The Nursing Debate No issue is as important as the prevention, cure, and management of conditions that cause health problems. Nursing is the crucial link between patients in distress and the road to recovery. Emergency room nurses treat patients in emergency situations where they’re experiencing trauma or injury. The nurses are trained to quickly recognize the life-threatening situations and solve them on the spot. Nurses can have work ranging in the severe case of dismembered bodies, third degree burns, or as insignificant as a broken pinky. Since their work intensity varies, it is imperative to have shorter work hours in order to produce the best work for their patients.
Emergency room nurses are responsible lots of work during their shifts, which is why shorter shifts would be more beneficial. 8-hour work shifts versus 12-hour work shifts produce less burnouts, therefore nurse perform better quality work. Burnouts are categorized as physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Burnouts can be caused by overwork, too many stressful situations in one day, unusual/frightening experiences, sleep deprivation, etc. A common sign of burnout is noticing that a majority of your day is overwhelming and/or dull and uninteresting. In order to avoid burnouts, or similar symptoms, it is best to start the morning with a relaxing activity or ritual. Hoever, this is difficult if a nurse’s shift starts at the early hours of the morning and last until the evening. I have seen burnouts and unhealthy work habits first-hand as many members of my family are nurses, doctors, and paramedics. My parents often would work 12-hour, plus high potential of overtime, shifts. They would come home, clearly exhausted and drained, only wanting to refuel with food and sleep. Being gone often and only coming home to sleep would have strains on their work as well as their personal relationships. Shift work jobs, such as nurses, can leave partners in a relationship with little to no face-to-face contact. Continuous is defined as uninterrupted in time; without cessation. Nurses who have continuous 12-hour work shifts work for 12 hours, sleep and rest for 12 hours, then repeat. After a while, this becomes extremely exhausting for one’s mental, emotional, and physical health. Continuous 12-hour work shifts cause fatigue. Fatigue is categorized as extreme tiredness, typically resulting from physical exertion and/or illness. Other symptoms can be associated with fatigue such as fainting, chest pain, shortness of breath, bleeding, severe abdominal pain, headaches, irregular heartbeat. Fatigue can lead to sleep deprivation and slower reaction time, which is detrimental for a nurse. Sleep deprivation can have a serious effect on your health. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin split 49 people into two groups of 21 sleep deprived people and 28 well-rested people. All the participants were told to do different tasks that require quick decisions. Those who were sleep deprived had a decline of their accuracy by 2.4% and those who were well-rested had an increase in their accuracy by 4.3%. This study was originally designed for the military, to show how significant sleep is because cadets need quick decision making skills in order to assess their targets and enemies. A nurse's situation does not differ much from this. A nurse is required to able to gauge the intensity of their patients injuries and then figure out the best and safest method of treatment. Another reason why shorter shifts are better for the not only the patients but the nurses as well, is that their health is directly correlated to long shifts. In 2013, 1 in 5 nurses reported nonfatal cases of musculoskeletal disorders, most complaining of lower-back pain. Following lower-back pain, ankle disorders, foot, neck, knee, shoulder, and upper extremities were also reported. …show more content…
The most obvious reason why 12-hour shifts are better than 8-hour shifts are because, there is less patient turnover. Instead of multiple nurses working with one patient, only two are required for 12-hour shifts. This means that since there is less handoff, that results in fewer errors and chances of miscommunication. Another reason why longer shifts are beneficial, is because from a managerial standpoint, there is one less shift to fit into the schedule. Managers who only have to schedule 12-hour shifts have an easier time putting together all their
Emergency room nurses are responsible lots of work during their shifts, which is why shorter shifts would be more beneficial. 8-hour work shifts versus 12-hour work shifts produce less burnouts, therefore nurse perform better quality work. Burnouts are categorized as physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Burnouts can be caused by overwork, too many stressful situations in one day, unusual/frightening experiences, sleep deprivation, etc. A common sign of burnout is noticing that a majority of your day is overwhelming and/or dull and uninteresting. In order to avoid burnouts, or similar symptoms, it is best to start the morning with a relaxing activity or ritual. Hoever, this is difficult if a nurse’s shift starts at the early hours of the morning and last until the evening. I have seen burnouts and unhealthy work habits first-hand as many members of my family are nurses, doctors, and paramedics. My parents often would work 12-hour, plus high potential of overtime, shifts. They would come home, clearly exhausted and drained, only wanting to refuel with food and sleep. Being gone often and only coming home to sleep would have strains on their work as well as their personal relationships. Shift work jobs, such as nurses, can leave partners in a relationship with little to no face-to-face contact. Continuous is defined as uninterrupted in time; without cessation. Nurses who have continuous 12-hour work shifts work for 12 hours, sleep and rest for 12 hours, then repeat. After a while, this becomes extremely exhausting for one’s mental, emotional, and physical health. Continuous 12-hour work shifts cause fatigue. Fatigue is categorized as extreme tiredness, typically resulting from physical exertion and/or illness. Other symptoms can be associated with fatigue such as fainting, chest pain, shortness of breath, bleeding, severe abdominal pain, headaches, irregular heartbeat. Fatigue can lead to sleep deprivation and slower reaction time, which is detrimental for a nurse. Sleep deprivation can have a serious effect on your health. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin split 49 people into two groups of 21 sleep deprived people and 28 well-rested people. All the participants were told to do different tasks that require quick decisions. Those who were sleep deprived had a decline of their accuracy by 2.4% and those who were well-rested had an increase in their accuracy by 4.3%. This study was originally designed for the military, to show how significant sleep is because cadets need quick decision making skills in order to assess their targets and enemies. A nurse's situation does not differ much from this. A nurse is required to able to gauge the intensity of their patients injuries and then figure out the best and safest method of treatment. Another reason why shorter shifts are better for the not only the patients but the nurses as well, is that their health is directly correlated to long shifts. In 2013, 1 in 5 nurses reported nonfatal cases of musculoskeletal disorders, most complaining of lower-back pain. Following lower-back pain, ankle disorders, foot, neck, knee, shoulder, and upper extremities were also reported. …show more content…
The most obvious reason why 12-hour shifts are better than 8-hour shifts are because, there is less patient turnover. Instead of multiple nurses working with one patient, only two are required for 12-hour shifts. This means that since there is less handoff, that results in fewer errors and chances of miscommunication. Another reason why longer shifts are beneficial, is because from a managerial standpoint, there is one less shift to fit into the schedule. Managers who only have to schedule 12-hour shifts have an easier time putting together all their