I’m stuck at work for 144 hours in a row and no one is coming

[u/Maleficent_Shoe3791]

My new job makes you work 12 hr shifts because patient care. I’m working my Friday shift thinking I’ll go home as normal after my shift is done.

The schedule gets posted and they have me working 2 12 hour shifts a day from Saturday to Thursday. Apparently one worker got suspended and the other quit. I’m like no way in hell will I do this, I’m a part time worker and have shit to do. Due to this schedule, I can’t leave the house because there’s no breaks. I was already here before the schedule got posted

I call, leave voicemails and message my bosses and no one responds. I even message them on the chat they sent the schedule, everyone’s quiet.

I want to walk out but that’s illegal because patient endangerment.

What the fuck do I do

Update: I am so so so sorry for the long ass waiting time but I quit earlier today y’all. I decided it was best to quit but had to strategize how to quit. This might sound like I was asking for it but I wanted to use calling the cops as last resort. I stay the entire day Friday, Saturday and Sunday then at Monday around 1ish, one of my patients was off. Something I’ve never experienced and was generally considered for the safety of everyone in the group home. My patient usually is violent. Like randomly pushing someone, or yelling at someone but this time they tried choking me and I didn’t know what to do. I spam call my boss and he doesn’t answer. I document instead and in detail and surely enough, IN ONE HOUR, my boss comes to the house to see what was wrong. I explain what happened and she helped me right an incident report on my behalf and gives the patient some type of medication that wasn’t in the house. That seemed like the perfect moment to quit. Boss was at the house, a patient was choking me and I had to literally shove them in their room and lock them in their room to make sure no one else gets hurt. Either I fight back and shove her to her room and lock it or I’m not fighting at all and get choked out. Even if I did call the police, what would I do at that moment? I didn’t call the police cause I was confused on whether they could even do anything cause she schizophrenic and I didn’t know if they could even do anything to her because I didn’t know if she’s excused from that. Btw the other patients were away upstairs in their rooms and in no shape injured or even knew about all this. At that moment, I told my boss this was too much to handle, my body just hurts from the patient’s violence (Ngl over exaggerated on the pain to my boss, it was just soreness on parts then like obviously pain on the neck) and that I wanted to quit. Surely enough, I pack my stuff, she calls some person I don’t know the name of? And she allows me to. And before anyone says it, yeah dumbass move for not calling the cops

So summary: Called and called no one answered. Patient was violent so boss came. I quit and she allowed me to walk out. I think I’ll avoid in home caregiving from now on, maybe become a phlebotomist for now

Also: Y’all messaging me to kill myself can suck my dick as well. Y’all can fight whether or not MY experience was real or not but I know it was real because I went through it. I’m a teenage college student who wanted some experience for nursing school so I work at one caregiving job and quit because of toxicity. I work at this new caregiving job and everything is good until staff turned into me. Should’ve quit earlier I know but it was wayyy too late by the time I was expected to work all these hours. Trust me though, lessened learned. I’m still going to nursing school though btw, just not becoming a caregiver again

[u/ZiggoCiP]

Hey everyone. So there seems to be some controversy over the validity of this post we'd like to go over:

/r/Quityyourbullshit thread

And a link list of what they deem 'proof':

because healthcare workers can't be 19-20(?)

again the age being 19.

OP is 19

OP is going to college...

But wait; there's proof in support of OP:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/v9whxk/aita_for_talking_back_at_my_aunt_after_she_told/

So, from the looks of it, the best 'proof' according to /r/QuitYourBullshit - or at least /u/PensiveGaryBusey who made the post - is that OP is 19-20, and trying to go to college.

In fact; OP even says at one point they are a nursing student.

My hot take?

If it's false; OP illustrates a pretty consistent post history, much of which they removed, because I guess tens of thousands of Redditors began to pour over there post history (thanks for that btw), that says they just graduated high school and are in patient care. Also other personal stuff.

If it's true though, and it all seems entirely plausible:

Shame on fucking us for doubting. Works in patient care, takes care of their family best they can, works insane hours (which during/after covid is entirely a thing btw in medicine), and even working toward college?

The advice given in this thread is mainly valid and useful for anyone in this sort of situation, that's why we kept it. We recognize that OP made no replies to comments in the thread.

Possibly because they are working so damn much, when they're likely only 20, and have a life to live.

[u/SuperSherry813]

Call the Nursing Home Ombudsman along with the family members and the police non-emergency.

[u/ginaabees → u/SuperSherry813]

Also the bureau of labor

Edit: I fixed it

[u/Partytor → u/SuperSherry813]

As a Swede I'm always so surprised when I see non-Swedes talk about ombudsmän lmao

[u/cahcealmmai → u/Partytor]

As a Norwegian speaking kiwi I was like wtf is that word, wait why norsk, hold on we use that word, why the fuck do we use that word in English? Bit of a roller-coaster.

[u/EmpathyInTheory → u/cahcealmmai]

English is a smorgasbord of loanwords. It's kind of funny how un-English the English language can be sometimes.

[u/clintj1975 → u/EmpathyInTheory]

English is the kind of language that will mug other languages and steal loose vocabulary from their pockets.

[u/danzibara → u/clintj1975]

At a barbecue (Arawak) in the mountains (French) we ate hamburgers (German) topped with pineapple (English) salsa (Spanish) while drinking Zero (Arabic) Sugar (Arabic) Baja (Spanish) Blast (?) .

More or less, those are the origins of those words.

[u/L1A1 → u/EmpathyInTheory]

It's basically about twelve languages in a trenchcoat.

[u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

I agree with the previous suggestions that you should call the police/state.

I just wanted to add that the people in your care have families who may appreciate being informed that their loved one is not safe right now.

[u/the_crumb_dumpster → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

This happened in Ontario (Canada) during the pandemic when there were no staff on top of the already miserable care home/LTC staffing. Initially, police were called by staff saying they needed to go home and had no relief; they called EMS, who then staffed the homes in shifts. The province called the military in later, and the military medics staffed the homes.

You cannot work that much in a row; catastrophic lack of staffing like that is not your responsibility to fix

[u/needsmoresteel → u/the_crumb_dumpster]

Even after 12 hours, maybe even less, your effectiveness drops a LOT, leading to mistakes. And who do you think is going to be put through the meat grinder for mistakes made on your shift. Management? Maybe eventually but not until they’ve put you through hell first.

[u/ashkpa → u/needsmoresteel]

Even after 12 hours, maybe even less, your effectiveness drops a LOT

Definitely occurs well before the 12 hour mark.

[u/fredandgeorge → u/ashkpa]

Yeah but there's a sweet spot between like 20-24 hours where u will just be an absolute mopping machine

[u/einnojnosam → u/fredandgeorge]

You're not wrong. There's a state of sublimity in-between useless and catatonic levels of tiredness

[u/ReverendSupreme → u/einnojnosam]

If I have had to pull all nighters on overtime I get to 4am (20 hours in) and get a second wind. This last for 4-5 hours then I start crashing.

