be expected to clock out and finish on my own time. You can bet I didn't challenge the DON when she told me that. Employers take advantage of the employees who need work in an impossible job market and who are too afraid to make complaints to the authorities for fear of putting their name out there in the rarified world of nursing employment.

I can see not wanting to rock the boat during an interview--it's not the best strategy for getting hired. Once hired however, I hope you don't allow yourself to be part of illegal labor practices. Not that I'm putting a charting-off-the-clock nurse into the same ethical category as one in authority who asks/instructs nurses to work off the clock.... but at the same time, to say nothing is to allow the practice to continue. You value your time, right? So why donate it when federal law says the employer is required to pay you for it?

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You can surely complain. And if you are in a right to work state you will be looking for a job. Its a shame but the truth where I live.

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I am not sure about LTC, but in acute care, nursing is a 24 hour job. Therefore, you reach your stopping point at the end of your shift, and the next shift takes over.

If the powers that be are taking the time to inform you of their need to not pay overtime, then as nurses, I would question reporting off to the next nurse to finish up whatever it is you are not able to do on the previous shift?

It is a HIPAA violation, it is against the policy of the facility (if something happens to you and you are off the clock, then workman's comp is questionable, at best) as well as if an error in patient care is made, again, you are technically "not working" and yet, you are doing work. And I have to say no one in administration is EVER "aware" of the demand for clocking out on time, yet the expectation to continue working once the stuff hits the fan. "That is NOT what we said/meant!!" "We NEVER told nurses to continue WORKING!!" Nurses lined up like speed bumps as the bus runs them over....

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Thank you for all of your input. I am still in the orientation phase of this job. I have about 8 shifts left until I am on my own. Talking to the nurses that have trained me, they have brought this up with management before and nothing gets done. I don't know what to do!

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Specializes in CCRN.
Thank you for all of your input. I am still in the orientation phase of this job. I have about 8 shifts left until I am on my own. Talking to the nurses that have trained me, they have brought this up with management before and nothing gets done. I don't know what to do!

Chart as you go throughout the day. That way you won't have hours worth of documentation to do after you give report. This may mean you have to prioritize your care and ask for help as you get accustomed to everything. This may also mean there will be things that need to be passed on. Otherwise, if you stay late, stay on the clock.

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My husband worked for a company that encouraged similar practices, although I think it was working through lunch instead of clocking out on time.

They were reported, sued, and had to pay back-pay to hundreds of employees plus a stiff penalty (in the millions). You better believe they encourage ethical and legal timekeeping now.

Don't be a victim. It's usually a manager or DON who encourages this kind of unethical and illegal timekeeping so that they don't get in trouble for budget overruns. Most facilities have a corporate compliance line where you can report this behavior anonymously.

Since you are on orientation, you need to set your limits now. I know a lot of new nurses who have sat back and taken everything that management dished out to keep from "rocking the boat," only to lose the respect of management and their coworkers. The nurses I know that were firm in their principles became the go-to nurses and were able to affect change.

I guess I am advising you to stand your ground, clock out when you're finished, and use the anonymous hotlines to report the practices going on. Trust me, corporate would rather pay you for your time than pay the government fines, court costs, etc., AND pay you.

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Nope, don't do it. You work in order to get PAID.....clocking out then working for free defeats the point.

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I am in the same situation. So when I do not finish my med pass @ 3pm, the end of shift, what should I do? Can I leave with out giving all my patients blood pressure meds? Or should I expect the nurse coming on what I didn't? And I'm seriously asking. Would there be any repercussions?

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I just wonder what happened to you don't finish your med pass before your shift is over. is it okay to not give a medication you were supposed to and leave it for the next nurse? I am seriously asking.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
Chart as you go throughout the day. That way you won't have hours worth of documentation to do after you give report. This may mean you have to prioritize your care and ask for help as you get accustomed to everything. This may also mean there will be things that need to be passed on. Otherwise, if you stay late, stay on the clock.

This is good advice. It is so easy to get caught up in all the tasks and med passes and stuff, and leave charting for the last because, well, there is ALWAYS something that needs doing.

But charting is one of the few things that you absolutely 100% cannot pass on to the next shift to do. It has to be done by you. So, even though it seems like you should draw that blood or insert that foley first, take the time to keep your charting up to date as much as possible. Your charting will improve and the weight will be off your shoulders at the end of the day.

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Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.

As stated above it is illegal to continue to work after you have clocked out...it is against the labor laws. And it is a HIPAA violation.

However, it sounds like it is the culture that you will be working in soon. So there is a few options, either go along with it until you can learn to be fast enough to get out the door on time, look for another job and then quit this one or be proactive.

To be proactive would mean finding out who is a strong voice on the floor and partner with them to get your voices heard. Management will NOT listen if one person goes in and complains. Honestly, there is no reason to do so. They can easily say that nurse is too slow and not getting the work done. And in some cases they would be right, because for all the hard workers there are some who seek to take advantage, so the only way to change things is to have proof.

To do this you can partner with others who want to make a change...you could document the daily tasks you all do, tabulate time doing those tasks, chart how much time you all are staying over per week, write up a statement on the impact that this is having on the staff and its morale. State specifically what you think will fix the problem...and no the answer is not leaving on time. That is a goal, along with good patient care, but it not the answer.

The answer more than likely is going to be a mixed bag of items...having someone else help with charting, less frequent bed checks, have CNAs take charge of all vitals, streamlining a system or cleaning up an antiquated charting tool etc.

Take this and present it to the DON, and let them know you will be presenting to the next level above as well.

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I just wonder what happened to you don't finish your med pass before your shift is over. is it okay to not give a medication you were supposed to and leave it for the next nurse? I am seriously asking.

Start your med pass earlier and get it done. If you have meds left at the end of shift, you can either stay late and give them while still on the clock or list them out for the next nurse to give. I've done both.

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