Ohio Bill Focuses on Protecting Nurses From Mandatory Overtime

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

CLEVELAND (AP) - A measure that will prohibit hospitals in Ohio from disciplining or firing nurses who refuse overtime is being considered by the state Legislature. A nursing group said this bill will help protect nurses from fatigue and burnout and ultimately protect their patients.

The bill backed by the Ohio Nurses Association has passed in the Ohio House and is expected to appear before the Senate in coming weeks. Ohio would become the 19th state to pass legislation prohibiting hospitals from requiring nurses to work overtime.

In a recent letter sent to Rep. Robert Sprague, the bill's primary sponsor, the Ohio Hospital Association, Ohio Children's Hospital Association and the Ohio Organization of Nurse Executives said the concerns (voiced by the bill's supporters) "are not supported by any data to suggest a real problem exists regarding mandatory nurse overtime."

What do you think about this? Is mandatory overtime an issue where you work?

For more on this story, go to: Ohio Bill Aims to Protect Nurses From Mandatory Overtime

[Buckeye.nurse]

Pretty much everyone I know doesn't like mandatory overtime. It has the potential to create unsafe situations (ie. falling asleep at the wheel)--especially if the nurse is back for a 12 hour shift the day after getting mandated, and only has 8 hours off. It can also cause tension between shifts and reduce staff morale.

I also know (along with my co-workers), that safe patient care is our priority. Sometimes it feels like mandation is the only way to create a safe assignment, and *that* is, in my opinion, the real problem. We need a more robust, experienced resource pool of nurses to cover ill calls, vacations, FMLA, maternity leave, high acuity etc. so that mandation is only on the table in emergency situations (like weather events or disaster situations).

[lrobinson5]

The hospitals just don't want to hire more RNs, plain and simple. We're managing over here in California. No mandatory OT, mandated breaks, and state mandated ratios. There have been times where the clinical nurse manager comes on the floor to take patients when we were very short, but it is much better since the last hiring wave. I think this is a huge problem for LTC (I remember reading a lot of people's complaints about this happening) but this article looks like it is focused on only hospitals.