Role of the Nurse Leader and Manager in Regulatory and Practice Standards

One of the issues identified by the Texas Board of Nursing is mandatory overtime. All nurses have a responsibility to provide patient care, and this duty should supersede employment-related requirements (Texas Board of Nursing, 2021). Once a registered nurse starts caring for a patient, they have a regulatory responsibility to provide patient care according to the rules and regulations. The Texas Board of Nursing has disciplined nurses for abandoning the duty of caring for patients. The Board rules state that nurses must notify their supervisor when leaving their posts, and leaving their positions without notifying their immediate supervisor is regarded as unprofessional conduct (Texas Board of Nursing, 2021). They must check with their hospitals to see if they have overtime rules

Nurse managers should support nurses in their departments to understand their roles under the nursing regulations and practice standards. The Texas Board of Nursing identified mandatory overtime as one of the issues. It is thus critical that a nurse manager educates the nurses on their unit concerning mandatory overtime. The nurse manager will educate the nurses on their unit on how they can be liable for punishment if they are reduced to work overtime since this is considered unprofessional conduct. The nurse manager can organize a workshop to inform the nurses of mandatory overtime. In addition, they can also educate the nurses on their unit concerning the hospital rules on mandatory overtime and whether there are rules about compensation on the same. The nurse manager should also educate the nurses on their units on the appropriate discipline resolution mechanisms if they face disciplinary action. To evaluate whether the nurses have understood the concept of mandatory overtime, the nurse manager can issue pre/post quizzes.

References

Texas Board of Nursing. (2021). Texas Board of Nursing – Nursing practice FAQ. Welcome to the Texas Board of Nursing. https://www.bon.texas.gov/faq_nursing_practice.asp