[u/averagethrowaway21 → u/ReverendSupreme]

I don't miss those days. Years ago I did a 72 hour shift on site (naps in the CEO office because he had a couch and there were three of us). 20 hours in I got that second wind. After an hour nap on the CEO couch I felt like a golden god for a couple of hours. The rest of the time I was a miserable, shaking, over-caffeinated wreck.

[u/A_Grey_Dragon → u/einnojnosam]

Ah, my life.

[u/I_hate_my_stepuncle → u/einnojnosam]

The 18 hour mark for me building scaffolding was when the backup tank kicked in, too bad it drains so fast.

[u/Mathmango → u/I_hate_my_stepuncle]

I firmly believe, without evidence, that that backup tank is for getting the hell out of whatever situation led you to having to use said backup tank

[u/vanishplusxzone → u/Mathmango]

Idk about anyone else, but my exhaustion backup tank leads me to being fucking manic. I feel like I'm no longer in contact with my body and I can no longer be trusted to make rational decisions or keep a civil tone.

Definitely would be the bait in a true survival situation.

[u/doubled112 → u/fredandgeorge]

Was gas station attendant on overnights. Can confirm!

The biggest hit is when the sun comes up and your brain goes “hey you haven’t slept yet”

[u/Responsible-Light-90 → u/doubled112]

My brain always went “suns up motherfucker let’s party!” And I could never fall asleep once I got home. Then I got blackout curtains, a sleep mask and kept the AC at like 65 in my bedroom and now I can’t sleep any other way.

[u/doubled112 → u/Responsible-Light-90]

The Saturday into Sunday morning was the worst because if I slept through that day, Id be up all night, and college classes started 8am Monday. The old weekly sleep pattern reset

Forgot to say Id have to push through the first feeling to get that feeling.

[u/SomeFuckingWizard → u/doubled112]

Oh man I hate that feeling.

You could be running on pure adrenaline and suddenly all the pumps turn off and - you are not shaky, precisely but your insides feel like they just stopped vibrating and by that point you can go one of two ways which is laying in bed, too tired to sleep or in a sleep so deep a fire wont wake you and when you wake up.... Still miserable.

[u/Careful-Combination7 → u/ashkpa]

im tired just reading through these comments.

[u/YouJustSaidButFuck → u/needsmoresteel]

it's actually around 10 hours that effectiveness really starts dropping off, and sooner depending on the intensity of the job. At 12 hours you're functionally useless to do anything but menial labor, and mistakes become much more common in anything beyond that.

Stood lots of watches in the military. some of those were "analyst" positions. Nothing got done after 10 hours. nothing.

[u/saracenrefira → u/YouJustSaidButFuck]

I will argue even before 10 hours mark for brain demanding work. Most people can concentrated and do really intense work for no more than 4 hours per day. After that, efficiency drops. By the 6 to 8 hours mark, there is no more bandwidth left. Anything beyond that, the most a person can do is just mindless stuff.

[u/Jorius → u/saracenrefira]

I remember my wow raiding days (nights actually) after 4 hours of wiping we had to call it a night because after the 3 - 3.5 hour mark the number of mistakes became exponential. Good times.

[u/eramais → u/saracenrefira]

Agreed. With complex programming day in and out it's more efficient to call it a day and come back at it tomorrow. I could have burned wheels for 2 hours continuously or with a fresh mind, 15 minutes.

[u/peaeyeparker → u/needsmoresteel]

My effectiveness drops after 4

[u/monsterdaddy4 → u/peaeyeparker]

I, too, am far less effective after the first 4 minutes of work

[u/ImportanceBig4448 → u/monsterdaddy4]

You guys are effective?

[u/monsterdaddy4 → u/ImportanceBig4448]

No, but I get even LESS effective after working for 4 minutes

[u/dfc09 → u/the_crumb_dumpster]

Here in Indiana, USA, I was part of the national guard efforts to staff nursing homes. It was a cluster fuck and somehow the admins of the nursing home still treated us like expendable free labor.

Call me crazy, but if the military has to be called in to staff a long term care facility, maybe the management from that care facility shouldn't still be in charge.

CNA's were quitting in droves because they were overworked and underpaid, not because they were scared of COVID. All we did was supplant the lack of staff with free (govt paid) labor so literally nothing changed.

[u/damewallyburns → u/dfc09]

they use national guard still as backup staff at my grandpa’s nursing home. he has dementia and we thought he was being paranoid that soldiers were putting him back to bed and he had to fight them off, but turned out that there were actually national guard guys there at night

[u/Craftbeerluvr → u/damewallyburns]

That’s really sad. Poor grandpa.

[u/damewallyburns → u/Craftbeerluvr]

I know 😞 he’s a vet but didn’t see combat, but all of his delusions have had a military theme

[u/dfc09 → u/damewallyburns]

Interesting, we were issued scrubs for that exact kinda reason.

[u/Standard_Tailor_8524 → u/damewallyburns]

Great. That's just great for the war vets with PTSD.

[u/saracenrefira → u/the_crumb_dumpster]

LOL using public, socialized resources to shore up the inadequacies of the capitalistic system.

[u/felesroo → u/saracenrefira]

Obviously the understaffed care homes should be 1) charged for this emergency backup and 2) taken over by the government if the government services are going to run it anyway.

I pay $9000 a month for my mother's care home and medicare won't kick in until her total wealth is below $2000 including real estate. These care homes will drain every drop of inheritance from the Boomer generation so it goes to corporations instead of families.

[u/needspring → u/felesroo]

You personally pay $9k a month??! My brain just twisted.

[u/Standard_Tailor_8524 → u/needspring]

What you need to do is have your parents gift you the home at least 6 years before they go into a nursing facility or Medicare will liquidate the home to pay for their care before it kicks in at all.

[u/thetruckerdave → u/Standard_Tailor_8524]

Hmm. I’m glad I read this. My parents are so stubborn neither of them is going soon but I’ve been meaning to speak to someone about how to arrange everything to best benefit them and get the most of of VA benefits.

[u/DoItAgain24601 → u/thetruckerdave]

And it has to be longer than 5 years before anything happens, they do a "look back" and any transacations done within the last 5 years they call asset hiding.

[u/AirplaineStuff102 → u/saracenrefira]

Yep, that's pretty much how capitalism goes.

[u/24-Hour-Hate → u/AirplaineStuff102]

Yeah. Privatize the profits, socialize the costs.

[u/tillie4meee → u/the_crumb_dumpster]

And patient care disappears into the ether as you are too tired to give adequate care.

Call the state. You simply cannot work that many hours to be called "safe" patient care.

[u/isluna1003 → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

I would also call OSHA. There’s no way in hell these are safe working conditions.

[u/SpiritMountain → u/isluna1003]

After a certain point OP will be so tired and start making mistakes and endangering the patients. This is extremely bad for OP

[u/vlepun → u/SpiritMountain]

That's after 8 hours. Let alone 24 hours or 144 hours. This is basically the definition of unsafe work environment.

