Mandatory Overtime Essay

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Recommended: The impact of mandatory overtime on nurses

Megan Stager
Professor Jegede
Freshmen English 1
5/26/17
Mandatory Overtime, Is it Worth it?

One of the many issues today that nurses across this nation face is mandatory overtime. “What is mandatory overtime, you may ask?” Mandatory overtime is a practice that requires workers to work longer hours than a standard 40-hour work week, even if that employee does not want to work any additional hours. Even though some nurses welcome mandatory overtime as a way to make extra money, this policy can also cause early burnout in nurses that can be detrimental to not only the nurses health, but also to everyone that is involved.
“Money makes the world go round” that’s what my mother always says. Such a horrible statement to exist and for it to be true is worse. Without money no bills will be paid, food would be harder to get, and life itself would be much more difficult. In some instances, mandatory overtime is a blessing to nurses. With mandatory overtime they are able to make their next paycheck easier by getting time and a half. Some nurses know how to play this game and be able to make the big bucks in no time. Avid nurse/ blogger, Jon Haws, obviously knows how to play the mandatory overtime …show more content…

However, no one seems to understand the detriments that come with mandatory overtime in the health care setting. Due to a high patient loads and exhaustion from working long hours, nurses start to drain and start to become incompliant with medical procedures and looking after the residents. The American Nurses Association (ANA), in a national survey of 7,300 of its members, found, disturbingly, that 56% of nurses believe that the time they have available for care for each patient has decreased, and 75% feel that the quality of patient care at their own facility has decreased in the last two years. (Golden) The quality of a patient’s care should not suffer, because someone needs to make a little extra

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