A newly published study published in Nursing Outlook suggests that state-mandated caps on nurses' mandatory overtime hours are working, reducing overtime hours for newly registered nurses in affected states.
As of 2010, 16 states had rules that restricted overtime hours for nurses, including California, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas. (Not all states with overtime rules prohibit mandatory overtime; some simply limit total work hours.) At issue in the study was the extent to which those laws or regulations had actually affected the workplace. Researchers examined newly licensed registered nurses' self-reported mandatory and voluntary overtime hours, as well as their total work hours.
They found that in the states with rules governing mandatory overtime, NLRNs were 59 percent less likely to work mandatory overtime than their colleagues in unregulated states. Overall, 11.6 percent of nurses said they worked mandatory overtime in a typical work week, averaging 6.1 hours of mandatory overtime. In addition, in the states regulating overtime, NLRNs worked an average of 50 fewer minutes per week than their colleagues in states without overtime regulations.
Researchers also found no relationship between mandatory and voluntary overtime hours, although more than 50 percent of NLRNs reported working voluntary overtime in a typical work week. Past research has demonstrated that fatigue can lead to patient harm.
As of 2010, 16 states had rules that restricted overtime hours for nurses, including California, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas. (Not all states with overtime rules prohibit mandatory overtime; some simply limit total work hours.) At issue in the study was the extent to which those laws or regulations had actually affected the workplace. Researchers examined newly licensed registered nurses' self-reported mandatory and voluntary overtime hours, as well as their total work hours.
They found that in the states with rules governing mandatory overtime, NLRNs were 59 percent less likely to work mandatory overtime than their colleagues in unregulated states. Overall, 11.6 percent of nurses said they worked mandatory overtime in a typical work week, averaging 6.1 hours of mandatory overtime. In addition, in the states regulating overtime, NLRNs worked an average of 50 fewer minutes per week than their colleagues in states without overtime regulations.
Researchers also found no relationship between mandatory and voluntary overtime hours, although more than 50 percent of NLRNs reported working voluntary overtime in a typical work week. Past research has demonstrated that fatigue can lead to patient harm.
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