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Healthcare workers are entitled to specific protections and rights. It’s essential that employers understand these entitlements to ensure the happiness and safety of all workers.

The Right to Minimum Wage

Healthcare professionals help patients battle disease, manage pain, and comfort those who are weak. These responsibilities demand knowledge and time, so salaries should provide adequate compensation. Just like any other worker in the United States, healthcare employees are guaranteed the right of minimum wage. No nurse, doctor, lab technician or other professional should receive less than the wage the state mandates (which, as of 2011, is $7.25 an hour on average). Refusal to pay this minimum wage could result in federal penalties for employers.

The Right to Discrimination-Free Environments

Soliant healthcare employees dedicate themselves to helping patients, and that should be their sole focus. Discrimination in the workplace pulls attention away from patients. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act ensure that no person shall suffer from harassment. Race, age, gender, personal disability, veteran status, and other elements cannot determine an employer’s hiring practices.

The Right to Safe Work Stations

Hospitals are places where people deal with harmful germs, bodily fluids, and other risk factors. Combatting these potential threats is a key part of maintaining a safe work environment. Medical employees are therefore offered the right of safe work stations. Protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 ensure that employers must provide areas that are free from chemicals, mechanical concerns, excessive cold or heat, high levels of noise or other unsanitary elements.

If you’re not receiving the rights and protections you deserve as a healthcare professional, seek remedies with your employer or through the courts.