Comments on: Mandatory Overtime.. killing me softly

By: Col

Col — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:48:54 +0000

These sound like deplorable conditions and I agree that nothing good will come of these practices. My heart goes out to those employees that are fighting to feed and care for themselves and their families under these tasking and stressful conditions. I am fortunate. As stated in the initial post (written one and a half years ago now) I have reached my magic 80 and have recently retired. I simply could no longer work under these conditions, even at a profession I loved. I am just very thankful that I was able to stop the insanity.. at least for myself.

By: TVWadsworth

TVWadsworth — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:39:33 +0000

The irony is… for the past couple years I, as well as many other “factory workers” have also been joining you in these intolerable hours, no air conditioning, temps up to 120 degrees in the buildings, unclean, poorly ventilated, dust and toxic chemicals abounding…..working 70 to 85 hours per week with NO days off for MONTHS at a time… then maybe one holiday we get one day off and back to no days off again. I work with people who have had strokes, heart attacks, car accidents (fell asleep driving), nervous breakdowns, migraines, stress disorders, panic attacks…. the employers still insist it has nothing to do with the forced overtime. Corporate America following suite with working their employees to death, are causing even more work for the health care industry. Don’t think for a minute someone isn’t laughing all the way to the bank. But if something isn’t done soon, for all American workers in every industry, it can only get worse. I am not one to believe that killing our American employees is the way to solve our unemployment issues.

By: Linda

Linda — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:21:25 +0000

I work at a hospital in the operating room as a scrub tech. Several nights each week we are required to be on call. It is not uncommon to be there for over 20 hours at a time. Out of the 20 hours we are on our feet the entire time. There are times I have left the hospital and actually didn’t remember driving home. I don’t know the answer to this dilemma but I do know that we take the overtime because our wages are so low. It is the only way we make enough money. I just believe that having a union in place at the hospital would be the answer.

By: elizabeth nappo

elizabeth nappo — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:52:18 +0000

I live in ny where laws are to be enforced restiction mandatory ot….well I refused today and was fired after 12 years!!! sympathetic to all nurses but at times find the requirements brutal…killing me routinely with total disregard

By: Lora

Lora — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:34:33 +0000

I’m also a nurse and I totally understand what you’re going through. I’m also checking the hours each time I work evenings and worrying if we don’t have the staff for nights. I actually feel jealous when I find out the other nurses have medical “notes” to get out of doing mandatory and I don’t. We definitely need to address this issue at the next contract negotiations!! Reading the previous posts shocks me – there are places in the States where mandatory overtime is banned?!?! How come that is not being brought over here too?! What will it take for our union to make this a priority? Death of a patient due to an exhausted nurse who stressed to her employer that she really was too exhausted to work but they forced her anyways?

So yeah, for all the Manitoba nurses reading this, MAKE MANDATORY OVERTIME ONE OF THE ISSUES in the next contract negotiations!!!

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:09:55 +0000

Any time I have had to spend in hospital, the nursing staff has been amazing. Professional, kind and attentive. I am sorry that work can be such a strain on you and I feel like there is nothing I can do either. It is a difficult place to be. I worry that we will lose more and more good nurses because of the sad state of affairs in our health care system. Please know that we patients appreciate you all more than you can imagine.

By: chancy

chancy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:29:23 +0000

What a sorry state of affairs the forced mandatory overtime policy is.

It is unfair both to you and the patients. On an infrequent basis, such as a few times a year, it may not be too difficult, but to have the threat hanging over you all the time is bad.

Have you ever considered working in a doctor’s office as a nurse or physician’s assistant?

Here in Atlanta, our doctor has the most wonderful arrangement with his nurse. She is his assistant and whenever we call she answers the phone and gets right back to us with an answer from the doctor and instructions about coming in or medications. She makes his practice run smoothly for him and the patients.

And she gets to go home at 5 o’clock.

We lovingly refer to her as Doctor Joan. :)

By: It's all Good.

It's all Good. — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:28:10 +0000

This is exactly the kind of situation a union is supposed to address… if a patient’s care is at stake, the hospital needs to have a better system in place and shouldn’t be allowed to fall back on lame excuses like “pulling them out of a hat.” Unless they are trying to drive away their best employees, that is. Hang in there…

By: Carla

Carla — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:44:54 +0000

I didn’t know about this! I hate to see Winnipeg lose a good nurse and I know you love your profession. But I urge you to retire next year. You’ve done your best for the patients for over 30+ years. The constant worry and stress is not good for you. And let’s face it…none of us know how long we’re going to live. I hope you’ll start enjoying retirement as soon as you can.

By: jan

jan — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:32:10 +0000

I could never have done a 16 hour shift even in my younger, stronger days. This seems to be brutal on the nurses and dangerous for the patients. Of course there is a nurse shortage and it seems to me that it will continue as long as young people know the situation they will be training to fill. I hope you can find a better situation before you completely burn out. You should not be forced to work under these conditions in a job you love and are obviously good at.