Long Work Hours Nursing

Long Hours of Nursing

Long work hours are a common problem in many careers. They often increase heart failures and injuries on the job. This problem may not affect all employers directly but it affects those who take care of the sick or injured, nurses. Long work hours are an issue in nursing because it causes poor health, carelessness, and depression.

One reason long work hours are an issue in nursing is because it can cause poor health. According to one article, “studies found a link between a nurse’s long hours and an increased risk for a multitude of health issues, including musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal problems, gastric ulcers, obesity, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and cancer”(Ericksen).

Depression is considered one of the greatest public health problems in the world, in terms of work. “In Nursing, certain factors related to the work process such as areas of activity, interpersonal relationships, work shift, overload, work schedule problems, autonomy and execution of tasks, patient assistance, strain, social support, insecurity, conflict of interests and the coping strategies just as factors outside of work, such as gender, age, domestic workload, support and family income, health status and individual characteristics are related to factors that trigger depression.”(Fernandes, Marcolan). Long hours can cause depression in nurses by major challenges such as goals needed to be met, work overload, and excessive responsibilities. Nurses often have the thought of “If I go get food then I may miss a patient” or “I can eat but I need to hurry.” This causes nurses to make sacrifices and often causes depression or anxiety because there work takes over their lives. “Shift workers commonly report psychological complaints including bad mood, depression, irritability, anxiety, personality changes, and difficulty with personal relationships.” These factors can lead to depression in nurses causing poor performance, more days lost, and leading cause of sick