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Nurses are often threatened with dismissal or with the charge of patient abandonment if they refuse to accept overtime. We can lose our nursing license (our ability to practice, our livelihood) if found guilty of patient abandonment. Therefore, many nurses have no actual choice when confronted by a request for overtime, and many are regularly working shifts in excess of 12 hours.
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Nurses across the nation are reporting a dramatic increase in the use of mandatory overtime as a staffing tool. This dangerous staffing practice is having a negative impact on patient care, fostering medical errors, and driving nurses away from the bedside.
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A recent ANA survey of nearly 5,000 nurses across then nation revealed that more than 67 percent are working unplanned overtime every month.
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Research shows that sleep loss influences several aspects of performance, leading to slowed reaction time, delayed responses, failure to respond when appropriate, false responses, slowed thinking, diminished memory and others. In fact, 1997 research conducted at the University of Australia showed that work performance is more likely to be impaired by moderate fatigue than by alcohol consumption. It is well understood that significant safety risks are posed by fatigued workers.
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Transportation law places strict limits on the amount of time that can be worked in aviation and trucking. While we recognize that public safety requires a limit on the number of hours a flight attendant or a truck driver can work, there is no similar protection for patients who require nursing care. It is important and appropriate for Congress to place a ban on the use of mandatory overtime in nursing through health law.
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The abuse of mandatory overtime is driving nurses out of patient care and contributing to the nursing shortage.