Nurses know when, in their professional judgment, they are too fatigued to work beyond their shift.  Hospitals should respect nurses’ decisions.  But too often, hospitals concerned with the bottom line mandate nurses to work overtime with little regard for how this dangerous practice can impact the safety of patients—and in situations that often don’t qualify as an “emergency.”

Regulations exist to prevent pilots from flying or long-haul truckers from driving past the point of fatigue.  It is time for the federal government to put a stop to hospital abuse of forced overtime for RNs.

Read more about the UAN-supported H.R. 2122, the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2007.