Hospital enforcing "Incidental Overtime"?

1 So our hospital has recently started cracking down on incidental overtime. We are now required to fill out a slip, put a reason, sign and have the charge nurse sign anytime we are clocking out after 730. But they make it near impossible to get through report in that amount of time. At the beginning of each shift we have to have a meeting with all of the staff that day which is supposed to last only a few minutes, but many times lasts almost 10 minutes. They are also requiring us to do bedside reporting, which takes time to walk each nurse to each patient, talk to the patients (also doing things for them when you come in the room which you can't control if they need something), then give report with them asking questions and interrupting the report, then going through the charts of each patient with each nurse and signing it off. Most nights, even if I have nothing else left to finish up before I go, I'm not done with report until 745 and it has been later than that occasionally. Management won't listen to our concerns. Well, almost everyone had to fill out a form last night and I know it will be like that most nights. I also just found out that depending on how many of these slips we have, we could lose our annual raise/bonus. Anyone else dealing with this? Every day it seems like they are giving me more and more reasons to leave....So tired of it.
Well, if everyone fills out the slips management will eventually have to realize that there are structures in place that prevent you from leaving at 7:30 consistently. Hopefully no one starts clocking out early and finishing up off the clock, as that will just make everyone else look bad and create a culture where you're all expected to do that.

Quote from hiddencatRNWell, if everyone fills out the slips management will eventually have to realize that there are structures in place that prevent you from leaving at 7:30 consistently. Hopefully no one starts clocking out early and finishing up off the clock, as that will just make everyone else look bad and create a culture where you're all expected to do that.

what is right about worki g off the clock? That would be a HIPAA proble .

Quote from gypsyd8I would have to disagree with the notion that doing the right thing makes everyone look bad. Although working off the clock is not the way to solve systemic issues. If there are systemic problems that need to be addressed, find a way to address them. If there are individual problems preventing an efficient and productive work environment, well, that person need to be coached. The morning huddle is supposed to increase staff satisfaction, the bedside reporting thing is supposed to increase patient satisfaction (and reduce incidental OT, from the research I have seen), the chart checks are safety related, all of this is supposed to relate somehow to an evidence based care environment, but I feel your pain. The pressure to get out on time when there are all these "tasks" to complete is total balderdash.Incidental OT is an easy way to save money-I actually stumbled upon this thread attempting to research how to eliminate it. My conclusion- we should be salaried.

As long as the assignment is made and the next shift shows up on time, 99% of the time I can clock out on time or even a few minutes early.If bedside nurses were salaried, who is going to pick up the extra shifts when they are short? Who is going to attend meetings outside of their shift? How many things will simply not get done because it's quitting time?

In Texas each hospital is required to have a safe staffing committee and this is the type of thing that would be addressed by the committee (CNO required to attend). You might try keeping a record of when you started/stopped report, etc. But that is another burden. I believe the nurses as a whole need to address this with the CNO

Quote from gcupidAre you currently practicing nursing at the bedside? How is working off the clock the right thing,? With no power to change things (especially without evidence of inability to get out on time by working off the clock), how should a staff nurse find ways to address the systemic problems? Please answer these questions truthfully and specifically.... I'd appreciate it. I may learn something new.

But she specifically said working off the clock makes the other nurses (who don't work off the clock, thus are punching out late) look bad. And then you said doing the right thing doesn't/shouldn't make others look bad. The person who said that was actually implying that doing the WRONG thing (working off the clock, which we can all agree is wrong) is what would make other nurses look bad.

This is happening at my facility too. Every other day we get another e-mail reminding us to clock out on time. There are even signs. It's not like I am not clocking out on time on purpose. I am there because someone needed something, I am behind on charting, or once we start bedside reporting (next week, groan) report went long. It sounds like your facility knows exactly why people are clocking out late, report takes way too long. Maybe once your manager sees how many slips she is getting she will realize there needs to be a change in the way you do things. I really hope they don't resort to taking away your bonuses though, that's low.

Quote from Mommy&RNAs long as the assignment is made and the next shift shows up on time, 99% of the time I can clock out on time or even a few minutes early.If bedside nurses were salaried, who is going to pick up the extra shifts when they are short? Who is going to attend meetings outside of their shift? How many things will simply not get done because it's quitting time?

Are employees starting report immediately at 0700? I know at a few places I've worked, there is a lot of chit-chat among the oncoming staff, and often, we don't get a chance to start report until closer to 7:10.

Quote from MyUserName,RNSo our hospital has recently started cracking down on incidental overtime. We are now required to fill out a slip, put a reason, sign and have the charge nurse sign anytime we are clocking out after 730. But they make it near impossible to get through report in that amount of time. At the beginning of each shift we have to have a meeting with all of the staff that day which is supposed to last only a few minutes, but many times lasts almost 10 minutes. They are also requiring us to do bedside reporting, which takes time to walk each nurse to each patient, talk to the patients (also doing things for them when you come in the room which you can't control if they need something), then give report with them asking questions and interrupting the report, then going through the charts of each patient with each nurse and signing it off. Most nights, even if I have nothing else left to finish up before I go, I'm not done with report until 745 and it has been later than that occasionally. Management won't listen to our concerns. Well, almost everyone had to fill out a form last night and I know it will be like that most nights. I also just found out that depending on how many of these slips we have, we could lose our annual raise/bonus. Anyone else dealing with this? Every day it seems like they are giving me more and more reasons to leave....So tired of it.