TEXAS BNE POSITION STATEMENT 15:26 "Nurse Working Hours"

[fossil78]

mad as hell: nursing position statement: 15:26

on april 19-20th the future of nursing as we now know it may change forever because of a select few who sit on the texas board of nurse examiners. they will dictate to the nursing profession how many hours we can safely work in a day and stipulate how many days we can work consecutively, and weekly. the silent majority must raise their voices and be heard. in a time when the nursing shortage is widening (over a million vacancies expected by 2012), the average nurse is 50 years old and close to retirement. fewer young workers are entering the profession to fill their places. nursing schools can't get enough faculty to accommodate students. the u.s. bureau of labor statistics estimates that as a result of demand for nurses, nursing will be the fastest growing industry nationwide for the next five years. mandating working hours will put undue strain on our already overburdened health care system. we presently can't appropriately staff our facilities. forcing nurses to work less is putting patients at risk, the very opposite of what your proposition proposes with no solutions in sight. we need leadership with vision not knee jerk reactionist. i'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. i will be in austin april 18th at the public hearing to defend our right of self determination for our profession and future nurses.

fossil78

i need your support and guidance in this endeavor. a dedicated and proud texas rn.

[Sheri257]

I'm still confused as to what this proposal is ...

Are they saying you can't work more than 3 12 hour shifts in a week?

Or are people just speculating that's what they're going to do?

:confused:

[SharonH, RN]

This has nothing to do with being mandated. It is about taking AWAY a nurse's autonomy to CHOOSE the best schedule for their lifestyle and family needs.

~faith,

Timothy.

You say tomato, I say tomahto. I say it's about taking away the ability for nurses to work schedules which might make them dangerous to patients whether it's mandated or voluntary. Just because it's more convenient and financially profitable for someone to work double shifts back to back doesn't mean they should be allowed to do so at the possible expense of patient care.

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

I'm still confused as to what this proposal is ...

Are they saying you can't work more than 3 12 hour shifts in a week?

Or are people just speculating that's what they're going to do?

:confused:

They can't work more than 3 -12 hr shifts in a row. And, no more than 5 in any rolling 7 day period.

~faith,

Timothy.

[SharonH, RN]

I'm still confused as to what this proposal is ...

Are they saying you can't work more than 3 12 hour shifts in a week?

Or are people just speculating that's what they're going to do?

:confused:

ftp://www.bne.state.tx.us/January07/5-2-2.pdf

Discussed and recommended limiting work hours to 12.5 hours in a

24 hour period, 60 hours in a 7 day period and 3 consecutive days

of 12 hour shifts

Here's the link. It's quite reasonable as it still allows for plenty of overtime, if that's your thing. It just eliminates the double shift and I say thank goodness for that. I've seen more serious errors on double shifts than people are willing to admit.

[barbyann]

How about they propose some real "pt safety" standards? Spend this valuable time and expense and put forth a proposal that standardizes ratios, recognize lack of acuity measurements and no effective plan to increase nurse educators? Sigh....more smoke and mirrors!

[fossil78]

My main focus is that as nurses we determine our profession. You don't see physicians and lawyers with these position statements affecting their profession. I know my working limits and capabilities. I don't want to be dictated the times i can work and my rest periods. I've been a nurse close to 30 years. I've seen may changes...some good, alot bad. Why do we keep reinventing the wheel. We have plenty of regulations/ hospital policies and protocols for everything imaginable that if followed allow for safe pt care. It's when we take shortcuts the problems start. I for one could not survive on my present salary, and raise a family and send my children to college. I make the choice to work extra. I do not want the BNE regulating/mandating my work hours.

If this proposition passes I believe it will have major consequences that will be negative to our profession, and the healthcare system.

fossil 78

[ethelbsnrn]

Remember...

the proposal is based on an evidenced-based research for patient safety. This is not based on business profit or what. It should help the profession - that's the goal.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I wonder if this will now spread across other professions, in related and unrelated fields. Will medical interns and residents now NOT be living at the hospital for days on end? Will they be forced into shorter workdays, and take more time off? After all, these people are prescribing meds and treatments in exhausted states all the time. If someone is going to dictate what my schedule should be, I'd want EVERYONE in healthcare to be considered the same way. We have RTs who work long hours, extended weeks for the same reasons we nurses do. Who is out there trying to get THEM to work less? Seems to me someone responsible for someone else's very breathing is to be considered just as we are.

I have seen nurses who work less than 12 hour shifts screw up because they are tired....or just sometimes poor nurses regardless of how many hours they work. Sometimes, they are scheduled for 8's and work a few hours over to cover gaps, and frequently. But this bill is specifically directed at the 12 hour folks. Some nurses will work 12 hour shifts several days in a row and be fine, others will not be fit to work after 3 12's in a row. Management and the nurses themselves at each facility is better able to direct scheduling, not a blanket proposal on a government level.

Sure, some nurses shouldn't work extended schedules. But I don't want to be told what I can and can't do because of what someone else might do. If "evidence" (and I quote that because I'm always skeptical of statistics--can be bent nine ways to Sunday) suggests that after the sixth consecutive hour nurses are more likely to make mistakes, then I suppose people will think it's reasonable to limit nurses to five hour shifts? Where does the control stop?

[Sheri257]

How about they propose some real "pt safety" standards? Spend this valuable time and expense and put forth a proposal that standardizes ratios, recognize lack of acuity measurements and no effective plan to increase nurse educators? Sigh....more smoke and mirrors!

Yeah ... I have to agree. What good does limited hours do if you can still get too many patients?

:typing

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Yeah ... I have to agree. What good does limited hours do if you can still get too many patients?

:typing

Gosh, now there's something :)

I can bet the exhaustion rate drops with fewer patients to run meds and charting and treatments for, regardless of the length of shift. I'd actually be willing to do MORE shifts (better rested) if I didn't work my butt off so badly when I'm on!

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

I'll betcha that if this passes, hospitals will have nurses sign waivers of liability if they want to ignore it. Then when an error happens, and you know it's gonna happen, woe be to the nurse who makes it. He/she will be hung out to dry, sued and bybye license. I think the BNE is wasting its time on the wrong thing.

[Sheri257]

Gosh, now there's something :)

I can bet the exhaustion rate drops with fewer patients to run meds and charting and treatments for, regardless of the length of shift. I'd actually be willing to do MORE shifts (better rested) if I didn't work my butt off so badly when I'm on!

I agree. This looks like a cosmetic measure more than anything else. Since the Texas legislature is considering a ratio law, maybe this is just a way for the board to try to look like they're doing something for nurses, instead of implementing measures that really matter ... like ratios.

:typing