Is overtime safe for your patients?

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

I was wondering what everyone's opinion is about the floating rumors I'm sure we've all been hearing about laws being passed restricting how many hours a nurse can work in one day. My boss schedules me to work one double shift a week which amounts to a 16 hour shift, and I can honestly say by about the 14th hour, I have to really slow down and double, triple check everything I am doing because my mind is not as quick as it was earlier, I must do about ten med checks before administering, it really scares me. I hate doing the double shifts although the overtime pay is nice, but in my opinion it is not worth taking the risk. Should there be limits on how many hours we put in in one day?:thnkg:

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

Yes, but that should be self-determined. Isn't it ironic that nurses, who assess people for a living, cannot assess themselves for safety and just say no if they feel they will be unsafe to work?

Yet we have a duty to our patients and to our license to do so.

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Forget the patients; is it safe for you?

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-143/pdfs/2004-143.pdf

According to NIOSH, in 16 of 22 studies, overtime was associated with poorer perceived overall health, increased injury rates, more illnesses, or increased mortality. As well, overtime was linked with unhealthy weight gain, increased alcohol use, and increased smoking in studies reviewed. The research also revealed "a pattern of deteriorating performance on psychophysiological tests as well as injuries while working long hours." This was especially true with very long shifts and when 12-hour shifts combined with more than 40 hours of work per week.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/97-145.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workschedules/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071201082336.htm

But since you asked...

Linda Scott, Grand Valley associate professor of nursing in the Kirkhof College of Nursing, said after studying the work habits of 393 hospital staff nurses, the research team found that nurses working more than 12.5 consecutive hours were three times more likely to make an error than nurses working shorter hours.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4086/is_200410/ai_n9462204

http://www.mihealthandsafety.org/statecommission/barefoot/testimony/301O.pdf

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I can function with overtime as long as I am in charge of saying when and where and how much. When managment makes those choices for me it does not go well.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

I was also curious, do any of you have the staffing person come up on the floor and ask you to stay for a double shift, and then they don't take no for an answer? My husband is a cop, and he goes to work when I come home, so I need to go home to be with my kids. Everytime I say that I can't stay late, they go off and start saying things like "Well patient care will suffer" or "I'm just trying to fatten your wallet for your family". Then I go home and feel guilty for choosing my family over my patients. This is a daily occurrence, they are always asking around for nurses to stay for double shifts. Is the staffing office the same at other facilities?

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Specializes in CTICU.

I'm just wondering if it is any safer for the patient when the staffing is short with nobody doing overtime vs adequate staffing with people coming in for overtime. It seems like a catch 22 to me. The safest situation would be for the units that always seem to be short to hire enough staff that OT is not a common necessity.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Oncology.

I agree, except that enough staff is hired, but there are a lot of call ins, especially on the weekends. Our facility is brainstorming on how to minimize frequent call ins from people who call in sick in a pattern, no new policies yet, but I hope it can get resolved because it seems that each floor is always short handed.

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Specializes in Critical Care,Recovery, ED.

I agree with Oramar comments. I support all the laws that will ban mandatory overtime from health care and place limits on how many hours per day/week/pay period a person may work.

Also you should not feel guilty about choosing family over work. Any place that is asking for doubles on a constant/daily basis has its own problems and I would be looking else where for employment.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I work with a nurse who works 6 x 12 hour shifts per week. I just cannot comprehend how she does it and I have seen her do it for 1 year, and I believe she has done it for years.

Her nastiness leaves a lot to be desired but she is allowed to do it I can only hope she does her job ok

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Ya think?

Pilots, truck drivers have limits on the amount of time they are allowed to spend operating their equipment before they have to have a minimum of 10 hrs off shift, yet we deal with peoples lives and no one bats an eye.

Management does not think twice about asking us to do overtime, yet do you think they would stand behind you if you made a major mistake and were investigated. NOPE! They'd say it was your choice to work that much. Yet they are usually manipulating or bullying you into it.

I always say that it is not my responsibility to make sure that the schedule is covered, or that we have enough staff to cover callins and vacations. If I choose to work more than 40 hrs per week or 8/12 hrs per day, that should be up to me, not my manager. I have yet to see her stay when evening shift calls in and days has to do a double.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health, Show Biz.

I'm against "mandatory overtime" but I support a nurse's individual decision to work 12 - 16 hours a day.

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Specializes in Licensed Practical Nurse.
i was also curious, do any of you have the staffing person come up on the floor and ask you to stay for a double shift, and then they don't take no for an answer? my husband is a cop, and he goes to work when i come home, so i need to go home to be with my kids. everytime i say that i can't stay late, they go off and start saying things like "well patient care will suffer" or "i'm just trying to fatten your wallet for your family". then i go home and feel guilty for choosing my family over my patients. this is a daily occurrence, they are always asking around for nurses to stay for double shifts. is the staffing office the same at other facilities?

txrn i know how you feel, i had this problem last night with the supervisor, i worked a double 7a-11p (16 hours) so i told her i would not be able to come in 7a this morning! she starts telling me how low staffed they are and comes up on the floor to beg me even more, i said no, even on of the patients told me i made the right decision! dont let anyone dictate to you when you have to work, working a double is merely a favor you have no obligation to do! i was so mad at the supervisor seeing that i have helped them out in the past with staffing issues, even came in 12am to help them out, and they dont even want to return the help, they're in charge of staffing not us! its easy for them to tell you that you can work the double, but while you're killing yourself trying to work the double they're at home relaxing! sorry staffers, families and sanity first!!

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