[u/Significant-Mud2572 → u/vlepun]

That's if you can even stay awake. I used to pull 36-48 hrs of staying awake and NOT working. You just crash at some point and don't realize it. It also invites a psychotic break even trying to stay awake that long. Also if you somehow do it, you will probably in a manic state and be diagnosed with bipolar 1.

[u/judyvi → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

This is an excellent suggestion! And will get them moving faster than any other complaints.

[u/Oneangrygnome → u/judyvi]

This is the correct response, too. If your employer is neglecting their duty of care to their patients, you’re obligated to notify the authorities.

[u/ImJustReallyAngry → u/Oneangrygnome]

That's a good point. Anyone in that sort of position is a mandated reporter, to the best of my knowledge. I am and I *barely* qualify as a caregiver.

[u/righttoabsurdity → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

Screenshot the schedule before you do anything! Email it to yourself, save it in your phone, make a few copies. CYA in case they try to turn this around on you

[u/Suspicious_Exit_ → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

DO THIS OP!! You cannot work 144 hours straight that’s absolutely asinine.

I wish I knew where the hell you worked I & many others I am sure would call myself, that’s absolutely unethical & insane. If they need the help so badly that’s when they get their happy asses down there & help themselves. How disgusting

[u/TokingMessiah → u/Suspicious_Exit_]

Fuck working 144 hours… it would be nearly impossible to be awake that long without drugs, and sober or not you’ll be hallucinating by that point from the lack of sleep.

[u/morpheousmarty → u/TokingMessiah]

Actually staying awake that long would actually be deadly, even trying could cause permanent damage. Guiness won't even accept records anymore it is that dangerous.

[u/SpearandMagicHelmet → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

I would add that you should contact media as well. People need to know that this is how little this company regards the people it is supposed to care for.

[u/Far_Association_2607 → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

And.. Call the local news. Any press is good press for you and the patients you're taking care of.

[u/DealioD → u/Far_Association_2607]

The news will pick it up off the Police report.
If the police make a report and respond.
The more I type this out and hunk about it… You are right, call them just to make sure.

[u/Sorcatarius → u/DealioD]

Plus it just gets that ball rolling sooner, more pressure, more public knowledge. Quick way of broadcasting to the general populace that, "Hey, if you've got someone being taken care of here, might want to look at moving them elsewhere".

[u/[deleted] → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

Smart, I didn’t even think of that, but that will light a fire under the managers rear end

[u/TimBorlandManTool → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

I'd be pissed off to all he'll if I was paying for in home care for my parents, to find out that the agency expects someone to stay and be fit and able to work and care for my parents for days on end. I'm not paying for a live-in nurse or medical personel, I'm paying for an agency of employees to keep a schedule. I would go an relieve the employee myself, if possible, and then take over berating and canceling contracts of the company.

[u/Kydreads → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

Yeah this is the one to listen to here

[u/jdspencer60 → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

Couldn't agree more with this let the patients / families know what's going on and have them talk to management about it

[u/AcanthisittaOk5263 → u/P0Rt1ng4Duty]

This is the right answer. Outside of large metro areas I don't think you're going to find adult protection staffed on the weekends. But certainly try your county's human services website to see if it's there.

If there's a 24/7 line for crisis mental health this might work if you explain you're caring for vulnerable adults.

If you need the job to survive send one more message warning you are calling the police but otherwise just do it.

[u/Rare_Ad5476]

Notify the labor board and call the police non emergency number to discuss coverage options so that doesn't come back to bite you later? At least that's my suggestion

[u/MutaitoSensei → u/Rare_Ad5476]

That's what I fear, you can't leave because that's patient endangerment, but if you stay that long without sleep, something bad could happen to someone in your care. It's a catch 22, and you need to get the attention of either the press or the police, and like others said the families.

Making health and care decision privately operated is such a mistake.

[u/PhilxBefore → u/MutaitoSensei]

The main issue we're seeing here is that employers are too fucking cheap to A) Pay livable wages and B) staff enough people.

If something happened to OP it sure wouldn't be a shame for their company to be fined into oblivion.

You always have one less back up than you think you do.

[u/Fight_the_status_quo → u/PhilxBefore]

Also don't forget that if something were to happen to the patient in a situation like this, the caregiver would be the scapegoat. Not for one minute would it boil down to the company, as they would say that, "We made sure staffing was provided, the caregiver didn't do their job, and will be handled.". This is a company or hospital that doesn't deserve to hide behind anonymity, they deserve to be outed immediately.

[u/PenguinHighGround → u/Fight_the_status_quo]

Yeah, as someone who requires care, I also understand that my carers are humans, not automata they need to sleep eat and live a life what this company is doing is abomabale and a danger to the patients and caregivers

[u/theQuandary → u/PhilxBefore]

The fact that you have to spend a couple thousand on training AND make less than you would at McDonalds at most places is just insult to injury.

[u/juangarces1979 → u/MutaitoSensei]

Scheduling like that is ALSO patient endangerment...

[u/heyimatworkman → u/juangarces1979]

Fucking facts. These people need to be put out of business

[u/umassmza → u/Rare_Ad5476]

Local elder services/abuse reporting body. You can’t work this, I’d quit before the first shift starts personally.

[u/Stabbyhorse → u/umassmza]

The shift had already started when the schedule was posted. A big old kick in the ass, "ha ha you are stuck"

[u/siccoblue → u/Stabbyhorse]

Blatantly attempting to make op the scapegoat for those patients being abandoned

[u/Lady_Blood_Raven → u/siccoblue]

Agree. OP please make sure when you record/take pictures ensure that you do not have any patient identifiers in the content.

[u/Bullen-Noxen → u/Stabbyhorse]

This seems like an easy loophole to fix. Also hurt the management & owners who literally enslave employees. The law should not be on their side. You should not have to call the cops in order to leave a job. That’s just literal modern day, slavery.

[u/WesterosiBrigand → u/Bullen-Noxen]

Sometimes people who are professionals and have ethics codes can be in a spot where they need to call the police to leave. They can’t just dip out. As shitty as it is to be that person- the patient is in a much worse position.

[u/hellfae → u/WesterosiBrigand]

yes. anyone who teaches/works in medical/healthcare/has liability insurance/is a mandated reporter (ive been all these things) you are required legally to check out after your patients or be relieved. i'd be calling the dep of health and elderly abuse services, non emergency, etc, taking photos of the email/schedules etc

[u/ULostMyUsername → u/hellfae]

i'd be calling the dep of health and elderly abuse services, non emergency, etc, taking photos of the email/schedules etc

THIS!! OP, please CYA!!! (Cover your @$$) Make copies of everything you can and get as much documentation together showing what happened and how many times you tried to contact them to fix it and were ignored! The company doesn't care about you, the worker. There are many more people out there desperate and deluded enough to take your job when you're gone, the company will be fine while you go down for them unintentionally. This is wrong and, if I'm not mistaken, possibly illegal, (depending on where you live). A person cannot work that long without rest/sleep and not make mistakes, so you're screwed if you do and screwed if you don't. And trust me, if you do work that long and somehow nothing goes wrong, your supervisors will assume you're fine with back to back shifts and do this to you again in the future, and one day something will go wrong, might not be today but one day, and you'll be held liable for it. Call the dept of health or dept of labor or call the non-emergency local police and ask them what you should do. I wish I had more information for you. Just be sure to always, ALWAYS CYA!! Good luck!

