The following question was raised in our forum last week, have you ever been forced or told to complete education or study in your own time (unpaid)?
“Last year our hospital gave us a list of online courses we had to complete in our own time. It was over 50 hours’ worth, six days. In addition they have added extra online courses such as Bloodsafe. We were recently informed that we are to expect even more online learning to do in our own time. It isn’t voluntary.
I don’t know of any other job where staff are required to do unpaid work at home and have to present the certificates at work to be marked off. I’d probably do a lot of it in my own time if they were just suggestions of courses that might be of interest. The expectation that we do it, and have to, is what is really annoying me.”
A reply from a fellow reader said:
“My manager refuses to grant us any study leave unless it is a preceptorship hospital run course or a NSW College of Nursing paediatric nursing course.
We have mandatory E-Learning modules that we must complete annually on our intranet. We are a virtually paperless ICU with computers at each bedside. However, given it is an ICU and one seldom has time to open work emails to get notices whilst caring for critically ill patients much less complete mandatory education.
It is difficult to even attend in-services given the size of our unit and the number of staff available to relieve us for this purpose. APHRA is demanding 20hrs of CPD but try fitting that in.”
What happens at your workplace? One of our other forum participants suggesting checking your employment agreement. You should ask your local union rep about the rules and regulations and check what tasks, if any, you are required to do unpaid.
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i just recently learned that QUEENSLAND nurses do get PROFESIONAL DEVELOPMENT ALLOWANCE of $1500 every year and if they don’t get to use it on conference, seminar or the like , they get it refunded to them in Cash . how true is this ? why doesnt NSW nurses get same priviledges ? can someone tell me what they know?
Has AHPRA found some way of jamming more than 24 hours into one day? Or turned nurses into superhuman beings with more than one pair of hands each?. It’s time for the line in the sand. Nursing has gotten by for WAY too long on what amounts to centuries of UNPAID overtime. I thought this “profession” was supposed to improve and demand more respect due to formalised tertiary education. Not so! The industry as a whole continues to be coloured with the “handmaiden” tone. It is NOT a “calling”….We should be demanding respect. That includes respect for our PERSONAL time….AWAY from what can be a very stressful workplace.
I work as a night duty RN in a regional aged care facility. Our facility is connected to the Aged Care channel where we can access subjects appropriate to our situation. We can access these either in working hours,off duty(for which we get paid) or, as in the case of night staff, our Education officer makes available to us the dvds and paperwork to be completed in our own time. If time permits, I can complete these while on Duty. I have no complaints.
We are expected to complete quite a number of learning packages, both written and online, at the major teaching hospital where I work. As we are extremely busy during our shifts, it stands to reason that the only time we have is our own. I have no objection to enhancing my knowledge and practice (at work or on my own time) – it is a requirement of continuing education. What some may be forgetting is that the hours spent doing these learning packages count towards the AHPRA requirements. Whilst I understand the premise of one’s own time being just that, I can also appreciate the need to be more flexible when it comes to learning/studying whenever we can fit it into our busy lives. And I say this being an RN working a full time rotating shift roster, and with a family and home to look after.
Professional development has been around. Every appraisal shold have been treated as an opportunity .A lot of it is unpaid but if you go to a library or computer you are not interrupted. I work in the private sector and so far have seen very little financial support for anyone Nurses or otherwise. We are professional and like our allied health colleagues we will have to attend education largely in our own time.
Reading articles or self learning packages are fine but we must ensure we can all get a contribution for speciality conferences.