English

Topic: Nursing homes - Inadequate staffing and mandatory overtime

Issue: Legalization of mandatory overtime for Nursing home Nurses

Aspect 1: Work overload

Pro: Nursing Overtime: Pros and Cons of Overtime | Pulse Uniform. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.pulseuniform.com/coffee-time/nursing-overtime/

Working overtime gives you time to boost your career. The load may be high sometimes but that will help the new nurses to prepare for their better future. Students will get more experience in a shorter period. That way they will be ready for actual harder days when it comes to Nursing.

Con: Dembe. (2009). Ethical Issues Relating to the Health Effects of Long Working Hours. Journal of Business Ethics, 84(Suppl 2), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9700-9

Does mandatory overtime mean less staffing which drains the nurse's energy? Is 8 or 12 hours shift not sufficient? Working overtime usually brings the context of burning out and inviting health problems. Nursing is a job that comes with stress and working overtime with more workloads will only decline mental health. Overload will bring more stress and more individuals will be going through unnecessary depression.

Aspect 2: Quality of care:

Pro: Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Lake ET, Cheney T. Effects of hospital care environment on patient mortality and nurse outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration. 2008; 38:223–229. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908908/

Quality of care could be productive if nurses were to help by staying longer. Less nurses doing more work is worse than more nurses distributing the work and maintaining the quality of care to their patients. Managing the time can help with the Quality and quantity of the care. Opting in for staying a couple of hours extra will bring you out as a team leader and set an example.

Con: Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Lake ET, Cheney T. Effects of hospital care environment on patient mortality and nurse outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration. 2008;38:223–229. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2908908/

Will the quality of care be the same after working long exhausting hours? We have seen so many cases coming through of nurses making mistakes because they were exhausted working overtime. Is working long hours more important than patients' lives?

Aspect 3: Financial aspect:

Pro: Nelson, & Kennedy, M. S. (2008). The Other Side of Mandatory Overtime. The American Journal of Nursing, 108(4), 23–24. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000315254.23458.81

Working overtime will help many nurses who have debts. Nursing schools are expensive and working overtime will help them with clearing the debts early and focus on their personal life. Savings can be one of the biggest pros of working overtime. Traditionally, Overtime means you are getting paid times and half extra on what you initially make. This extra buck can help you secure your own life, your family's future.

Con: Nelson, & Kennedy, M. S. (2008). The Other Side of Mandatory Overtime. The American Journal of Nursing, 108(4), 23–24. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000315254.23458.81

Working overtime will cuts on personal time, family time and time for yourself. Will the wages for nurses be increased for working overtime? Should Nursing homes be hiring more staff to decrease the overload of patients? Money is not the only thing a person is seeking out in life. Peace and a life without stress is much more important for me personally.

Reference:

Facione, P. A., & Gittens, C. A. (2016). Think critically (3rd ed.). Pearson.