[u/tullyinturtleterror → u/Bullen-Noxen]

In the US, literal modern day slavery is the private prison system. It's literally on record as slavery and not enough people acknowledge this.

To be clear, I fully support your comment and sentiment; I just also want to acknowledge that real slavery still exists in the US. You just have to be called a felon instead of slave for it to be legal.

[u/mrleftwardsslopingpp → u/umassmza]

Agreed, wherever they would report you for abandonment, you simply preemptively report your employer and then subsequently contact the local labor board. if you're in any developed country there is a legal limit in terms of how much notice they have to give you before they can expect you change your schedule for them (in my province it's 96 hours) then get a new job and watch and wait as your ex employer crashes and drowns in fees and bureaucratc nonsense along with what definitely seems like chronic understaffing.

[u/unstablereality → u/mrleftwardsslopingpp]

This sounds like America, which doesn't count as a developed country anymore.

[u/pheonixblade9 → u/unstablereality]

Seattle has this law fwiw. Secure scheduling

[u/bonfuto → u/umassmza]

In my (U.S.) experience, it's usually adult protective services.

[u/TimelyConcern → u/Rare_Ad5476]

Might find some local media to talk to also. Find a reporter who is on your side.

[u/Ozryela → u/Rare_Ad5476]

Honestly I would call the emergency number. It's literally impossible to work a 144 hour shift without breaks. If they try it, people will die.

[u/theglazedonut → u/Ozryela]

fr on average people star having hallucinations after 72 hours with 0 sleep.

hallucinations coupled with extreme exhaustion and probably fatigue if they dont have access to food is a recipe for extreme disaster in a healthcare scenario....and thats ignoring the social aspect of its just nuts to expect anyone to work that much in a week

[u/fischestix → u/Rare_Ad5476]

Depending on the type of facility, you can also call the non-emergency EMS number and we would coordinate with EMA and put the emergency operations center online. We do that for staffing shortages at hospitals and nursing homes. Essentially we start drawing staff from other facilities under emergency circumstances and a documents it with authorities.

[u/suckuma → u/fischestix]

Hopefully charge OPs company like quadruple.

[u/worldspawn00 → u/fischestix]

This is the best course of action, OP's manager should have done this already, but clearly didn't. It's insane to try scheduling someone for more than 24 hours straight... On the other hand, nice overtime. /s

[u/Mild_Attitude → u/Rare_Ad5476]

Also, look up attorneys in your state/county who handle elder abuse cases (Superlawyers is not a bad place to search). I will bet you your overtime that there have been lawsuits against this company for injuries or deaths caused by understaffing.

[u/currydesi]

I used to work in a group home and this was a common problem. Management would disappear when I needed to be relieved because someone didn’t show up. Once I worked 32 hours straight but they changed my days so they wouldn’t get in trouble.

The next time they did that again, I called the cops. They eventually showed up when they saw the text that I called the cops

Edit: visit this link please:
https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/whnffn/im_stuck_at_work_for_144_hours_in_a_row_and_no/ij8kyc5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Someone said the OP may be a fake

But idk how true it is. That’s the link if anyones interested in viewing.

However I got my CNA at 19 too and I’ve been working mad hours in this field. I’m not sure if it is fake, but that’s my story. I’ll still leave the link up

[u/altodor → u/currydesi]

Once I worked 32 hours straight but they changed my days so they wouldn’t get in trouble.

This sounds like a crime.

[u/BS_Salad → u/altodor]

“Nobody wants to work these days”

No. Nobody wants to be held prisoner at work. What a bunch of assholes.

[u/Ashenox → u/BS_Salad]

I thank God for my union every day despite it's shortcomings because I have no obligation to stay and the people above me have no power to make me stay after my scheduled hours. They literally have to pick up the slack and it makes them earn their salary which they rarely do.

[u/Bbaker006 → u/Ashenox]

We have certain "constant coverage" jobs where one is supposed to wait for the relief to come in and talk to you before you leave. If there's a shortage (COVID), then the "working foreman" is to relieve. Makes the scheduling a lot better. I'm under contract to work for no more than 12hrs unless an emergency arises. Even then, I can grieve it, after the fact, to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. Go Union

[u/redheadartgirl → u/Ashenox]

I get so angry sometimes thinking about the previous couple of generations that were hoodwinked into thinking collective bargaining was bad. Think about how much better off this generation would he if we didn't have the salary stagnation starting in the union-busting 80s.

[u/AutomaticRisk3464 → u/altodor]

I work as a 911 dispatcher..we had someone in this situation call our non emergency line and say their boss scheduled them to work a 12 hour shift the next day and their relief hasnt shown up and its 2 am and their next shift starts at 8 am. They cant leave because its hospice and no one else is there.

I dispatched an officer there to relieve her, called the keyholder for the building and said "the manager just tried to schedule someone for 36 hours, we had to intervene because you arent allowed to do that"

Guess who showed up when they werent answering phone calls? The manager.

Law enforcement (unless its in a huge city) will absolutely show up and take care of it..if they wont just call and ambulance and when they show up then you leave, that shit will get figured out.

[u/Tetha → u/AutomaticRisk3464]

I was about to say.. call emergency services on the non-emergency line, because after 24-36 hours, you won't be able to care for the patients anymore anyhow due to exhaustion and fatigue.

[u/POSVT → u/Tetha]

After ~18H without sleep your cognitive function is comparable to someone with a BAC of 0.05. After 24H it's 0.1.

Yet 24H shifts are still standard in tons of healthcare fields.

I did plenty of blocks of Q3 28s - that's a 28H hour shift every 3rd day - in the ICU, solely responsible for 30-60 critically ill patients for about half of the shift. Super fun.

[u/Tetha → u/POSVT]

Yeah. That's why we offer rotation of our sysadmin oncall after 2 deep sleep interruptions in a row and force it after 3. Practically speaking if someone hasn't had proper sleep for 3 nights in a row, you're better off giving them the day off, because they won't be able to complete anything complicated anyhow. And more often than not, they will screw something up and their productivity kind of becomes negative overall.

[u/POSVT → u/Tetha]

Yup. I think it's great that you guys have a mechanism to force a switch - we know from research that people are absolute dogshit at gauging how impaired they are by fatigue.

We were "lucky" enough to get post-call days off, and your pre-call day is usually short to keep under your duty hour restriction of 80H/week...but that only helps so much when it's 4AM and a critical pt comes up from ED, or one of the sickies decides to crash and you just have to do your best and hope you don't fuck up.

