Working as a State RN

[hadenuf]

Are there any State nurse employees out there? I work in a mental facility in Tennessee and have a few issues . Is it legal to require mandatory overtime? We are off every other weekend and one day a week. We are required to work 4 mandatory overtimes a month. We have to fill out our schedules with our MOTS on them a month in advance and have only a few days to do it in so we really don't get much time off at all and in this environment it is really needed! If you don't work the MOTS you are written up and will eventually be terminated. My other issue concerns Nurse/patient ratio. On many evenings I have been the charge nurse and given the medications. I would have no breaks. New years eve I was the only nurse with 4 techs and 24 patients, 4 of which required 1:1 observation which used the 4 techs. This left me to give meds and watch 9 constant observation patients while charting and taking care of the other patients.This is dangerous for the patients and for the staff but it goes on all the time! Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Music in My Heart]

Is it legal to require mandatory overtime?

You need to look at your employment agreement and your State labor code. If they're requiring it, it probably is legal, but only an attorney or your State labor board could tell you for certain.

My other issue concerns Nurse/patient ratio. On many evenings I have been the charge nurse and given the medications. I would have no breaks. New years eve I was the only nurse with 4 techs and 24 patients, 4 of which required 1:1 observation which used the 4 techs. This left me to give meds and watch 9 constant observation patients while charting and taking care of the other patients.This is dangerous for the patients and for the staff but it goes on all the time! Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Well, you could speak to your management but I'm guessing they know and, at least tacitly, approve.

You could try to generate legislative interest in dangerous conditions at a state institution but that could backfire on you.

You could try to unionize and see if the union could negotiate safe staffing levels

You could leave and get another job.

It sounds like a bad situation all the way around; I'd probably be searching for another job, myself.

[NurseCard, ADN]

Wow, I could have written that post. I also used to work in a state mental facility. I also used to have to do mandatory overtime four times a month, *IF* I was needed. Meaning, I could go home if there was enough staff but if staffing was short I was required to stay. I have also been the charge nurse on a unit with, well, 22 patients of pretty high "mental acuity", no med nurse, and not enough techs.

As far as I know, it is legal for an RN to work 16 hours straight, but illegal for a facility to try to force a nurse to work any more than that.

[suzanne4, RN]

Each state has different rules and overtime is up to the particular state and does not apply to all.

As mentioned above, suggest that you follow up with your state, it does not matter the type of facility that you are employed in.