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How long and how much are nurses now working?

Alison Trinkoff1, Jeanne Geiger-Brown, Barbara Brady

  • 1University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA. trinkoff@son.umaryland.edu

The American Journal of Nursing
|April 1, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Extended work schedules are prevalent among nurses, with many working over 12 hours daily and exceeding 40 hours weekly. These demanding nurse schedules raise concerns for patient safety and nurse well-being.

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Area of Science:

  • Nursing
  • Occupational Health
  • Healthcare Management

Background:

  • Extended work schedules are common in nursing.
  • These schedules negatively impact nursing recruitment, retention, patient safety, and nurse well-being.
  • Understanding the prevalence of these schedules is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the nature and prevalence of extended work schedules in nursing.
  • To analyze how different nursing roles and personal circumstances correlate with extended work hours.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative survey data from the Nurses Worklife and Health Study (N=2,273 RNs).
  • Analysis of demographic data, job details (position, workplace, specialty), and work schedule variables.
  • Inclusion of data on off-shifts, breaks, overtime, on-call requirements, time between shifts, and work on days off/vacation.

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Main Results:

  • Over 25% of nurses typically worked ≥12 hours/day; over 50% of hospital nurses did.
  • A third worked >40 hours/week; over a third worked ≥6 consecutive days.
  • Nurses with multiple jobs and single parents were more likely to work long hours and consecutive days.

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of nurses work schedules exceeding recommended guidelines.
  • These extended work schedules pose risks for nurse fatigue and patient safety.
  • Industry-wide concern is warranted regarding the impact of nurse work schedules.