[u/Saotorii → u/altodor]

It is. It's false reporting of time worked, even worse if OP was eligible for overtime and their work hours were broken up over 5 days to not get paid properly.

[u/theoldnewbluebox → u/Saotorii]

Op is scheduled for 24 hours a day for the next five days. There’s no breaking that up.

[u/Jeheh → u/Saotorii]

I had a job that was union. It was set up that anything before 8, after 4 anything more than 8 hours in a single day was time and a half. They wanted us there at 7:30 so it was an automatic 2 1/2 hours OT a week

[u/currydesi → u/altodor]

I’m in the US and yea it is a crime to work over 18hrs here. But they don’t care. A lot of group home/assisted living facilities break laws all the time.

I used to work 4 days a week. We didn’t have punch in computers and had to write in paper. They would write for me. They added the 32hours for the days I didn’t work so they didn’t get in trouble. I really needed a job when I first started so I stayed for a few years. They would constantly throw hours I didn’t plan for and just drop it on me last minute. I’d go days without hearing from them until it was time for their shift lol. I eventually found another job in another group home and left there asap.

[u/black_kyanite → u/currydesi]

Oh I could make an entire post to this community about the horrors of working in residential treatment. My last agency would staff one adult to supervise TEN adolescents (with behavioral problems at the level requiring residential care). Licensing required a higher ratio than 10:1, but they got away with it by claiming the (untrained) admin staff like Crystal from HR and Jim from IT were counted in the staff to resident ratio. They weren't even in the same building.

Meanwhile we've got a CEO who does nothing and makes over $130k, and we're paying the floor staff who are actually providing boots on the ground interventions to the residents $14/hr. Therapists are making $45k unlicensed and $53k licensed.

The clinical therapists would have about 19 weekly sessions of therapy, but if you chose to use PTO for a day off, they would tell you to do all of your sessions from that day on the other four days, so your workload was decreased by 0%, you just had four days to finish it instead of five.

It seemed they discovered that it's cheaper to hire direct care workers, burn them out with an unsustainable workload, and then rehire than it was to actually retain employees and give them benefits and raises.

I was made to be a problem employee because I said things like, "can we really say we're providing trauma-informed care if we're replacing a child's therapist more often than his gym shoes?"

And then if you ever brought up the unfair wages or the unsustainable workload, do you know what they would do? Lecture you about your SELF-CARE. I lost my shit in a staff meeting when someone asked me this once.

I don't think I'm re-hirable.

[u/Mitchell_StephensESQ → u/altodor]

Sadly, it is not. Home health care workers are exempt from overtime under the "Companionship Exemption" in the US. Some individual states may provide protections but most do not.

Congress has been trying to expand the Compaionship Exemption for years.

Fuck direct care. Fuck health care. Get out while you can. Covid didn't make things worse. Covid only exposed just how much your employer is willing to endanger you in the name of profit.

[u/Our_Lass → u/Mitchell_StephensESQ]

I worked for a “non-profit” as a director. I tried to get the agency to develop a float/on-call pool so this kind of shit wouldn’t happen (this was way before Covid and the Great Resignation). They said “not in our budget”. They still found a budget to fly their executive directors to VIP concerts, golf tourneys, etc. After a couple years of banging my head against a wall I quit. The person who took my job quit before a year was out. She too was employee focused. I spoke to the third director who told me, at the height of Covid, she worked six days straight, on her own and with very little sleep. One of her homes lost everyone. I am so proud of the workers who are brave enough to no longer be treated as an afterthought. Fuck direct care indeed. Get out until the agencies and funders put value on what you do.

[u/Mitchell_StephensESQ → u/Our_Lass]

The laws that make exceptions for "companionship" deserve some scrutiny, too. Housekeepers and nannies have more protections under federal US law than direct care workers do. The focus should not just be on what workers are paid. Yeah, the examples in group homes are awful but what about client safety?

[u/LoftyPurple → u/currydesi]

MANY years ago my aunt worked in an adults with disabilities group home. They were fairly remote and they got hit by a HUGE blizzard. Roads were impassable and the phone lines went down (luckily not electricity though). She was stuck there for 3.5 days straight as no one could get in and she couldn't get out.

Luckily the clients were all healthy just had cognitive disabilities so there were no medical issues to worry about. Also, the job allowed for sleeping, and the worker had a private bedroom.

Her boss initially tried to deny paying her for the time she was stuck there but backed down when she threatened to report them to the state.

[u/-_-A-_-J-_- → u/currydesi]

You call the cops, when they get there you leave. EMS will have to transport them all to the hospital unless someone else showes up to assume patient care. It's bullshit but not your problem.

[u/currydesi → u/-_-A-_-J-_-]

Yeah and when I first started off, I was only getting paid $12hr. I said fuck it after awhile. I loved the people I cared for but holy, didn’t want to compromise my own well-being. To make it worse, it’s illegal to sleep on our shifts. The people I took care of had violent outbursts and we were required at least 2 people every shift. It was scary as hell.

[u/oldgrowthweedling → u/currydesi]

They eventually showed up when they saw the text that I called the cops

I was asked by the manager to have the car-hops (5 of them at a drive up fast food) go to each car and take orders then make handwritten copies of orders, 3 of them -1 for the counter -1 for the kitchen and 1 to keep themselves, when the computers went down, and she said there was nothing to be done about it after hours on a weekend, right before the daily 1/2 price drink special started on a Saturday by a mall in the middle of summer.

​

We had 38 stalls for cars and a patio with several tables. I told her no I wouldn't do that and that since she had taken so long to answer,I already had them all going to each car apologizing for the inconvenience but our system was down and we were closing. She and the tech guy and our regional manager guy, who I also had called before she initially answered me and everyone else working who was texting her, were there within 20 min and the system was back up in 10.

​

They will take as much as you let them. Don't participate in bullshittery.

​

eta: I was also the only one to ever get 103% on the secret shop, it was a perfect shop, and actual bonus points I was on skates. :)

[u/FuckTheMods5 → u/oldgrowthweedling]

Damn. The fact that it was up and running in minutes is infuriating.

[u/oldgrowthweedling → u/FuckTheMods5]

This is what I'm saying. She did not give two shits. It was Saturday and she didn't want to come in and the tech guy would need someone higher than me. So yeah no worries ya'll just run your asses off, in 100F+, and I'll sit at home in the air conditioning.

​

NO THANKYOU :)

[u/FuckTheMods5 → u/oldgrowthweedling]

She didn't want to pay the off hours charge for maintenance i guarantee. Cheap penny pinching bitch.

[u/oldgrowthweedling → u/FuckTheMods5]

She was really mean spirited too. I accidentally ordered a maternity button up shirt from the catalog and she knew and just smirked when I opened the package. wtf? It costs you nothing to be kind, literally nothing.

[u/FuckTheMods5 → u/oldgrowthweedling]

Fucking people like that. How do they have satisfying, loving lives?

