Tardiness

milesims · Apr 13, 2016

There was a time when everybody in my group was late to clinical, that included the clinical instructor. My friend and I made it on time because we left two hours early since we had something else to do beforehand.

There was an incident in my city where traffic basically came to a dead halt. The other students were parked on the highway and streets for 2 hours. Literally parked. The instructor was a little upset with them.

I was given a slap on the hand once for coming in 5 minutes early, because everybody was there 10-15 minutes early. I had to argue that one, and it was let go, as it should have been.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Apr 13, 2016

1 was the morning after my cousin died. My professor made me write a 3 page paper on professionalism. I hated her and wanted her to disappear. We're now actually good friends and talk all the time.

That's rotten. Yes we're professionals -- but you have to be human to be a professional. We're not robots. I'm sorry for your loss!

I don't think we ever had anyone late to clinical, so I honestly don't remember what the consequences were. For work it isn't a huge problem either (although I've heard from a float pool nurse that the medicine floor has some staff that get away with appalling tardiness and excessive break time.)

I was 30 minutes late once; as my state often does, they closed the road w/ no detour signs. My route is mostly interstate and I'd just moved so wasn't familiar with the local roads, and I didn't have a smart phone at the time to navigate with. It ended up not being a huge deal because I floated to the stepdown unit, where at 1500 I was taking one pt from an RN who was scheduled until 1900. Of course I felt bad, but unfortunately I was not able to teleport to work. A couple of times I've been late to the Burn unit when floating there; I get to my own unit ready to take report and find out I'm floating. So then I have to go and change into hospital-issued scrubs before I can go onto their unit. I'm not one who arrives early; my time is mine, and I am ready to take report immediately after stowing my lunch and purse. They don't pay me to arrive early, so I don't. I mean I do leave a cushion in case of traffic or whatever, but if I get to work 20 minutes early I spend it in my car sipping coffee and playing Angry Birds. :angrybird11: :angrybird1: :angrybird10: :angrybird13: :angrybird12: :cheeky:

We've had people arrive late because they wake up to a road covered with ice, or abnormally slow traffic or something like that. Nobody makes it a habit though and already has established a history of trustworthiness, so we're pretty understanding. We don't want our colleagues driving fast in unsafe road conditions, and like me they can't teleport.

allnurses Guide · Apr 13, 2016

I live 70 miles from the school. Most of the time I rode the college bus and we were never late.

If students were late to clinical, they forfeited that day and had to do some other work to make up for it. But you were not allowed to do clinical that day.

It was very strict. I think that's a good idea . . . you give people an inch, they take a mile.

Work-related tardies though - that was more lenient. I'm not crazy about that either due to the people who are chronically tardy. Especially after a 12 hour shift when all you want to do is go home and sleep.

wolf9653 · Apr 13, 2016

some places are cool, some aren't. I used to work for a place where the night nurses all got mad at this 3-11 nurse that chronically finished late. She was a very nice person otherwise. They also had an 11-7 nurse that was chronically late arriving. also a very nice person. The coordinater started scheduling them together.It worked out well for them.

summerly · Apr 13, 2016

When I was in nursing school if you were a minute late to clinicals you were dismissed for the day and you had to make it up on your own time and pay for it. This could only happen once and it was frowned upon. I was always super early for clinicals until one semester I had an instructor who I was sure hated me and a few of my friends. One particular day I set my alarm clock for pm instead of am and low and behold, didn't wake up until 9am (usually getting to the hospital at 630). I had about 20 missed calls from my instructor and friends freaking out that I was dead in a ditch because it wasn't my style to just not show up. I immediately called my instructor crying explaining what happened -- she was so nice and just happy I wasn't dead and let me stay home and didn't make me make that day up. One of my biggest nursing school freak out moments!!! Now I always check if my alarm is set to AM!!!

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Apr 16, 2016

We are docked in increments of 15 minutes. One morning I ended up being a couple of minutes late because I was confused on where we were meeting. The hospital has an absolutely ridiculous place for nursing students to park. I was under the understanding we were meeting in the back of the hospital where we had previously met in other semesters and it turns out we were to meet in the lobby. It's like a 10 minute walk. I'm usually 15 minutes early and I was not the only one late that day. They really needed to give us better direction on that. my instructor was ok with it.

