If people work 12 hour shifts and have second jobs, the issue then becomes when do you factor in down time? "Twelve-hours shifts is probably one of the worst things we ever did," she says. "It's thinking about doing things differently. [Nurse leaders should be] partnering with the staff instead of punishing them for taking breaks or covering for each other."
Scott acknowledges that cultural factors can stand in the way of taking breaks or naps. She says nurses often say they "don't get fatigued, or they just keep going or they force themselves to stay awake. That's almost physiologically impossible to do." And although many nurses say they like working successive 12-hour shifts, and having long stretches of time off, Scott says picking up extra shifts on days off is common.
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Posted By: Jen Fad
Thursday, January 30th 2014 at 8:03PM
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