University of [University Name] Nursing Report: Mandatory Overtime

This report delves into the critical issue of mandatory overtime in nursing, examining its causes, consequences, and potential solutions. The report begins by outlining the challenges faced by healthcare systems, including workforce shortages and the increasing demands of an aging population, which often lead to mandatory overtime for nurses. It then focuses on the personal experience of the author, detailing their experience with mandatory overtime in an emergency department setting and the impact on patient care and the nurses themselves. The report highlights the increased work stress and potential for compromised patient safety associated with fatigued nurses. The author provides references to support the arguments made in the report. This report provides an overview of the impact of mandatory overtime on nurses and patient care, based on a real-world example and supporting research.

Running Head: MANDATORY NURSING OVERTIME
Mandatory Nursing Overtime
Students Name
University Affiliation
Date

MANDATORY NURSING OVERTIME 2
Mandatory Nursing Overtime
Healthcare systems face continual problems and challenges with workforce shortages,
cost containment as well as the increasing number of chronically ill individuals. These
challenges are influenced by the increasing underfunded care and reimbursement constraints; an
international shortage of nursing staff as well as the consumption of services by the aging baby
boomer generation. Healthcare institutions must offer services to the people to leverage
overhead, meet their countries mandate for the provision of services and maximize revenue.
Vital strategies spelled out by the healthcare system to offer appropriate levels of nursing staff
entail use of flexible unbenefited positions, contracted labor, as well as both voluntary and
mandatory overtime (Wheatley, 2017). Mandatory overtime is generally executed in healthcare
institutions when they are experiencing a chronic shortage of nursing staff. Nurses who are
mandated to work overtime frequently report fatigued and feeling overworked which can,
consequently, negatively affect patient safety and care (Lu & Lu, 2017).
Many healthcare organizations practice mandatory overtime for nurses and in have
personally experienced it. I was working as an intern in the emergency department in my local
hospital. The emergency department had few numbers of staffs, that is, three registered medical
and clinical professionals, who could not sustain the increasing number of patients who were
referred to the department. With the few numbers of staffs, sometimes the hospital management
requested us to work overtime voluntarily. However, on numerous occasions, the management
could order us to take mandatory overtime. This greatly impacted us and the general health and
care of the patients. For instance, the work stress in which were being subjected to increased our
risk for both mental and physical health. Since were fatigued, this endangered patient’s safety
and health (Leana, Meuris & Lamberton, 2018).

MANDATORY NURSING OVERTIME 3
References
Leana, C., Meuris, J., & Lamberton, C. (2018). More Than a Feeling: The Role of Empathetic
Care in Promoting Safety in Health Care. ILR Review, 71(2), 394–425. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1177/0019793917720432
Lu, S. F., & Lu, L. X. (2017). Do Mandatory Overtime Laws Improve Quality? Staffing
Decisions and Operational Flexibility of Nursing Homes. Management Science, 63(11),
3566–3585. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2523
Wheatley, C. (2017). Nursing Overtime: Should It Be Regulated? Nursing Economic$, 35(4),
213–217. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
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