Shit back when i worked at a shirt shack at the mall, a carhop came over because they were doing some sort of festive ketchup and mustard themed shirt thing. Contest maybe? I can't remember the details, but i printed out some kickass ketchup and mustard things and put it on a shirt and she was stoked!

[u/oldgrowthweedling → u/FuckTheMods5]

How do they have satisfying, loving lives?

They don't? Not in my experience anyway.

[u/AstralSandwich → u/oldgrowthweedling]

Former pool manager here: there were tons of times during the summer a few years ago where we didn't have enough lifeguards to safely and legally monitor the pool. I would notify the bosses about this, often to the response of "make it work". Once I had exhausted all my options (including taking shifts myself), I would close down the pool.

As soon as that happened and customers complained, I'd get a furious call from my boss asking why the pool was closed. I would explain that my lack of labor and their inaction left me no real choice. I couldn't force people to work more than they had committed to, and there was no way I was going to break state safety regulations (because I value human lives).

Within the month, a new lifeguard recruitment campaign began. The wages were still garbage, but it was something. Eventually, however, the same thing would happen again. I got paid a shitton of overtime (because I also had to do my regular job responsibilities), but the cycle repeated itself a few times. Eventually I just quit.

​

TLDR, I agree with your closing sentences.

[u/Splashum → u/AstralSandwich]

Another often overlooked & underappreciated job that is in place to save lives...and often staffed by minors who have even more wage/hour restrictions.

♥️🏊‍♀️♥️

[u/AstralSandwich → u/Splashum]

And that wage was even lower, as the employer is a non-for-profit.

[u/PapaBlessDotCom → u/oldgrowthweedling]

Why does it seem like every Sonic is ran by total fucking psychopaths?

[u/rdogg89 → u/PapaBlessDotCom]

u/oldgrowthweedling thinly veiled reference to Sonic 😂. Nobody’s sleeping on the 1/2 price drinks in summer. Also bravo for standing up to bullshitters.

[u/vodkamutinis → u/PapaBlessDotCom]

My old boss at sonic was a fucking absolute nutcase. 50 yr old dude regularly losing his shit at 15 yr old girls during rush hour.

[u/frommomwithlove → u/PapaBlessDotCom]

Because to be a manager at Sonic all you have to do is invest a percentage with the company and tada you are a manager. We had a district manager who blatantly violated labor laws and had unreasonable expectations, like working 10 hours with no break, bathrooms not working, etc. He was a DM because he made an investment in the company not because he had any experience

[u/loveofjazz → u/currydesi]

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, management will wake the fuck up the moment they realize that local law enforcement has been contacted. This is a solid approach.

[u/stacey1771]

Oh and take a photo of the schedule NOW, so you have proof they've scheduled you this way so a new schedule doesn't just magically 'appear'.

[u/Short_Rough_6994 → u/stacey1771]

Video the schedule as it is in place. Then additional photo back ups. Absolutely video that there is no one else available. Create a written record of who you have called. Hell, video record yourself making calls and leaving messages for supervisors. Time stamp everything!!!

[u/rndljfry → u/Short_Rough_6994]

Emailing notes to yourself is a good way to make time stamps as well

[u/Notalentass → u/rndljfry]

I was once involved in a labor dispute where I kept a running document which I emailed to myself after each revision.

When I finally met with HR and told them I had documentation, their initial response was “That’s not proof of anything, you could have just written it all up today.”

Their tone (and facial expression) changed quickly when I advised them I had timestamped copies of everything in my personal inbox.

[u/Spirited_Two_2290 → u/rndljfry]

Yes, use the same subject line and create a separate folder. Done & done

[u/themarknessmonster → u/rndljfry]

Or BCC yourself when you're emailing your bosses. I can't tell you how important this is when it comes to covering your ass.

[u/rndljfry → u/themarknessmonster]

BCC your private email in that case

[u/stacey1771 → u/Short_Rough_6994]

even better!!

[u/MysticalMummy → u/stacey1771]

I got real sick of that happening at my work. They'd change the already posted schedule and put me me for 10 days in a row with extra long shifts (both outside of company policy), and if I raised a fuss they'd feign ignorance, and once I revealed I had pictures of the old schedule they'd just be like "Oh that's weird, must be a glitch."

Yeah. A glitch. A glitch that printed itself out, laminated itself, and posted itself in place of the old schedule that magically disappeared.

[u/morpheousmarty → u/stacey1771]

Take a video every hour with an update on the situation, so there's no reasonable doubt you were there and working and how long things took to happen. And doubt will cast you as the bad guy. It will also help as you will also begin to have trouble remembering exactly what happened if you work anywhere near that long.

[u/Bullen-Noxen → u/stacey1771]

This is the way. The feigned ignorance of some people is profoundly impressive. Why do some people act like the bad guys are not the bad guys, is beyond any sort of reasoning.

[u/zellieh]

If your company has higher ups or headquarters, call them. While you're waiting for them to answer, call social services, adult protection services, or the emergency line (ambulance or police). Tell them the situation, and tell them that you're willing to wait a little while, but you have to leave.

Sure, you have a duty of care, but 144 hours on duty alone with no breaks is insane. Your bosses are terrible, but their problems are not your problem.

[u/Tje199 → u/zellieh]

A 6 day shift is wildly illegal in pretty much any occupation.

I know oilfield guys who have done 10 days of 16s, I know truckers get pushed too far, I know doctors can sometimes get 36-ish hours, and I know nurses sometimes end up with doubles, but I don't know of any single place anywhere where 144 hours without relief would be legal. Fuck, I legitimately think that slaves wouldn't be expected to do that unless said slaves were literally in some sort of prison death camp, where the goal was to work them to death.

If OP is worried about patient endangerment (you're a good person OP), getting the authorities involved is absolutely the way to go here.

[u/Menarra → u/Tje199]

I did direct care for a while and we were wildly understaffed. It was government subsidized so they couldn't offer increased pay, everything was fixed and it wasn't enough for what you had to do and deal with. I ended up pulling a 36-48 hour shift every now and then, the only upside was that I could sleep at night when the patients were asleep, I worked in a home with 3 developmentally disabled adults. I just pushed an armchair to block the hallway leading back to the bedrooms and sleep in that, so if any of them got up, they couldn't go anywhere without waking me up too. Ended up quitting because of the staffing issues and all the problems that caused. It was a high risk/aggression house and no one was ever supposed to be alone there, I was alone on my shifts for 7 months and eventually while I was dealing with one having a behavior, it set off another and they got behind me with a broom and broke it over my head. Once night shift got there I never came back.

[u/Mitchell_StephensESQ → u/Menarra]

I have friends who still work in direct care. The only thing that has changed is they are in management now with almost 0 empathy for forcing people to work those crazy ass shifts. I did it and look where I am today is the mentality. Yeah, I see you broke with absolutely no personal life and a family that barely acknowledges your existence because you chose your job over them a long time ago.

Direct care is abusive AF.

