I Just e-mailedmy regulatory body this scenario and question. Due to the nature of the question I felt that it would appropriate to share that e-mail here. Note: I haven't got a response back from them as of yet. Here's the email:
A while back I was working a day shift where I work (a long term care facility). My shift was from 07:00 am till 15:00 pm.
Near the end of the shift it was reported to me that one of the residents from my unit had fallen on her way to the entertainment in the main auditorium. The RN and I went down to do the initial assessment on this resident. This resident was able to walk back to the unit with me. Once back on the unit I did further assessments including a full vitals and completed the fall investigation report. Once everything was done, including giving a report to the nurse coming on for evening shift, it was approximately 15:30 hrs.
I immediately submitted for 30 minutes overtime, because I felt that it was my responsibility to conclude the assessments, the paper work, computer charting and a report for the oncoming nurse. However, my employer decided that they were not going to pay me for that half hour that I stayed. Not only did I submit the correct overtime request form explaining the circumstances why I stayed for that 30 minutes, I also e-mailed the supervisor a few days later to confirm that she received everything to ensure that it was submitted before the end of the pay period. My supervisor even chose not to respond to my e-mail.
Many of my fellow co-workers have had similar experiences with regards to staying after their shift has ended to complete what they felt was their responsibility to do so as a nurse, yet the employer has refused to pay them for the time spent outside their designated shift time.
Therefore, this raises a serious question. For a nurse who works in a facility such as a Long Term Care facility, Hospital, etc., when does responsibility and accountability start and end for the nurse, if the employer will not pay for any time either at the beginning or end of the designated shift that the nurse is scheduled for?
Thank you to all those who have responded thus far.
I did get a response from my regulatory body this morning and they stated:
The situation you describe is a labour relations issue and should be brought to the attention of your union and management not the College.
Unfortunately I have brought many other issues to our union regarding the issues of nurses and I continue to hear the same thing. "This is not a wide spread issue because you're the only one bringing this forward." My response to this is usually the same, "That's because I stick up for my self and that the level of intimidation in the workplace is so high that few will ever come forward on anything."
I stick up for my self because Nurses are not Slaves! I'm told that I have a meeting coming up in a few days with union and management regarding other alleged mistakes that I have done, including an alleged mistake that happened nearly three months ago! As I indicated to the union rep. "I'm actually supposed to remember the details of the said incident that happened three months ago?" I indicated to the union rep that this is becoming a witch hunt towards me on behalf of these nurse managers because I actually do stick up for my self and they don't like it.
With regards to actually leaving at the end of the shift inspite of the fact that there were things that should've been completed, one RN was actually called at home and ordered to come back into work that evening to complete what ever it was that wasn't completed at the end of her shift and wasn't paid for it. She came in and was incredibly upset. To the best of my knowledge she did file a grievance with her union. As I have already indicated Nurses are not slaves!
Unfortunately the best interests of the residents isn't a factor in our workplace. I could litteraly (without exageration) write a book on the countless examples that I've seen regarding that fact. I know I did describe some of these incidents to a fairly new nurse and she indicated that if I were to ever write that book, these situations are so extraordinary that most people wouldn't believe them and figure that these situations were actually fiction. I'm reminded of a comment that was told to me by an RN a few years ago who only worked a few shifts and then left. She left because of the environment being so toxic. She indicated, "management here don't want educated staff, they want pupets."
So now I prepare myself for this interesting meeting that I have in a few days.
My experience with this type of scenario is as follows: After completing about 70% of shift report (RN coming on for 11-7, me, LPN, going off 3-11) CNA reports a fall (LTC resident). RN wants me to finish report and doesn't want to assess at this time. I go assess the resident and stabilize the resident (obvious hip fx), instruct CNA to stay with resident until RN instructs otherwise. Resident is comfortable, but cannot be trusted to comply. At this time, I have 2 minutes to clock out and having been reprimanded twice for clocking out late and threatened with a written warning next time, I hand the RN my report sheet which is very detailed, because I write everything down, tell her my findings and that resident undoubtedly has a fx and literally run to the time clock. Long storry short, the RN does nothing, day shift has to transfer resident to hospital and I get reprimanded (verbally) for not staying late and taking care of it.
I resolved to stay late, no matter what, in the future, because my license is more valuable than one job. Take care of the patient first, the rest is secondary.
Was that response from your Board of Nursing for your state?
Yes, that response was from the regulatory body in my province here in Canada.
Their response should raise concern because it opens the door to potenial abuse of nurses. If the regulatory body is not defining when the responsibility of a nurses starts/ends, then it opens the door of many employers to really exploit nurses and giving them a proverbial license to say, "Regardless of when your shift technically ends, you will stay and do the following and you will not get paid."
If that nurse does not have union representation, or has a pathetic union who does a really lousy job at representing nurses, (which happens far too often) this leads to actual slavery of nurses.
Without indicating specifically the name of the regulatory body (for confidentiallity reasons), their statement was:
Dear ........., thank you for contacting the ..........
As outlined in the ................, Each nurse is accountable to the public and responsible for ensuring that her/his practice and conduct meets legislative requirements and the standards of the profession. The ......... does not state when this accountability begins and ends, as each nurse is accountable for their own practice. The situation you describe is a labour relations issue and should be brought to the attention of your union and management not the ............
Should you have any further questions relating to the ..........., please feel free to contact the ....... again.
As I said, their response should raise concern for nurses as this type of statement may be applicable in other jurisdictions which can open the door wide open for the abuse of nurses by their respective employers.
DO NOT go to that meeting alone. DO bring a lawyer or union rep that will have your back with you. DO NOT sign anything you don't agree with. DO start looking for another job. They are looking to get rid of you and if they don't have a valid reason they will make one up.
I'm sorry this is happening to you. You sound like an intelligent and competent nurse who did right in this situation.
Truth66
122 Posts
Thank you to all those who have responded thus far.
I did get a response from my regulatory body this morning and they stated:
The situation you describe is a labour relations issue and should be brought to the attention of your union and management not the College.
Unfortunately I have brought many other issues to our union regarding the issues of nurses and I continue to hear the same thing. "This is not a wide spread issue because you're the only one bringing this forward." My response to this is usually the same, "That's because I stick up for my self and that the level of intimidation in the workplace is so high that few will ever come forward on anything."
I stick up for my self because Nurses are not Slaves! I'm told that I have a meeting coming up in a few days with union and management regarding other alleged mistakes that I have done, including an alleged mistake that happened nearly three months ago! As I indicated to the union rep. "I'm actually supposed to remember the details of the said incident that happened three months ago?" I indicated to the union rep that this is becoming a witch hunt towards me on behalf of these nurse managers because I actually do stick up for my self and they don't like it.
With regards to actually leaving at the end of the shift inspite of the fact that there were things that should've been completed, one RN was actually called at home and ordered to come back into work that evening to complete what ever it was that wasn't completed at the end of her shift and wasn't paid for it. She came in and was incredibly upset. To the best of my knowledge she did file a grievance with her union. As I have already indicated Nurses are not slaves!
Unfortunately the best interests of the residents isn't a factor in our workplace. I could litteraly (without exageration) write a book on the countless examples that I've seen regarding that fact. I know I did describe some of these incidents to a fairly new nurse and she indicated that if I were to ever write that book, these situations are so extraordinary that most people wouldn't believe them and figure that these situations were actually fiction. I'm reminded of a comment that was told to me by an RN a few years ago who only worked a few shifts and then left. She left because of the environment being so toxic. She indicated, "management here don't want educated staff, they want pupets."
So now I prepare myself for this interesting meeting that I have in a few days.