fatigue.....the nurse's

Nurses Safety

Published

  1. How much is too much???

    • 38
      only my scheduled hours and no more.......
    • 33
      well, maybe four hours more in a payperiod.....
    • 17
      sure, I will work four hours more routinely anytime you ask
    • 17
      oh, well i still have one day off in a two week period
    • 8
      a double plus.......not a problem

113 members have participated

Nurstoons can make my point here better than I can.....check out the one about clones.......and april fools................

Carl E. is great...........

micro is tired and just chillin'

the nursing shortage is on......and 'they' tell us it is only just starting.......

so how much overtime and etc do you do.........

and when is fatigue a problem for you.........

do you have a life outside of work.........

mental and physical fatigue........

and does administration understand or recognize this.......

and should we as nurses on purpose say , no I will not work........

just questions............

I am on a two day stretch of days off....

after an eight day stretch........

just about met the medical and Webster's description of fatigue.............

thoughts anyone.............:zzzzz :stone :stone

Micro! You changed to a blonde! :):)

As for OT, it depends on how I feel. If I'm already tired, no way! If I'm feeling burned-out, no way! If admin is making me crazy, no way!

If I'm feeling rested, or obsessing over something I MUST buy, then sign me up.

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Youda,

Me, blonde...........joke.......hehehehehehehehee

me, shakira..........joke.......hehehehehehehehehe

too much work.........not saying no, or even volunteering.....

bad brain to mouth connection.........

oh, well it does pay bills.........

I am going to put in for some time off, but it won't be for a bit, as you have to put in at least one month + ahead of time.............

I gotta go back to brunette or something scary in resemblance of halloween.....oh, that would be me......hehehehehehehehehehehe

sorry I digress, regress, but I am enjoying my day off,

one day at a time,

micro

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I just picked up 2 hours extra last night for a 70% critical need bonus. :)

That, I can do... ;)

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Specializes in Mostly LTC, some acute and some ER,.

I have honestly had 1 day off in 2 weeks. But I'm not burnt out from the job, I'm jsut a little bit tired, not very.

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Specializes in Everything but psych!.

I'm a crazy woman. I work a full time job, and then work 8 hours/week (every other weekend) with my second job. Mandatory overtime...all the time.

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I am PT on one unit, only a .47 so not enough shifts. I have to have 2 casual jobs on top of the PT job in order to work enough hours (I like to work at least 8 shifts per pay period). Most of the time I work FT with all the shifts I pick up.

Unfortunately, the pick up shifts are often my weekend off, which the employer is obligated to pay at OT but refuses to, or nights, or holidays. So I have a choice, I can either pick up what's available, and have no life, or I can say no and risk that the casual jobs will find someone else (they usually can, but only briefly and then they are back to relying on me). I have been passed up for 3 jobs, and I suspect it was because I was a "good casual", the jobs all 3 times were given to RNs who had barely been oriented to that unit.

Am I ready to leave nursing? Absolutely. I recently had a mini nervous breakdown, was so tired from the lack of sleep from nights, and short changes, and wasn't enjoying my life anymore. On the brink of a serious depression, and suffering from an abscessed tooth, I went to the Dr. and got a 2 week leave. I still don't feel better, and in 5 days I work my set of nights again and it will start all over.

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When i was a Aid it wasn't uncommon for for us to do doubles. How stupid this sounds We ( The Aids) would have contest who could do the most doubles in a week. It also wasnt uncommon for me to have over or close to 100hrs in a pay period.

I would do most of my doubles facing the weekend. Did you know in 3 days i could have 48 hrs. So my 16's would start on a Wednesday end on a Saturday. Sunday would be the end of the pay week so i would do an 8 hr shift. And that would count so in reality i would do 56 hrs for that week then start my new week. Even on our days off we we're allowed to call and ask to work if something was open and there was always something open. Now for some of you reading this thinking i was making good money doing all this over time. Well at $ 7.00 it really wasn't worth it time or pay.

Downside to this Not only we're we hurting our self's with a lack of sleep. When you stop and think about it we we're hurting the residents we cared for because when your going for that many hours and that little sleep your quality of care goes down. So shame on us for trying to make as much money as we could on the backs of other people and shame on the Nursing Home for letting us do it and not stepping in and saying something. I guess a warm body on the floor is better then no body to cover when short staffed. These are my thoughts use them as you wish....

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