Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1521816
RNs in Motion » 35 Claim Your Overtime KNOW YOUR RIGHTS YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE Federal law and your contract all require your employer to pay you for all hours worked, including overtime. It's Professional to Claim Your Overtime Sometimes nurses feel that it reflects poorly on them as professionals if they cannot complete their work in their regular shift. It is because you are responsible for the care of your patients that you often cannot simply walk out at the end of your shift. When a patient's condition deteriorates late in your shift, as a professional, you prioritize that patient. If that means other work is not completed during your shift, you stay to complete it. Charting is part of your profes- sional and legal responsibility. If you have to stay past the end of your shift in order to complete your work, claim your time. Not claiming overtime undermines your colleagues and your patients by legitimizing unsafe staffing. Don't Be Intimidated Sometimes nurses feel intimidated by managers who discourage overtime and blame the nurse, suggesting that she/he is not well organized. Increased patient acuity and cuts in ancillary staff are the primary reasons nurses work overtime. You are a patient advocate. Advocate for quality care and advocate for your rights too. MISSED-BREAK TIPS » Sign no waivers of your rights. Mark all missed breaks and meal penalties on your time card and keep careful records: date, time, shift, and witnesses. » File ADOs for short staffing that causes missed breaks or meals. » Do not let your manager influence you to falsify your time record by failing to record missed meals and breaks. Your employer is liable for this practice, especially managers who knowingly permit this practice or who intimidate RNs/ NPs into time falsification. » Your license is in jeopardy if you are working while you are off the clock. RNs in Motion » 35