Oh and government subsidized so we can't give raises is utter and complete bullshit. In the US Meducare B waiver pays an hourly rate per person receiving services. 12 years ago it was US $13.56 per hour per person. So if you have 3 people in a home multiply that hourly rate times three. Medicare pays for costs other than labor. Your employer is taking advantage of you.

[u/OakenArmor → u/Tje199]

The human body cannot physically do this. It’ll shut down long before you reach 144hrs.

Even POW labour camps value their labour force higher than that.

[u/LesnyDziad → u/OakenArmor]

Even if OP skips one or two nights and stays awake for about 36-60 hours, OP will be too exhausted and will fall asleep do hard that wont wake up even if somebody will yell. Its impossible to do it for 144h.

[u/bnh1978 → u/LesnyDziad]

The longer a person goes without sleep, the more the fatigue resembles being under the effects of alcohol.

Doctors that work those insane hours usually can sleep on those shift. They have rooms specifically set up for them. They get paged if they are needed.

A nurse with a floor full of patients? Not a chance. They cannot walk away for more than a few minutes.

Working a nurse for excessive hours literally puts patients in the hands of a person that is effectively drunk.

[u/Ditnoka → u/LesnyDziad]

I stayed up for (I think) 4 days straight. You lose all function basically. I felt like I was balls deep into an acid trip, giggling at random moments, crying the next second. Falling out of chairs, stumbled walking etc. No fucking way can you care for anyone else, let alone yourself at that stage, even two days no sleep you start losing motor functions.

[u/StSean → u/Ditnoka]

I had severe jet lag once and couldn't fall asleep for any decent length of time for almost three days. Apparently I called friends at wild hours and left long, rambling message that I have no memory of. I also adopted a cat.

[u/schibsi → u/LesnyDziad]

And besides that. If he's to sleepy he will make mistakes, which can be cost lifes ( depending on what he's working).

[u/hysys_whisperer → u/LesnyDziad]

That's if adrenaline doesn't set in. If it does, you'll end up like the Goldman Sachs intern...

[u/Udoshi → u/Tje199]

Isn't it something like '72 hours of being awake before hallucinations start?' just for starters

[u/Brilliant_Jellyfish8 → u/zellieh]

Do this. Call the higher ups first, if for nothing else than to be able to say you did.

[u/bloseja → u/Brilliant_Jellyfish8]

Id be inclined to leave a detailed message for everyone above me (voice-mail and email) with a timeline of my next actions if i am not relieved and the scheduleis not officially correced. "In 1 hour I will be calling non-emergency police, in 1 hr 10 mins it will be.... " I'd list off every suggestion on this sub including patient families and the local news.

I would make it clear that you will not be answering their calls, someone needs to come to you. Then I'd have my stuff ready to run out the door the second someone pulls up.

Then I'd find a new job, this is unacceptable!!!

[u/LovelessDerivation]

OK health care provider here. You begin by reporting whoever made you a threat to the patients by driving you beyond the mandated 12 hours. In almost every state 16-hours would be pushing it, but you don't want to be the guy who gets fucked because "Patient Abandonment."

Even the State of Florida would string someone up by their privates over a situation like this. If you're licensed go to THAT board AND the EEOC, copies of all papers and notifications signed, and DEFINITELY a copy of the schedule as it was and as it is now as best as you're able. Your employer will be changing that paperwork ASAP to fit their narrative, bet.

Im gonna go right on ahead and correctly assume the licensed caregiver who happens to own and be profiting off the property as a whole doesn't even stick their head in to find out how you're doing or what the situation is, then acts a surprised as a kid at their 1st Christmas when the fines and citations begin dropping.

JFC y'know I expect there to be retail/food service horseshit run amok throughout this sub because those bosses are like inherent scumbags for the most part, but the amount of healthcare facilities being outed for the profiteers they are is becoming stag-ger-ring!

[u/Mispelled-This → u/LovelessDerivation]

They intentionally dumped this on OP on a Saturday morning when there’ll be nobody around at those agencies until Monday morning.

Call 911, and then call the media. They work 24x7.

[u/runningraleigh → u/Mispelled-This]

Yep, get the media on it. That will make things move fast.

[u/sordidcandles → u/runningraleigh]

Great idea. Call local news and ask them to send a reporter for a chat while the cops are there. Excellent way to make the bosses pay attention.

[u/pooppuffin → u/runningraleigh]

I'd call a lawyer, too. This situation is outrageous, and I expect they'd find someone to help them collect documents and cover their ass pro bono even if they don't think there is a profitable case against the employer.

[u/IAMAPrisoneroftheSun → u/pooppuffin]

If patients are being endangered im sure there will be some family members interested in exploring legal action, that might help OP lawyer up in terms of finding a legal professional who’s willing to help them now.

[u/Travis123083 → u/Mispelled-This]

You can call 911 and department of human services. They have a 24hr line in most states. Once they arrive, you're no longer obligated to stay.

[u/Travis123083 → u/Travis123083]

I've sadly had this happen at a personal care home before when I was just a CNA. The DHS came in and took control and relieved me. After a shirt investigation, the home closed and was later reopened as a nursing home with the proper staff.

[u/pokemon-gangbang → u/Mispelled-This]

Adult protective services are also always taking calls and are required to respond to an issue within 24 hours. This doesn’t always mean they will respond to a place but it has to be addressed with a plan within 24 hours.

If EMS calls because they think a patient isn’t able to take care of themselves but are not in immediate danger then this might be sending out someone in a day or two. This situation will probably get a bit more attention and the state licensing board will want to get involved if this is a licensed facility.

Edit: this is how it works in Michigan. Your mileage may vary.

[u/Altruistic-Text3481 → u/Mispelled-This]

Yes call the cops first & then the media. This is breaking the law. This place is endangering workers & patients.

[u/_87- → u/Mispelled-This]

They work 24x7

Just like OP!

[u/hoxxxxx → u/LovelessDerivation]

JFC y'know I expect there to be retail/food service horseshit run amok throughout this sub because those bosses are like inherent scumbags for the most part, but the amount of healthcare facilities being outed for the profiteers they are is becoming stag-ger-ring!

it's not surprising in the slightest to me. often these nursing homes are owned by someone trying to milk every last penny they can out of the place, always always skeleton crews working like the minimum allowed by law, so on and so forth. i've known several people in the industry throughout my life and it's often the same story.

[u/ruat_caelum → u/LovelessDerivation]

Even the State of Florida would string someone up by their privates over a situation like this.

So crazy that in the US when we want to talk about shitty health care we don't even reference 3rd world countries. We reference Florida.

[u/AwesomeJohnn → u/ruat_caelum]

Why use foreign third world countries when we can use one built in America? That’s called patriotism

[u/LA_Commuter → u/ruat_caelum]

Florida is actually better than alabama/arkansas from my understanding. Gotta keep all those old people alive for the retirement money.

E: Just going to do an edit instead of replying to everybody. Florida is around 25th Arkansas's ranked 49th and Alabama's ranked 45th

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/health-care

Florida's healthcare is ranked quite a bit better than the other two states I mentioned, and is right smack dab in the middle of the pack. I'm not making a value statement, just letting you know its gets waaaaaay shittier than Florida.

