88 Hours, tired, what was your highest week? how did you recover?

[RNOTODAY]

Last week I did 88 hours. I did get a full nights sleep each night, but its monday now, I was off sunday, slept most of the day, went to work today, got out at 3, and just got up .....My question is...how do you "wake up" from a week like that? And... what was the most amount of hours you worked in a week, and in what area? I work in the OR...

[Libitina]

Don't you have maximum hours you can work in a week in the US? Surely this number of hours in a week is not safe to you or the patients?

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Don't you have maximum hours you can work in a week in the US? Surely this number of hours in a week is not safe to you or the patients?

I don't think we do, actually. I know there are restrictions for those under 18. And some people are union members whose unions dictate the maximum number of hours. For those of us who are adults and not working in a union position, I don't believe there is a maximum, legally.

[GM2RN]

Don't you have maximum hours you can work in a week in the US? Surely this number of hours in a week is not safe to you or the patients?

There's no maximum per week that I know of, but we are supposed to have 8 hours off between shifts.

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

The legal cap that I know of is 16 hours at a stretch with at least an 8 hour break between shifts.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

The legal cap that I know of is 16 hours at a stretch with at least an 8 hour break between shifts.

I know that in special circumstances (I.E. severe weather), 20 hour shifts are allowed.