Can nurses in the US really work a straight 24 hour shift??

Burnt Out, ASN, RN · Apr 21, 2004

I think in Alabama all you can work is 18 hours. Several years ago, when I was working in L & D/Nursery/PP, I worked 20-from 11p to 7p, plus I had an hour's drive home :stone ....NEVER AGAIN.... :uhoh3:

renerian, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2004

Done it. Horrible. Really horrible.

renerian :uhoh3:

Roozeyk · Apr 22, 2004

I've worked a couple of 24's. One was due to a snowstorm and the 7p-7a nurse couldn't make it in, and the other time a 7p-7a nurse called in at the last minute. I wouldn't recommend this, I think it puts any unit at high risk for error, and would probably not stand up well in a court of law.

Kingbandit · Apr 22, 2004

It's never happened to me personally but we've had several nurses and scrub techs who have worked 24 hours while on call, 24 hours straight, maybe a potty break. I think here the limit is suppose to be 23 hours. Now would you really want someone (doctor, nurse, or scrub tech) performing surgery on you or your loved one who has been up for 24 hours? I've seen residents fall asleep while holding retractors, really builds confidence in the system, doesn't it?

I am a scrub tech returning to nursing school. As a nurse I would never do more than 16 but as a tech I have routinely worked 24's once I worked 96 hours in 7days I had 2-4 hour breaks during a snow emergency My boss threatened to fire me if she had to pay that much overtime ever again.

TweetiePieRN · Apr 22, 2004

I don't think it is legal over here to work 24 hrs straight thru. We work 16 hours in a row sometimes...they are called doubles. Sometimes I'll make a remark to someone coming off their 16 hr double "Hey, so and so, are you going to be working a triple?"

heart queen · Apr 22, 2004

Our automated time clock automaticaly punches you out after 16 hrs., Imagine the ruckus when payroll had to adjust it to 22 hrs because there were two crashing patients for several hours, one call in and one nurse short to begin with. It just snowballed! Have worked may a 16 hr. though.

PedsNurse1981 · Apr 22, 2004

I would NEVER work a 24 hour shift. Sometimes here there's a nurse or two who will volunteer for a 16 but not me.

nialloh, RN · Apr 22, 2004

I am a scrub tech returning to nursing school. As a nurse I would never do more than 16 but as a tech I have routinely worked 24's once I worked 96 hours in 7days I had 2-4 hour breaks during a snow emergency My boss threatened to fire me if she had to pay that much overtime ever again.

Just a quick question. During that snow emergency, did you have the option to go home, or were you told to stay. If you were told to stay, how could she justify the threat to fire you?

rjflyn, ASN, RN · Apr 22, 2004

Saw this episode on Dr. Phil. This nurse in particular is an NNP- neonatal nurse practitioner. She did say she works 24 hrs straight but at 2 different hospitals. SHe gets off at one and drive accross town to the other. She didn't say she gets to sleep on the job or not but did at the are periods of time she is up for 42 hours or more. She said she does this to have more time at home - she only works 72 hrs every 2 weeks.

I know i wouldnt want her caring for my sick baby

Rj:angryfire

P_RN, ADN, RN · Apr 22, 2004

I've done it a couple of times during hazardous weather. Here in the South if it even looks like snow things get bogged down STAT! Anyway, I remember 2 snow storms where I was mandated to stay (1 actually was a blizzard), Hurricaine Hugo (I cam in but couldn't get out)and a really bad tornado. You can get punch drunk and make mistakes, but hopefully not too bad and hopefully not too often.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2004

I have worked a 21 hr shift as a nurse. I checked into it, and it was legal.

Some facilities consider 16 and 18 hr shifts the norm, and some staff only work these long shifts.

ltcdon · May 5, 2004

Nurses in Tennessee can work no more than 16 hours, and then they must have a 4 hour break. This break does not mean that they get to go home or even sleep, they are just required to 'put their feet up somewhere' and then they can continue working. The exceptions to this rule are OR nurses who are allowed to work 24 hours straight.