I live in a town where trains will literally block the entire town. They just stop sometimes. And there is not a way to get around them. So, it's perfectly acceptable to be late for pretty much anything because of a train. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. We just text whomever that we are stuck by a train. And nobody will ever truly understand that as an excuse until you experience it. My parents actually got to on their recent trip to see me. My mom calls in a panic, the train just stopped!!! What do we do?? We've been sitting here for over 20 minutes. So I had to direct them on how to get around it. But it's a long detour!!!

I'm very rarely late for anything. I have to commute for my job on the interstate. Accidents happen all the time. So I may leave for work 2 hours early just to give me time incase there is an accident. My very first day, there was an accident and I had to detour. I was almost late. I made it with 3 minutes to spare!!!

Purple_roses · Apr 16, 2016

It's up to each instructor. They all have the right to send us home if we're late, but none ever have, probably because students are hardly ever late. There is one woman in my clinical group who is perpetually late and nothing happens to her; I wonder if it's leniency on the instructor's part or if there's a special circumstance going on there.

I'm never late because I'm too Type A. I forgot to take an antibiotic with food last week and threw up right before I left for clinical. I drove to clinical with a plastic bag beneath my chin for most of my drive. Was still on time [emoji106]

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2016

I remember there being an accident on the interstate one morning. My carpool group passed it just after it happened but when we arrived at the hospital, we alerted our instructor that the other group of girls probably got stuck in the inevitable jam. She was fine with that - and she was also very laid back.

Other than that, I don't remember anyone EVER being even a minute late. I do remember someone coming in to clinical still drunk from the night before, and she was summarily dismissed for the day.

Kitiger, RN · Apr 17, 2016

I guess it's my military brat upbringing and then my own military time, but if I am not 15 minutes early, I am late. Lol.

I'm not military, but I was taught that too!

caliotter3 · Apr 17, 2016

A nurse who was consistently around half an hour late for day shift at one facility applied for a job at another facility. One of the management staff asked me about her. She said that the nurse was known for always being late. She was late to her own graduation from nursing school. Because of her reputation in the nursing community for being late, she was not hired for the new facility.

teddiebear · Apr 18, 2016

the shift is quarter to the hour,like 6:45am for nurses and on the hour for CNAs. some nurses are often not there until on the hour.so by the time report is done it means you clock out from 15 minutes or more past end of shift at quarter after the hour. but nothing is ever said to those who have worked there for a long time.there used to be a 7 minute buffer before you were late but some have reported being written up for attendance if do that too often.

Gal 2:20 · Jul 28, 2016

I work in a facility where the day shift nurses are habitually, chronically, late for work every single day. 2 or 3 of them are late for their shifts everyday and usually by a half hour. The other day the most flagrant of the abusers hadn't gotten to work to relieve me until after 0700. Her shift started at 0600. I don't know what time she got there because someone else counted me out that morning. And it is as someone wrote earlier, this disrespect is made all the more glaring when she makes it to Starbucks every morning and brings in her cup of Jo.

I have a disconnect with the lack of concern by management and am going to write a letter to the DON. I work overnights so I am not there to speak to her personally and frankly have no interest in doing so. I keep hearing "well, they said they spoke to them.." but nothing changes. *When behavior is permitted, it is promoted.* Tardiness is status quo... a world class quality-trait that is being reinforced when no consequences exist to curtail it..

However, this is my beef with this topic.

It sucks, but Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I get less than four hours of sleep before I have to wake up to go to work, so getting adequate rest has been an incredible struggle.

This kind of rationalization is fallacious. If it truly is the work schedule that is the culprit of chronic tardiness, than working out a solution to the work schedule is required. Allowing the number of hours worked dictate the professional responsibility to job, employer, and colleagues is not an acceptable excuse for being late all the time.

I hear this REGULARLY : "Oh, but I worked a double today.." That was your choice. If you can not meet the expectations inherent in each shift as it stands on its own, do not agree to work the extra ones. I hear this constantly by nurses who want to work overtime and so we get them on the 2200-0600 shift after they have worked 1400-2200 and they immediately tell you they are going to leave early, take an extra hour break, or call dibs on the easiest assignments because they are working a double.

Just sayin'