[Anxious Patient]

From the Wall Street Journal healthblog

Medical residents aren’t the only ones whose work hours are being curbed amid worries about errors caused by sleep deprivation. In Pennsylvania, the legislature just passed a bill that will put limits on nurses’ hours too.

one nurse commented:

This sounds like a good idea. The only problem is that once in place, this legislation will unmask how many more nurses are actually needed to provide care. Somehow, hospitals will need to find a way to hire 25% more nurses from a shrinking talent pool if they are to comply with this statute.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/10/...ts-for-nurses/

[aknottedyarn]

This is great but does not go far enough. We need to have reasonable workloads for all nurses and ancillary staff. None of us can take on much more work. Limiting hours without limits on workload could result in more problems.

[Vito Andolini]

There's no shrinking talent pool. fix working conditions and you'll see a glut of nurses. scary.

[evilnightwitch]

This bill is not going to change very much for too many nurses. Susquehanna Health System in Central PA (Williamsport) Has their nurses in the ER on a regular basis sign up for an additional 60 - 80 hours additional per month, in addition to your 80 hours in a two week pay period. I often used to work 22-23 days in a row 8 and 12 hour shifts before having 1-2 days off then begin again on another 14-18 day stretch. If you read the entire bill, all hosptals need to do is declare a state of emergency and then the bill is null and void and protects no one. Most nurses also sign up for more time due to the fact that when they see a shift coming up not covered sufficiently their sense of duty causes them to sign up to help out their co-workers, thus defeating ourselves in the long run.

[suni]

There is a lot of verbiage in this bill which would allow the employer to mandate the nurse. They just have to prove that they attempted to get other help unsuccessfully and you are stuck in the middle again. You would certainly think that the facilities that mandate overtime would be concerned not only for the safety of the patient but for the safety of their nurses. And you know darn well that if you are mandated and make a serious error you will be hung out to dry by the hospital.

[RNKittyKat]

So what constitutes a serious emergency that could allow the facility to mandate? It appears from my reading that it is something along the lines of a natural disaster, act of terrorism or other very obvious event like a mass trauma.

Please don't tell me it's going to be business as usual! Our ancillary staff is mandated at every shift to 16 hours with as little as a 6 hour turnaround to report for their next shift.

[maritesa]

Originally Posted by evilnightwitch

This bill is not going to change very much for too many nurses. Susquehanna Health System in Central PA (Williamsport) Has their nurses in the ER on a regular basis sign up for an additional 60 - 80 hours additional per month, in addition to your 80 hours in a two week pay period. I often used to work 22-23 days in a row 8 and 12 hour shifts before having 1-2 days off then begin again on another 14-18 day stretch. If you read the entire bill, all hosptals need to do is declare a state of emergency and then the bill is null and void and protects no one. Most nurses also sign up for more time due to the fact that when they see a shift coming up not covered sufficiently their sense of duty causes them to sign up to help out their co-workers, thus defeating ourselves in the long run.

Should we nurses work to make this work?...either through the union or the ANA? .....what good is this association if you are not "protecting " the nurses? I am also aware that this was allowed because there are some nurses who needed the overtime for extra money for their big houses , jewelry , whatever......the point is there was no collective complain to stop some of the unsafe overtime that is ongoing in the hospital. Hello !!!!! this is your license that you work so hard........ or is the extra overtime money diluted your sense of good judgment. Push and make the ratio pass, so that the hospital will be force to hire more nurses !! This is for the sake of patients safety and the nurses mental sanity not to mention the legal ramifications.The hospital will not stop unless the nurses make it clear that this is not acceptable.....we are professional nurses , not professional stree walkers!

[Thornbird]

I really believe that staffing ratios are more important to safe nursing care than hours worked. Eliminating mandatory OT doesn't necessarily improve patient safety either. Some of the most exhausted non-functional nurses I have seen working volunteered for the OT or even took a second job. Maybe healthcare should be like truck-driving with mandated breaks and sleep times required even if more than one employer is involved. I've put in my share of doubles and extra long work weeks, but always drew the line at working to the point it was unsafe. I don't really understand why anyone would work for an employer that mandates OT. If we don't accept this treatment, either by boycotting employers or unionizing, it can't continue. What we have far less control over is staffing levels. I've been far more exhausted and at risk for errors after 4 hrs working short than after 12 hrs with a reasonable workload.

[maritesa]

Thank you. the ratio is priority, and the overtime should have a "safe" hours allowed. A tired mind can not think quick!