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

I wasn't there for very long, but I used to work for a nursing home as a HCA that actually used to sign you up for shifts within your stated availability -- without telling you! I got written up for not showing up for I shift that I didn't even know I was supposed to work! Can you imagine?

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i work where we have mandatory ot. i just fielded a call to come in d/t a call-in from pm nurse. i said no, just because i'm not feeling great & now the am nurse has to work a double. she said she'll call-in for her tomorrow's am shift if she has to stay-over & i don't blame her. where i work they used to let you be off the next day if you were forced to do a double-now they have stopped this. hey! maybe-just maybe this is why we are short-staffed. they work the staff that we have to the ground & soon those ones find a job that doesn't work you to death! the admin doesn't understand the concept of snowballing anger from mand. ot? i'm starting to feel guilty re:not going in- but i've learned to stifle that quickly. all too often i've come in to cover & end-up being the next one to face working a double!!!!!!!

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I would rather know ahead of time and then do consider working more......cause I can plan ahead.........

the spur of the moment is ____

but then again, money is only money.....

and the bills will always be there.........

so what is more important.....

hi, i am _______ your sick and tired nurse and I will be taking care of you tonight.................

0 Votes

Micro,,,,,,, still lookin for that ticket here in florida!!!!!!!!

As charge nurse in skilled,,,, worked two 16's,,,,,, weekends,,,,,

Only would pick up OT,,,, when I wanted it,,,,, use the caller ID and didn't answer the phone,,,,,

Became D.O.N. four years ago,,,,,, so feel like i work 24/7,,,,, physically in building at least 12 hours day M-F,,,,,, don't have to use time clock,,,,, (corp, doesn't want me to know I'm really working for min. wage ).......

Try to watch my hours and make up the OT I don't get paid for,,,,, by going home,,,,, not using pto time,,,,

So hate to see,,,,, my charge nurses paychecks,,,,, so much more than mine cause they picked up OT,,,,,,,,,

~Moon

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Moon

find the ticket

find the ticket

find the ticket

Micro

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I am a part time employee. I am scheduled for two twelves each week. I pick up a third 12 each week for double time. Easy money. I keep waiting for the powers that be to figure it out and make me go full time.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I work 3 ,12 hr. shifts 7p-7a I could not safely stay after my 12 but I would consider a 4 or 8 hr shift on a day off.

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hmm... I try my damndest not to do the MOT thing...

see-- I work 8 days out of every 2 week period... but, thanks to the nice huge differences b/t the LPN and RN contracts, (LPNs can still get mandated, but, we get really good health insurance... RN's cant get mandated, and the health insurance isint as good... hmm... a coincidence?)

sometimes I get mandated. it sucks...

I go to school full time-- 4hrs a day, 5 days a week... oh, lets not forget the 1hr 15 min commute each way to school, and the 15 minute commute to work each way.... so, if I'm getting mandated, i 1) throw a fit, and 2) file protest...

so, exhaustion is my middle name...

anyhoo...

tis my life

-Barbara

0 Votes

How much is too much?

It depends on what's going on in my life at the time. Sometimes I pick up a lot of extra time because we're so short and I have the time and energy-sometimes I just can't do extra. I work with a very cohesive team of staff and we work very hard to protect each others' special circumstances. We do have mandatory overtime at our facility but in the past year I can recall only 3 occasions when it was actually used in our unit. Those three occasions were greeted with resignation, but not anger.

At times the use of mandatory overtime causes great anxiety with the nurses but usually we just play it by ear and somehow we work out our staffing problems by creatively switching schedules around until someone who wants to pick up overtime is able to do it.

Last pay I did 28 extra hours. The pay I got yesterday was for only 4 hours extra on my usual 80 hours. Boy I sure am rested this weekend to spend my extra money from last pay.

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Agree with Gardengal. Sometimes ther are situations in our lives that the opportunity of OT is a blessing...like a sick spouse, an accident, or death in the family, etc. It depends also on the individual. So it has a lot to do with what you value that week or that moment. Some people do it so they can provide for their own.

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I get so tired, my first day off is spent doing nothing!

(Fifty and fat and a body that is battered from working 30 years in nursing)

This describes me to a TEE!!!! I am salary so I guess 50 hours aweek is okay? :-(

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Yikes, the fatigue thread. Yep, I am just coming out of being "dead" from too many hours. This last two days off. After staying over into third Friday night.

Going into a long stretch. and yikkkiee''''''''

Oh, well it pays bills..........yee haw!!!!!

I have 250+ hours I could take.......and building.......

time to put in for time off........

micro

0 Votes
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