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So I think everyone by now knows I'm a nurse.
So here's the situation.
One of the duties we're assigned to do is called scrubbing. This consists of reviewing the upcoming week's appointments. You review the physician's most recent notes and see if anything specific was requested at the next appointment. For example labs, and x ray, a blood pressure log etc.
In addition to this you review to ensure that the appointment is scheduled correctly. For example new patients require a 1 hour appointment and follow ups require 30 minutes.
You also ensure that the appointment isn't one that clerical staff forgot to cancel and is still on the schedule by accident.
The patient is then called and the appointment is confirmed. Anything that the patient needs to do for the appointment is discussed.
This process is pretty time consuming. We're not cut out time during the day to do this. While we're seeing the scheduled patients during the day we perform scrubbing duties in between when and if time permits.
Because we're also responding to phone calls from patients, emails from patients and walk ins it's usually a struggle to get scrubbing done in time. Most of the time you finish just at the end of the day.
So we have two weight management clinics. The physician I work with is over one of them so it falls under my assigned duties automatically.
The other weight management physician was never given nursing staff. When this was all set up I spoke up and said that she should be given nursing staff. They told me not to attend the meetings going forward. Basically dismissing my suggestion!
Almost a year and a half later since that. The physician is now saying she needs nursing staff. They have her authorization to hire her nursing staff though.
So my supervisor approached me yesterday. He offered that I could stay after hours to do the scrubbing duties for her clinic and they'd pay me overtime.
My overtime rate is $51/hour. So even staying 1 hour 3 days a week that adds up pretty quick. So I told him sure I was willing to do it.
Then that's morning the supervisor sends an email saying they have budgeting issues and any overtime must be pre approved. I asked if this also included the scrubbing duties we had discussed.
His answer was yes and to hold off on doing the overtime and just try to do it during the day if I could.
Now remember every other nurse is required to cover their own clinic and that's it which is difficult to fit in already. But I'm being asked to not only cover scrubbing my own clinic but to cover that duty for an entire other clinic. Something no one else is being asked to do. I'm not getting paid more for it. I'm not being considered for a promotion for extra pay for it. Just a pat on the back and thanks.
Now even the physician who doesn't have coverage for her clinic says this isn't fair because I'm being asked to do double the work and getting nothing for it! Her opinion is that they should stick to the original deal as staffing shortage isn't my fault.
I made it clear there's no possible way that I could cover both physicians. The fact I advocated for her having her own staff only to be dismissed makes it even more insulting!
So the discussion now moved to comp time. Basically this is being compensated through time off. For every hour you work you get an hour of time off sometime later. The time off is at the discretion of the supervisor. Now mind you your losing money because comp time is still paid at regular rate. Overtime is paid at time and a half.
So here's the situation.
One of the duties we're assigned to do is called scrubbing. This consists of reviewing the upcoming week's appointments. You review the physician's most recent notes and see if anything specific was requested at the next appointment. For example labs, and x ray, a blood pressure log etc.
In addition to this you review to ensure that the appointment is scheduled correctly. For example new patients require a 1 hour appointment and follow ups require 30 minutes.
You also ensure that the appointment isn't one that clerical staff forgot to cancel and is still on the schedule by accident.
The patient is then called and the appointment is confirmed. Anything that the patient needs to do for the appointment is discussed.
This process is pretty time consuming. We're not cut out time during the day to do this. While we're seeing the scheduled patients during the day we perform scrubbing duties in between when and if time permits.
Because we're also responding to phone calls from patients, emails from patients and walk ins it's usually a struggle to get scrubbing done in time. Most of the time you finish just at the end of the day.
So we have two weight management clinics. The physician I work with is over one of them so it falls under my assigned duties automatically.
The other weight management physician was never given nursing staff. When this was all set up I spoke up and said that she should be given nursing staff. They told me not to attend the meetings going forward. Basically dismissing my suggestion!
Almost a year and a half later since that. The physician is now saying she needs nursing staff. They have her authorization to hire her nursing staff though.
So my supervisor approached me yesterday. He offered that I could stay after hours to do the scrubbing duties for her clinic and they'd pay me overtime.
My overtime rate is $51/hour. So even staying 1 hour 3 days a week that adds up pretty quick. So I told him sure I was willing to do it.
Then that's morning the supervisor sends an email saying they have budgeting issues and any overtime must be pre approved. I asked if this also included the scrubbing duties we had discussed.
His answer was yes and to hold off on doing the overtime and just try to do it during the day if I could.
Now remember every other nurse is required to cover their own clinic and that's it which is difficult to fit in already. But I'm being asked to not only cover scrubbing my own clinic but to cover that duty for an entire other clinic. Something no one else is being asked to do. I'm not getting paid more for it. I'm not being considered for a promotion for extra pay for it. Just a pat on the back and thanks.
Now even the physician who doesn't have coverage for her clinic says this isn't fair because I'm being asked to do double the work and getting nothing for it! Her opinion is that they should stick to the original deal as staffing shortage isn't my fault.
I made it clear there's no possible way that I could cover both physicians. The fact I advocated for her having her own staff only to be dismissed makes it even more insulting!
So the discussion now moved to comp time. Basically this is being compensated through time off. For every hour you work you get an hour of time off sometime later. The time off is at the discretion of the supervisor. Now mind you your losing money because comp time is still paid at regular rate. Overtime is paid at time and a half.