illegal activity

[tiger]

has anyone ever heard that working 24 hours straight is illegal? i had worked 12 hrs day shift and the night shift was desperate for help so i stayed until the next morning. total 24 hrs paywise not to mention 30 min non paid breaks. anyway, i'm hearing through the grapevine that my boss is now claiming it was illegal. i told the day charge i would stay as long as i could and the night charge nurse certainly wasn't going to send me home knowing they needed help so bad. they better not try to deny my pay. no one ever mentioned me leaving earlier or that it was "against the rules". probably have to get my union involved again for trying to help out. sad! ps> i realize working that many hours is not ideal and wouldn't do it routinely but there were only 2 nurses for 22 pts with two new admits to be done. i felt sorry for the nurses. they had worked the night before with only two nurses on and 21 pts. the manager came in but told them she could only sit at the desk and answer the phone. pretty pitiful, huh?

[nrsjo]

The nurses who work in our trauma OR are routinely scheduled for 24-hour shifts. And no, they don't get to sleep during that time, they are working. They like the schedule that way, don't ask me why........

[stressedlpn]

I was jixed(sp) not 30 min. after posting I got called to work, just now getting off. almost 24 hours laterLOL oh well its overtime.

[donmurray]

I'm probably out of my depth, but the illegality should not be yours in your choosing to work unsafe hours, but your employers, in allowing you to, or in a worst case scenario, telling you to.

Rusty, This isn't a flame, but the international nursing attitude underlying your question of "how can you leave?" is what employers worldwide rely on to keep pay and staffing levels at or below the minimum.

I've done it too, but the uncounted hours of often unpaid overtime that nurses do goes to shore up bad systems that are delivering poor quality patient care, at the expense of nurses' physical and financial health. I'll get off my soapbox now! Peace!