legislative bills related to mandatory overtime for nurse as discussed before the committee on veteran's affairs

Resource Box.
	nursing jobs nursing degree nursing schools

OVERTIME

Nurses across the nation are expressing deep concern about the dramatic increase in the use of mandatory overtime. ANA hears that overtime is the most common method facilities are using to cover staffing gaps. Employers may mandate that a nurse work an extra shift (or more) or face dismissal, as well as being reported to the state board of nursing for patient abandonment. Concerns about the use of mandatory overtime are directly related to patient care of our veterans.

We know that sleep loss influences several aspects of performance, leading to a slowed reaction time, delayed responses, failure to respond when appropriate, false responses, slowed thinking and diminished memory. In fact, 1997 research by Dawson and Reid at the University of Australia showed that work performance is more likely to be impaired by moderate fatigue than by alcohol consumption. Their research shows that significant safety risks are posed by workers staying awake for long periods. It only stands to add that an exhausted nurse is more likely to commit an error that a nurse who is not being required to work a 16 hour shift.

Nurses are placed in a unique situation when confronted by the demands of overtime. Ethical nursing practice prohibits nurses from engaging in behavior that they know could harm their patients. At the same time, RNs face the loss of their license-their careers and livelihoods-when charged with patient abandonment. Absent legislation, nurses will continue to confront this dilemma. For this reason the American Nurses Association supports legislative initiatives to limit the use of mandatory overtime. Federal laws and regulations set maximum hours in the interest of public safety for airline pilots, train engineers and truck drivers. Shouldn’t we afford the same precaution for our patients in our VA hospitals?

The VHA has continued the antiquated practice of rotating staff instead of hiring permanent tours of duty. This practice does not allow staff to be creative in their scheduling to accommodate work and family and personal obligations.

In order to minimize the use of mandatory overtime, floating nurses from one unit to another has become a standard practice. If other units have sick calls or increased acuity, then nurses will be floated to that unit. Nursing has become specialized and although nurses are all taught the same basic curriculum in school, once they begin working to hone certain skills their knowledge base in some other areas may not render current with changes in practice. Therefore, a registered nurse should not be assigned to work in a particular unit without first having established the ability to provide professional care in that unit.

Page 3 of 5

Go to page 1 2 4 5