Pennsylvania Nurses Are Again Pushing For A Ban On Forced Overtime

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

found at pa's physician's news digest :

pennsylvania nurses are again pushing for a ban on forced overtime

bolstered by the support of health care unions like

service employees international union district 1199p

and the pennsylvania association of staff nurses and

allied professionals, nurses maintain that forced

overtime could lead to medical errors and force nurses

out of the profession, and they urged legislators to

support a bill by state sen. christine tartaglione (d-

philadelphia) that would ban medical facilities from

directing nurses to work a second eight-hour shift

immediately after one such shift, except for natural

disasters or other dire situations, like a terrorist

attack, airliner crash or when the governor declares an

emergency, reported the post-gazette. the bill would

allow nurses and nursing assistants to work overtime on

a voluntary basis, but they couldn't be forced to stay

on for a second shift if they wanted to go home, while

tartaglione said a similar bill she sponsored last year

did win approval of the senate judiciary committee, but

never came up for a vote in the full house or senate,

the post-gazette added.

pittsburgh post-gazette, may 11, 2005

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05131/502276.stm

senate bill not yet assigned; house bill similar is:

hb 1081: health care worker and patient protection act

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/2005%5f0/hb1081p1239.htm

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I responded, but I wonder..what good will it do for LTC nurses? I see no change in the way these facilities will be staffed.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

I responded, but I wonder..what good will it do for LTC nurses? I see no change in the way these facilities will be staffed.

I haven't read the actual language of the bill, but wouldn't LTCs be included in "medical facilities"?

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

What I'm getting at is...the way things work now occasionally I have been mandated or an 11-7 shift. I called all of our nurses to come in and no one can. Yep I have been up since 6 am and need to go home to get some sleep to care for my 3 small children the next day, maybe I'm sick or my kids are sick, I'm tired...yada....yada. There is no one (except for our DON who "can't" ) that could possible come in to work. This has happens on may different occasions and on different shifts.