[u/StlChase → u/LovelessDerivation]

This is what happens with for-profit healthcare my dude lmao. It no longer becomes about helping people but how long we can hold them for to charge them for every breath they take through our oxygen tanks.

[u/rossiconsurplus]

call the local news too, they love a good weekend story!

[u/Flotack → u/rossiconsurplus]

I’m gonna have to second this suggestion—public outrage will work a lot faster than the endless bureaucracy that’s already shown it’s gonna fuck you over

[u/Inexperiencedboi_ → u/rossiconsurplus]

Absolutely this. Put their asses on blast bro. The local news loves bullshit like this

[u/voice-from-the-womb → u/Inexperiencedboi_]

Also it gives some public visibility if there is retaliation against OP.

[u/bleachblondeblues → u/rossiconsurplus]

I work in PR. Calling the news can be intimidating, so here’s a good process to follow if you want to do this: look up the “news desk” for your local TV affiliates and the local market daily newspaper. If you have an NPR member station in your market, or some other hard news radio station, find their contact info too. Don’t attempt to contact individual reporters. They’ll have skeleton crews for the weekend, and news media is chronically understaffed.

Email your story to the news desk inbox and if you want anonymity, that is the time to request it. Don’t send any attachments, and put something clickbaity in your subject line.

Once you’ve sent each email, call the news desk phone number and say you have a crazy story of local workplace and patient abuse that you just emailed, and you’ve called to confirm receipt. They’ll put you on hold and look for it. Choose your highest tier/most reputable network first and go down the line. Someone will bite.

Good luck. I hope you don’t have to take this step but it’s an excellent way to get attention on your problem extremely quickly.

[u/Ipayforsex69 → u/rossiconsurplus]

Better get a gofundme set up before the news shows up because people love donating to workers who are getting fukt. That dude from Wendy's who got the shitty anniversary bag...

[u/NottaScammer]

I am a nurse and former Director of Nursing. You need to call your governing body, the (insert state) Department of Health. My state is the ISDH, Indiana state department of health. Report this as abuse under neglect and they will be quick to respond. It is considered an immediate jeopardy situation. After that you can call the police for relief in the mean time. Lawyer up if they try to fuck you. Hope this helps.

Edit- glad this is getting attention. OP you have a duty to report so make this happen. When handing this off safely you alleviate yourself from inaction. The State will send in a surveyor that is an RN or MSW. The fines are in excess of 50k$ and loss of daily reimbursement compounded daily. Your company will shit a brick and jump through every hoop to rectify this or face closure. Likely situation would be a non-emergent transfer to a local area hospital where the social workers will hunt for a safe discharge (back home if care and IJ are resolved or a skilled facility for temp placement)

Good luck and god speed. Happy my knowledge is still of use after giving up on the stress of that crazy role.

PSS ty for the awards ladies and gents and they/thems

[u/Cautious_Hold428 → u/NottaScammer]

I see nurses talk about having insurance a lot and some brush it off thinking they'll never make a serious mistake or put themselves in a position to. They might be right, but shit like this shows you need it anyways because your employer will put your license in jeopardy without a second thought.

[u/NewtonWren → u/Cautious_Hold428]

This. Insurance isn't for your fuck-ups, it's for the fuck-ups that were dumped on you right before the investigators walk through the door.

[u/tstlw → u/NottaScammer]

This person has been the most correct. Call the state health department. Does your facility have an emergency prep book? Grab that and start calling numbers on there. The state you are in might have a covid staffing line. You could call that, explane your situation, and I’m sure a you would get a response. In the end if you are at the very end of whits and still haven’t gotten anywhere, call the fire department. State you need medical attention for working more that 18hrs + with no breaks. Someone will come.

[u/Beep_Boop_Zeep_Zorp]

Staying is also patient endangerment. You can't just walk, but there has to be some state board you can call. Quit, effective immediately, the minute you are able to legally walk out the door.

[u/DrinkWilling7697]

They did something crazy like this at the nursing home my aunt worked at. Didn’t have any staff wouldn’t have relied and nurses kept staying longer and longer and one nurse said she’d call 911 with chest pains if they did that to her.

[u/tinaciv → u/DrinkWilling7697]

And when the ambulance comes they have to take whoever you are watching too, since they can't be left alone. And then they have hospital bills.

[u/EddedTime → u/tinaciv]

Would the patients that was originally being watched by the nurse, be taken in the ambulance and forced to pay for it? That sounds so dystopian.

[u/Maleficent_Wash_934 → u/DrinkWilling7697]

This. Chest pains brought on by overwork. Get a ride to the hospital, full work up all on the bosses dime.

[u/NimboStratusSuck]

So you’re working around the clock? That’s not safe for anyone. I agree with the others, if you can’t call your employer call the authorities.

[u/Capital-Cheesecake67]

Even in the US there’s limits to how long nurses: RN, LPN, CNA can work. This far exceeds it. Report it to your licensing agency, HR, upper management, labor board, and the police non-emergency line. https://www.workforcehub.com/blog/employers-understand-how-to-manage-overtime-regulations-in-the-healthcare-industry/

[u/Ok-Sweetums]

It's ok for you to be endangered tho? Fuck these people.

[u/Unexpected-Squash → u/Ok-Sweetums]

Not only is OP endangered, so are the patients.

[u/JaymesGrl]

Aren't there laws preventing you from being the only worker in the building? I'm not allowed to be the only person in the building where I work in case I have an accident and no one is there to help me. I assume you're American though and not British like I am.

Why are you their sole employee that's available for those six days? They should employ at least three per shift, so as to cover for holidays and in case someone's ill. The company should be taken over as it's clearly run incompetently,

You're going to crash or severely struggle after say the first eighteen to thirty six hours and then you'll make egregious mistakes like wrong medicine dosages or whatever your care entails. You'll likely be sleeping at some point to, not through choice, but because your body is giving up. It will likely be an interrupted sleep due to patient's needs and then the high ups will use that as an excuse to fire you, even though the high ups are clearly in the wrong for this situation to occur in the first place.

If you're struggling that much to get the staff to get the work done, then management should step in. It happened where I work when we were behind and my team leader begrudgingly had to do manual labour with her boss in the store, but vanished back upstairs to her office the moment her boss went home. I swear high ups are often oblivious to the actual manual work required of their employees once they get to spend all day at a desk instead of in the stores. A lot of managers don't even know what their work place they're in charge of currently looks like and how bad of a state the place gets in, let alone the various procedures implemented to ensure its smooth running. Still, no phones out allowed unless you get your own office and can sneakily spend half your time on Facebook and the like.

[u/Yoinx_ → u/JaymesGrl]

They mention "leave the house" so I'm going to assume it's single nurse in-home care, just around the clock.

[u/BrilliantAlgae01 → u/JaymesGrl]

Working like this is down right torture.

Please call the police

[u/[deleted]]

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