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<section article="gle" article_name="Labor and Employment" number="3-421" title_number="3" title_name="Employment Standards and Conditions" subtitle_number="4" subtitle_name="Wages and Hours">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “nurse” means a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse as defined in § 8-101 of the Health Occupations Article.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, an employer may not require a nurse to work more than the regularly scheduled hours according to the predetermined work schedule.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>A nurse may be required to work overtime if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the work is a consequence of an emergency situation which could not have been reasonably anticipated;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the emergency situation is nonrecurring and is not caused by or aggravated by the employer’s inattention or lack of reasonable contingency planning;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>the employer has exhausted all good faith, reasonable attempts to obtain voluntary workers during the succeeding shifts;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>the nurse has critical skills and expertise that are required for the work;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>the standard of care for a patient assignment requires continuity of care through completion of a case, treatment, or procedure; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <level label="i">
        <text>the employer has informed the nurse of the basis for the employer’s direction; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>that basis satisfies the other requirements for mandatory overtime listed under this subsection.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>In addition to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, a nurse may be required to work overtime if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a condition of employment includes on-call rotation; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the nurse works in community-based care.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>This section may not be construed to prohibit a nurse from voluntarily agreeing to work more than the number of scheduled hours provided in this section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section, a nurse may not be considered responsible for the care of a patient beyond the nurse’s predetermined work schedule if the nurse:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>has notified another appropriate nurse of the patient’s status; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>has transferred responsibility for the patient’s care to another appropriate nurse or properly designated individual.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The employer shall exhaust all good faith, reasonable attempts to ensure that appropriate staff is available to accept responsibility for a patient’s care beyond a nurse’s predetermined work schedule.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
