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

Nurses General Nursing

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I was reacently watching an episode of Dr Phil (yes I know I need a new hobby :p ) about women who are overworked/overscheduled etc. There was a story of a woman who is a nurse in a neo natal intensive care unit who works a straight 24 hour shift. Is this correct - working 24 hours in a row? Here in Australia we are able to work up to 12 hour shifts depending upon the hospital policy but Ive never heard of anyone working a 24 hour shift.

Anyone know of this practice??

I work 24 on and 48 off. In EMS you never know how much sleep you are going to get. I work 6a to 6a and am not allowed to have "down time" until 5pm. There are plenty of things to keep us busy at the station for 11hrs. But, there are days when we are slammed and I don't get an ounce of sleep until I get home and then I have to go to school in the morning. So 48 hrs off feels like 24. I would never recommend working 2 24's or even 2 18's a week for a nurse when you know you will be busy for the whole shift. It sounds great that you are working only 2 days a week, but the day after your shift usually disappears (at least for me it does.)

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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

Residents and Interns work 36 hours on at our place and don't always get to sleep. Would you also refuse to have them? If so, then never go to a teaching hospital.

As for the length of shift I have worked a few 20's and many more 16's. It can be difficult but I am normally well compensated for it. I wouldn't do it every month but every now and then it is nice.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

If she is going from one job to another, that is her problem! Our practitioners used to be on 24's but now they do 12's. Our lifeflight teams are 24 hours on call sometimes, with exception of the pilots.

I've done some 16's and that is rough!

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Mandatory overtime is not permitted in my hospital, as agreed in their contract with the Nurses' Union in my state.

I've heard horror stories of nurses being REQUIRED to work an extra shift if there is low staffing -- if a nurse in this situation refuses, it is considered a safety violation & the nurse's license is in jeopardy.

California has outlawed mandatory overtime. I believe that ALL states should follow suit. Hospitals should be responsible for hiring adequate staffing. :angryfire

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There are many CRNA positions with 24 hour shifts, but they also involve an assigned call room to sleep in when there's a chance.

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EMTI19 is right, I work 24's at the fire department, those two days off really only feel like one when you get slammed. I have had shifts with 21 calls in a 24 hour period, and it sucks to say the least. I don't mind running call after call all shift, if they are "real" calls. It just angers me that more then half of those calls are BS on a 3 (lights and sirens)...people abuse 911 way too much. I don't care who you are, but leg pain for two weeks is NOT an emergency.

I don't know how we get those IV's or let alone drive to those calls... but we manage.

Even with the BS though, I still love my job.

Red Bull is awesome, to say the least.

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I think there is still the mentality of higher-ups doing their residency/first years that way. But times are changing, and so should those limits.

Now I get to laugh at myself for saying this but never working as a nurse. ;)

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I've done a few 24's. In LTC you don't leave until the relief shows up. If they don't come, you don't go.

-R

I work in LTC-an Alzheimer's center at that- if my relief doesnt show up, the appropriate phone calls are made and the keys are left with a nurse on another unit. We are human, and if adequate rest isnt taken, we can not function to our full capacity. Ive worked 16's, but that was with adequate rest beforhand. Ive stayed a few hours past my shift to help out. But I will not be the fall guy for someone that decided their time was more important than mine. Its my license at stake if Im too tired and make that mistake that the next nurse should have been there for.

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Rusty, I work with a nurse at my facility that doesn't stay if her relief doesn't show up. Since I work the night shift on 1st floor, I end up responsible for call ins on MY floor. She thinks that includes her floor too. She works the evening shift on 2nd floor. If her relief doesn't show up she calls me to do report and count narcs on 2nd, then says, I'm sorry so and so didn't show up, but I have to get home. "Hope you find someone to work on 2nd." Guess what if I can't find someone I end up working both floors...60 some residents. This has only happened to me once. I became really upset by this the other night and I wasn't going to be stuck with 60 residents, when my floor is the skilled nursing floor. I run all night on this floor.

I called the DNS and reported her right then and there, plus told her I was calling agency and I did. 60 residents is as dangerous as working 24 hrs straight. Residents do not sleep all night. Usually that's when they become really ill. Thanks for letting me vent.

Staffing isnt the responsibility of the nurses. When relief doenst show up, the DON is contacted and its his responibility to find relief. If he fails to do so, HE often comes in, or the ADON, since they are both RN's. If the DON or ADON fail to respond to calls, higher ups are called. Its all a matter of what you will tolerate. If you let the responsible people get away with slacking off their jobs, they will take advantage of it. There is a REASON they have a PRN list of nurses! Its their job to call them!

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Who the hell would want to?

:chuckle

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Maryland does not allow mandatory OT. Hospitals cannot ask you to work more than 16 hours per shift, but (not totally sure on this) you can volunteer to. Of course emergencies are a different matter, such as major snowstorms, floods, etc.

Last year there was bad blizzard, lucky for me I wasn't at the hospital at the time, and people had to live there a few days. However, even then, staff had to have 8 hours minimum off for every 16 worked. The people who were stuck said things went pretty well. They were told to just take care of the basic care needed.

Interns and residents are not allowed to work more than 80 hours a week.

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