Staying late, not getting paid.

allnurses Guide · May 5, 2015

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?

My typical day in the LTC goes like this. Arrive a work on time at 3 pm. Chase the day shift nurse around for 10 to 15 minutes trying to get report which is usually "Everybody is Fine!" Check on my 10 to 18 patients only to find out many are not fine and have some emergent need that must be addressed now! Start my 5pm med pass which takes about 1 to 2 hours. Clock out for lunch.Eat.Clock back in. Start my 7 pm med pass brief break to chart , pass meds at 9 pm. Chart like crazy from 10 to 11 pm and wait 30 to 45 minutes for the 11pm staff to show up give an actual accurate report and leave by 12pm if I am lucky in bed by 1am. That doesn't include if we get an admit or someone goes out to ER or training new grads which I actually enjoy when I get a bright eager one.

Time management at it's best!

I don't know how many nurses participating in this thread actually work LTC. It's a whole different animal than Acute care where nurse may have 8 patients.(which is also a lot but not 15 to 18).

I don't dislike my job and I work like a hell beast to get it all done on time a most nights actually do. At 52 I can run circles around the 25 to 30 year olds I work with. When I do go over I stay on the clock and get paid! If they try to write me up I will innocently say "But that would be wrong!"

Hppy

VANurse2010 · May 5, 2015

My typical day in the LTC goes like this. Arrive a work on time at 3 pm. Chase the day shift nurse around for 10 to 15 minutes trying to get report which is usually "Everybody is Fine!" Check on my 10 to 18 patients only to find out many are not fine and have some emergent need that must be addressed now! Start my 5pm med pass which takes about 1 to 2 hours. Clock out for lunch.Eat.Clock back in. Start my 7 pm med pass brief break to chart , pass meds at 9 pm. Chart like crazy from 10 to 11 pm and wait 30 to 45 minutes for the 11pm staff to show up give an actual accurate report and leave by 12pm if I am lucky in bed by 1am. That doesn't include if we get an admit or someone goes out to ER or training new grads which I actually enjoy when I get a bright eager one.
Time management at it's best!
I don't know how many nurses participating in this thread actually work LTC. It's a whole different animal than Acute care where nurse may have 8 patients.(which is also a lot but not 15 to 18).
I don't dislike my job and I work like a hell beast to get it all done on time a most nights actually do. At 52 I can run circles around the 25 to 30 year olds I work with. When I do go over I stay on the clock and get paid! If they try to write me up I will innocently say "But that would be wrong!"
Hppy

8 would be a ridiculous ratio in acute care, regardless of setting, but given the charting and assessment requirements in the hospital, I'd rather have 18 LTC patients than 8 acute care patients. And yes, I've worked in both settings.

Babzuptown · May 5, 2015

Do as everyone here has said. Then find an attorney because the powers that be will begin harassment and drive you to resign or drum up something to fire you! Then be brave and enlist the attorney to bring a labor abuse case against the hospital.

allnurses Guide · May 5, 2015

8 would be a ridiculous ratio in acute care, regardless of setting, but given the charting and assessment requirements in the hospital, I'd rather have 18 LTC patients than 8 acute care patients. And yes, I've worked in both settings.

BTW - I didn't mean to suggest that acute care nurses don't work hard - I think all nurses generally work really hard in whatever area they are in. A new grad we are training told me she hadn't expected that being a nurse would be such hard work - I guess she thought we just stood around laughing all day while making google eyes and smart ass comments to Dr's handsome enough to be GQ models, while never breaking a sweat or an immaculately manicured nail:cheeky:

Hppy

Off to bed now

scottaprn · May 5, 2015

After reading this thread I am tempted to start a company to file third party complaints for a piece of the settlement.

Just to clear up a couple things:

-It does not matter if you are in a right to work state. Whistleblower protection still exists.

-Floor nurses who are not salary must be paid for their work. They cannot work off the clock even if they would choose to.

Conqueror+, BSN, RN · May 5, 2015

After reading this thread I am tempted to start a company to file third party complaints for a piece of the settlement.
Just to clear up a couple things:
-It does not matter if you are in a right to work state. Whistleblower protection still exists.
-Floor nurses who are not salary must be paid for their work. They cannot work off the clock even if they would choose to.

Of course it does. The difference is that your employer can fire you at any time with or without cause. Of course they won't say they're firing you for blowing the whistle.

lindarn · May 5, 2015

I have suggested many time here, that nurses keep a small notebook with them, jot down any and all things that are said, by a supervisor, manager, (in the bathroom, where no one can see you), make sure the date and time is included.

This is for evidence, so you don't get into a, "he said, she said", with no way to back up what happened. "A picture is worth a thousand words", or a dated notebook with statements made by management.

For instance, you are approached by a manger, who asks why you had to clock out late the day before. You state that you had to finish your charting. The manager then states, that you are to clock out in order to finish your work, and that you cannot stay on the clock to accomplish that.

Now, you have a definitive statement by a manager, telling you to clock out to finish your work, you have a date and time, etc. That is much more credible than hemming and hawing, and this and that, and thus and so, etc. You also have information that you can present to the Labor Board.

You know have credibility. Manger does not. You have evidence that can save you in a court room.

JMHO and my NY $0.02

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN (ret)

Somewhere in the PACNW

Editorial Team / Admin · May 5, 2015

lindarn- I really don't see a written record by a single person as being enough in the courtroom. I could write down that the manager said anything I want, whether it was said or not. It will still end up being an issue of he/she said. It would take a concerted effort by the majority of staff to make that work.

scottaprn · May 5, 2015

Of course it does. The difference is that your employer can fire you at any time with or without cause. Of course they won't say they're firing you for blowing the whistle.

I would encourage you to speak with a knowledgable attorney about whistleblower protections.

And again you don't have to blow the whistle yourself. A third party complaint is available to everyone when it comes to these laws.

lindarn · May 5, 2015

That is what I meant. But I still believe that if you kept a record of conversations, that it is still something that your attorney could use in your defense.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

scottaprn · May 5, 2015

Also everyone that is mentioning right to work laws in this thread are using the wrong term. Right to work laws mean that you don't have to join a union if you don't want.

The ability to be fired from your job comes from "at will" employment. These are two totally separate things

Myths About Right-To-Work Laws
Americans are confused about right-to-work laws and what they actually mean. Here are common myths:
1. Right-to-work-laws say workers can be fired for any reason.
A common misperception is that, like my reader's question says, they mean an employer can fire employees for any reason or no reason at all. Right-to-work laws have absolutely nothing to do with this. What you're talking about here is at-will employment.
Every state but Montana is already an at-will employment state. At-will means your employer can fire you for any reason or no reason at all. Whether your employer doesn't like your shirt, wakes up in a bad mood, or just feels like it, they can fire you at-will unless you have a contract or union agreement saying otherwise.
A union can bargain to change this. Many union agreements have requirements that employers only terminate for just cause.

Biggest Myths About The Right-To-Work Laws

Seaofclouds, BSN, RN · May 5, 2015

Another thing to consider, is speaking with someone in human resources. The managers are under pressure to keep their departments under budget, so they may be saying things that are against policy. If a manager tells you to clock out and keep working, ask human resources to verify that this is the correct policy for your work. If they say yes, the best thing you can do is make a complaint to the department of labor (which can be anonymous).