Survey: Do you leave work at your scheduled time on a regular basis?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 18, 2004

I get my breaks, my lunch and leave on time. It comes from prioritizing. If they ain't gonna pay me overtime to do it, I don't do it on overtime! My charting gets done as the day goes, because that IS something I would have to stay overtime to do. But if the bath doesn't get done, oh well. They're not going to pay me overtime to stay and bathe a patient, so if I don't have the time, I don't do it. I used to feel really bad about stuff like that, but now I figure if it was a priority for management that patients get baths, they'd hire enough staff to accomplish it. As far as breaks -- there isn't much that can't wait 15 minutes, or even 30! CPR, no. Massive bleeding probably not. Admitting a patient from OR won't wait. But hanging another antibiotic or unit of blood . . . 15 minutes usually won't be the end of someone. If it is, break can wait.

Of course, I may have given a different answer 25 years ago!

caffine addict · Mar 18, 2004

No Way

I'm a DON in LTC :rotfl:

If I manage to leave reasonably it comes with me and meets me at home on the phone.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2004

I usually end up with about a half hour over. If i can get my charting done before 3pm im usually out on time unless we get a lot of extend bed surgicals or new admits,, then i run over. But they dont staff to allow us to get out on time either. There are just some things that have to be cleaned up before you leave and cant nor shouldnt be passed over to the next shift. Leave it like you want it to be left.

plumrn, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2004

Very rarely do we get out on time. No breaks either, except for a 30 min. lunch.Anywhere from 30 mins. to 1 hour late usually. No time for charting during the shift. Very long shifts!

nowplayingEDRN · Mar 18, 2004

95% of the time we get our lunch and dinner breaks however, leaving on time depends on how busy the ED is when my shift is over (as the night shift usually only has 2 people scheduled) or what the staffing is like because of inclement weather or call outs. So for leaving on time, I would have to say 75% of the time, yes...I am out the door on time at the end of my shift.

NannaNurse · Mar 18, 2004

I 'try' to leave as close to 'on time' as I can. I spend 12+ hours there and most of the time I don't get my breaks or lunch....heck, there are times when I don't even get time to pee!!

One of our 12 hr nurses was asked if she wanted to leave at 3:15 and she said 'YES', well, when they call you, it is ususally 2:45 so you are scrambling to get done because we ususally 'pace' ourselves out for 12hrs. The 2 nurses coming on don't know (or won't try) to start IV's, draw labs, etc.... One of the pts needed an IV for PRBC later that evening, so the 12 hr nurse stayed over to initiate the IV. She clocked out at 4:00......She was informed the next day that she was being 'wrote up' for not checking with the clinical dir. for overtime. The nurse that she helped out stayed until 0330....'getting paperwork done' and she didn't get wrote up. Make sense????

The 12 hrs nurse was scheduled so it would have been 'no overtime'....the other nurse was 8hrs and she got 4hrs15min OT. We also have another nurse (8hrs) who NEVER leaves until after 5pm EVERY SINGLE TIME SHE WORKS! She has never been wrote up. We are all making sure we leave ON TIME and this causes us to 'pass' more things on to the next shift. We feel like we are in a catch-22 here.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Mar 18, 2004

we're paid from 0700 to 1915 / 1900 to 0715 for our 12 hour shifts. we can't start report (given face to face) until our replacement is face to face ( :eek: ). our unit has a general report at the beginning of the shift where the charge nurse for the previous shift gives a brief overview of all patients in the unit to the oncoming crew. this "brief" overview may take anywhere from five to twenty minutes! depending on the patient and the social complications (and the assignment:chair: !!!!), report may take anywhere from five minutes to half an hour. i'm rarely out of the unit before half past, and often am there until a quarter till. once i stayed late (45 min) to help readmit my patient from the or, since she came back at five till and all the other nurses were busy finishing up their charting etc... plus the social situation was complex and needed communicating. my ot request was denied because i didn't actually do the admission. another time i missed my supper break because my so-called stable late admission was anything but and needed resuscitation. my ot that time was denied because i didn't tell the charge nurse (who was busy drawing up my drugs for me during the resus) that i wouldn't be able to get away for supper! now i don't hesitate to leave a note or call from home in the case of the first scenario, or turn over responsibility for my crashing patient to someone else in the second instance. once you know the "rules" it's easy to play the game.

Repat · Mar 18, 2004

just what i meant!! i am only one person, someone else will have to do it - no more nasty notes about overtime!!! you said it much better, though...

we're paid from 0700 to 1915 / 1900 to 0715 for our 12 hour shifts. we can't start report (given face to face) until our replacement is face to face ( ). our unit has a general report at the beginning of the shift where the charge nurse for the previous shift gives a brief overview of all patients in the unit to the oncoming crew. this "brief" overview may take anywhere from five to twenty minutes! depending on the patient and the social complications (and the assignment:chair: !!!!), report may take anywhere from five minutes to half an hour. i'm rarely out of the unit before half past, and often am there until a quarter till. once i stayed late (45 min) to help readmit my patient from the or, since she came back at five till and all the other nurses were busy finishing up their charting etc... plus the social situation was complex and needed communicating. my ot request was denied because i didn't actually do the admission. another time i missed my supper break because my so-called stable late admission was anything but and needed resuscitation. my ot that time was denied because i didn't tell the charge nurse (who was busy drawing up my drugs for me during the resus) that i wouldn't be able to get away for supper! now i don't hesitate to leave a note or call from home in the case of the first scenario, or turn over responsibility for my crashing patient to someone else in the second instance. once you know the "rules" it's easy to play the game.

allnurses Guide · Mar 18, 2004

Yep, almost always. And I take my breaks and lunch. I can count on two hands the times I've had to work through lunch in 6 years - and we get paid for it if we work, no problem.

Guess it pays to work rural. :)

steph

Krissy NY · Mar 18, 2004

Our union just did a vote yesterday about mandating..which goes on frequently at my facility. I ALWAYS have to wait for staffing...even if all paperwork is done, etc. If the staffing is not good we have to stay or we get written up...that means working 3 to 11 and if the overnight guys calls in we stay 11-7. No one gets overtime because they give you the next day off.

I am off at 11:00...I have never left there earlier then 11:30.

Krissy NY · Mar 18, 2004

Our union just did a vote yesterday about mandating..which goes on frequently at my facility. I ALWAYS have to wait for staffing...even if all paperwork is done, etc. If the staffing is not good we have to stay or we get written up...that means working 3 to 11 and if the overnight guys calls in we stay 11-7. No one gets overtime because they give you the next day off.
I am off at 11:00...I have never left there earlier then 11:30.

and as for breaks I rarely get one in 8 1/2 hours and I am 1 hour from the bronx...not exactly rural but close

plumrn, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2004

Krissy NY - that just makes me sick! You guys are held hostage by your job!!