Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 23-17.20 - Healthcare Facilities Staffing
Section 23-17.20-2. - Definitions.

§ 23-17.20-2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) “Employee” means a nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 5-34, and a certified nurse assistant registered pursuant to chapter 23-17.9, provided further, that such term shall not include certified registered nurse anesthetists or resident physicians; and provided further, that for purposes of this chapter, said nurse and/or nursing assistant shall be paid on the basis of an hourly wage. As used in this chapter, the term “employee” shall not include a person who is paid an annual salary, and shall not include employees who are working pre-scheduled “on-call time” in the surgical department of a health care facility.
(2) “Employer” means a person, partnership, association, corporation or group of persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of a health care facility;
(3) “Health care facility” means any private, public or state hospital;
(4) “On-call time” means time spent by an employee who is not working on the premises of the place of employment but who is compensated for availability or who, as a condition of employment, has agreed to be available to return to the premises of the place of employment on short notice if the need arises;
(5) “Reasonable efforts” means that the employer shall:
(i) Seek persons who volunteer to work extra time from all available qualified staff who are working at the time of the unforeseeable emergent circumstance;
(ii) Contact all qualified employees who have made themselves available to work extra time; and
(iii) Seek the use of per diem staff;
(6) “Regular hourly wage” means the amount that an employee is regularly paid for each hour of work as determined by dividing the total hours of work during the week into the employee’s total earnings for the week, exclusive of pay for overtime work;
(7) “Unforeseeable emergent circumstance” means an unpredictable occurrence relating to health care delivery that requires immediate action, and which shall include a major power outage, a public health emergency, an irregular increase in patient census, or an irregular increase in the number of employees not reporting for predetermined scheduled work shifts.
History of Section.P.L. 2007, ch. 496, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 515, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 475, § 54.

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