The Never Ending Struggle For Companies

The case scenario portrayed Jackie, as a typical nurse who was conflicted and stressed out from both the demands of family and of the workplace environment. At home, she was pressured by her husband to take on extra overtime to supplement and augment the family’s income. Thus, in spite of feeling that her skills were not current, Jackie signed up with her previous hospital to be on the flexible staffing pool (Badzek, et al., 1998). As expected, “Jackie found the work extremely stressful. She rarely had the same unit and patient assignment” (Badzek, et al., 1998).

While mandatory overtime is utilized in health care organizations as a quick solution to staffing shortages, the consequences of staff and issues with patient care continue to be an ongoing ethical issue. The purpose of this paper is to explore the causes and consequences of mandatory overtime, as well as regulations regarding mandatory overtime.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss two things: the legislative process, and workplace issues, more specifically mandatory overtime. Once the legislative process is explained I will go into discussing the issue of mandatory overtime when it comes to registered nurses. Pros and cons of mandatory overtime will be viewed. Once that evidence is presented, I will continue to discuss my position and provide support for my stance. After I have done that, I will include a letter written to local legislators stating my position.

Reasons for mandatory overtime varies from natural disaster to lack of staff. Many companies, organizations, and hospitals require mandatory overtime because of staffing issues. “Increasingly, however, nurses are reporting that mandatory overtime has become standard operating procedure instead of a last resort to short staffing. In fact, in some hospitals, mandatory overtime is routinely used in an effort to keep fewer people on the payroll, as well as to alleviate immediate shortage needs.” (Huston,

On the traditional views and medical ethical codes, health care workers should not go on strike because strikes, without doubt, will reduce, delay, and meddle with necessary healthcare. Such view originates from the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath sees the rights of health care workers strikes as a contention with their obligations and the rights of patients. With that in mind, healthcare workers should not refer strike as a first bargaining method (Fiester, 2004).

The goal of the LeadingAge Texas is to implement higher direct staffing hours for each resident allowing for positive outcomes, which is what the government was trying to accomplish through Texas Quality Incentive Payment Program (QIPP). QIPP implemented the goals of decreased pressure ulcers, decreased usage of antipsychotics, decrease in falls, and physical restraints (Texas Quality Incentive Payment Program, 2016). While these incentives assist in improving quality care, quality care starts at adequate quality staffing. Staffing is the key to quality care and is what consumers advocate; however, the nursing industry would rather implement incentive programs (Harrington et al., 2016). As shown by the failure of QIPP and NHQRE, quality staffing is needed to improve the quality of care.

For some nurses, mandatory overtime can be an advantage due to financial instability but mostly mandatory overtime can cause fatigue, burnout, injuries, errors, inadequate sleep and deficits in performance. According to research working long hours which consists more than 40 hours a week or over 12 hours a day leads to an increased medication errors and patient mortality. The probability of making medication errors increases tremendously when nurses work longer than 12.5 hours a day. During surveys regarding reasons of overtime, 60 % of nurses stated that overtime was obligatory as part of their job, 29 % of nurses stated that they volunteered and 41% of nurses stated that they were “on call hours” (Bae, 2012)

Mandatory overtime in the field of nursing is described as forced overtime to maintain an adequate amount of staff present to meet the needs of the hospital. With a normal work schedule, a nurse usually works 12-hour shifts, usually three times a week. With the obligatory hours that are extended with overtime due to the continuation of nursing shortages, a nurse’s shift can be continued ranging from 12 to 16 hours, with very short notice. This mandatory action is related to putting not only nurses, but also patient’s health at risk. The advantages that accompany mandatory overtime are overshadowed by the disadvantages that surpass the benefits of working extended hours, therefore, mandatory overtime should not be allowed in the nursing work place.

This is when the California Nurses Association began bargaining with a hospital’s proposal of 26 takeaways, including wage freezes and health benefit cuts. As a result, 26 takeaways were withdrawn and replaced with wage increases, as well as the winning of important patient safety improvements. Not only was this a big win for the nurses and patients, but it also “taught a lesson to employers that the “new” CNA would fight concessions and protect RNs/NPs as patient advocates. And to top all of that, every other CNA-represented hospital in bargaining over the next several years settled their contracts with little contention and with better wages than were won even at Kaiser, starting a positive escalation in wages and benefits.” (Deborah Burger, RN, CNA/NNU Council).

The company refused to bargain in bad faith. according to Beatty, Samuel son one amongst the necessary subjects of bargaining is that the employees' wages. thus the company should participate in bargaining with the union. once the union asked for a raise, the company counter offered the raise with a far lower quantity and stated that something on top of that quantity would bankrupt them. All the union did was raise to visualize the proof of being therefore near bankrupt by watching the books. By refusing to indicate their books to the union, this created Associate in Nursing act of bad faith. The National Labor Relations Act aims at encouraging resolution of disputes at work place through negotiation so the staff will peacefully resort their

Mandatory overtime has become an increasing problem for nurses who work in many hospital settings. Mandatory overtime is defined as additional hours added to a nurse’s current shift, making the nurse feel as if it’s a threat of being fired or disciplinary action will be taken in some form if they refuse to stay and work. Extensive overtime studies have established and confirmed that there are serious dangers to both the nurse and the patient being cared for in all types of healthcare settings.

Mandatory overtime is an important issue that involves nurses and other members of the health care team, such as managers, employers, and administrators. The issue

The mission is successful negotiation of fair wages, safe working conditions and exemplary patient care. Can the nation’s labor unions help nursing healthcare professionals meet these mission goals? Battles are currently being fought to preserve and reform the Nation’s healthcare system. Along with proposed changes to the affordability and accessibility of medical care, healthcare providers will be faced with challenges of patient-to-provider ratios, rising costs, falling salaries/benefits and change in patient care roles. Will quality care be provided and will the

Over the years, continued efforts by nurses from different states and professional nursing associations focused on influencing policymakers through strikes, lobbying and policy drafts to develop and promote regulation in regards to nursing overtime and long hours shifts. Fortunately, throughout years small, successfully changes were adopted. For example, in 1938 Fair Labor Standards of Act (FLSA) was signet (Huston, 2017). Even though this act did not restrict on how much overtime one can work, instead the act obliges the payroll employer to pay every hour worked after 40 hours a week for at least one-and-a-half times (Huston, 2017). In 2005, Safe Nursing Patient Care Act was signed. This act prohibits hospital management to mandate nurses to wok more

Balancing profit with serving patients and providing charity care. “Nurses are a scarce resource. So is cash. Healthcare organizations must balance the books to keep their doors open ― ‘No margin, no mission,’” said Nancy Berlinger, Ph.D., M.Div., deputy director and research scholar at The Hastings Center, a national nonpartisan bioethics