Julie Thao, the nurse in Wisconsin who was charged in 2006 with neglect of a patient causing great bodily harm, a Class D felony worked two consecutive 8 hours shifts and the second shift ended at midnight on July 4, 2006. She had arranged to sleep at the hospital following the shifts because she was scheduled to work another 8 hour shift on the Birthing Unit at 0700 on July 5, 2006. On July 5, 2006 around 12noon she mistakenly administered epidural medications (bupivacaine and fentanyl) instead of pencillin to a patient on a birthing unit. The baby was delivered after the patient coded however the patient expired. Her license was suspended for 9 months by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing. Her license is limited for two years to working no more than 12 hours in any 24 consecutive hours. She cannot work more than 60 hours in any 7 consecutive days.
In your opinion, should a distinction be made between voluntary and mandatory overtime? In your opinion, is mandatory overtime more hazardous for nurses and to patient safety than voluntary overtime?
How many hours should a nurse work during an given week if providing direct patient care? A few years ago, I did 15 home health visits (wound care, medication assessments, etc.; no admissions) as a per diem nurse in one day. Each visit lasted between 30-45 minutes. I completed the paperwork in my truck and I drove to the next visit. I was physicially and mentally exhausted at 5pm (my day started at 8am) and I still had several visits to complete. My pay check the next week was nice, but.....
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