Changing the start of the hospital workweek

Essential to the success of a project of this magnitude were: (a) having the support and input of both management and staff; (b) clarifying federal wage and hour issues; (c) allowing adequate time for the change process; (d) determining impact of change on every hospital department; (e) providing hospital departments with necessary information, resources, and support to accommodate the change; and (f) communicating the change to each hospital employee in a timely manner. Can a hospital provide budget-neutral, flexible nurse schedules necessary to recruit and retain registered nurses? Yes, they can if they know how to do it. By redefining the workweek, Saint Marys realized an annual decrease of almost $750,000 in scheduled overtime expense for full-time nurses working 12-hour weekends, every third weekend. If health care institutions want the competitive edge in recruiting nurses, they will need to provide work schedules that are not only attractive, but also help ensure a positive "bottom line."