There is a shortage of nurses nationwide, and there is an increase in the number of people in the United States over 65. This group has many medical needs. Nursing shortages can lead to stressful conditions which can result in injury, fatigue and job dissatisfaction ("American Nurses Association," n.d.). In addition, healthcare reforms will give access to millions of people that previously did not have access. More nurses are need to respond to their needs.…
Hello Monique, great contribution to this delicate topic in discussion. It must have been very difficult for you to argue for a topic that you personally oppose. From your personal point of view, I truly agree with all your argument about the negative consequences for nurses working 12 hour shifts. On the other hand the article you posted in favor of 12 hour shift did not do a good job supporting its arguments with other evidence based facts. I was also a little confused about the scenario you shared and its correlation to working extended long hours. I will be glad if you can enlighten me further on that correlation. I am currently working on an inpatient psychiatric unit and I will testify that working only 32 hours a week for 4 days even…
In the nursing profession patient safety and satisfaction is greatly stressed and very important, thus I chose to do my leadership change project on intentional one hour rounding and how it affects patient safety, specifically falls, and patient satisfaction. To bring this vision to a reality it was important to understand the problems and to set measurable goals for achieving them. It was also important to gain knowledge from other leaders in the community and health care field to have a better understanding of the pitfalls that I could come into contact with while working toward a solution.…
It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of Americans will have foot pain at some time in their lives, and one-third of seniors over 65 live with foot pain on a daily basis. In fact, according to Healthinaging, foot pain is one of the most common complaints among seniors.…
Long term care facility is a place where one can access health, supportive services, personal care helping them meet the needs of the frail older people or those who have no or limited capacity and ability for self-care. The limited care may have occurred through chronic illness, chronic injury, cognitive, physical or even mental disability or other health-related conditions. The services offered in the long-term care facility can includes the assistance with activities of the daily living, instrumental activities and the health maintenance activities. The long-term care assists people to be able to attain the optimal physical function and to improve the quality of life. This paper will explore the importance of long-term care facility; identify the populations, and the key characteristics of such facilities (Goldsmith, 2003).…
Fewer nurses mean more work for all. Inadequate staffing results in events that is doomed to failure resulting not only in the loss of energy, burnout and disengagement, but also eventual loss of nurses. Many nurses feel overburdened by heavy patient loads and the increasing intensity of service that sicker patients require (Gelinas, 2003). Due to our economy and strict insurance guidelines, patients are not seeking medical care early, resulting in sicker and more critical patients. The poor economy has resulted in lower salaries, less annual salary increase, job losses and less funding for education. Today there is a higher demand for education status. Not only are nurses working 8-12 hour shifts, caring for their family and children but now having to find the time to advance their education. The balances are hard to find, but without balance stress and burnout is inevitable…
To grant a restorative nap or sleep to a night nurse is the way to combat sleepiness and fatigue at work. No amount of technology or incentives can fight the problem of fatigue at work but sleep. As long as the practice of nap break is ignored, the danger to patient’s safety, nurses’ health, and decreased nurses’ job satisfaction will continue to be the major issues in the community and health organization. To understand the challenge in implementing the practice, one can summarize the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing the restorative nap break:…
sleep/rest, cognitive, self –perception, roles relationships, sexuality and coping) that help nurses in the collection…
Robert Applebaum, P. J. (1997, unknown unknown). Long Term Care Resources Program. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from Duke University: http://ltc.duke.edu/occasional_7.htm…
The nursing profession requires an individual to be alert, watchful, and prepared. They must monitor patients closely. Concentration and attentiveness declines when a nurse is overloaded with work. Nurses who become fatigued from the work overload can become a danger to themselves and their patients. Medication errors and pressure ulcers are common results from fatigued nurses. Medication errors happen a lot when a nurse loses the ability to concentrate and focus. Pressure ulcers are a result of poor nursing care which can be caused by fatigue. A nurse may be so fatigued by the end of her shift that she does not properly position a patient. Basic care is sometimes put on the back burner, or is delegated to less qualified staff. As well as providing basic nursing care, a nurse must also give report, check patients orders, medications, and labs, all in one shift! This leaves little time to create or maintain a relationship with a patient. Often times, nurses are assigned five or more patients to take care of in one shift. Nurses become stressed from the pressures of the job, and decide to leave the profession all…
Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals providing direct care in hospitals. However, they suffer from job burnout…
Nursing is a great field with flexibility in practice area. The “ registered nurse is trained as a general nurse who is free to move in and out of specializations, unrelated medical fields, and endless opportunity.” (Williams, 2007). Often, the nature of the staff nurse’s job can be challenging and stressful. Staff nurses are often bombarded with many patients, medication administration, and paper work. Because of the workload, nurses may become burnout and the job they once enjoyed isn’t enjoyable any longer. Being burnout not only affects the nurse, but it affects the patients too. When a nurse is burnout, it is unlikely he or she will do their job to the highest standard; patient care will not be at its highest quality. This paper seeks to address how nurses can enjoy and maintain the excitement of the field of nursing. Suggestions such as nursing prioritization development of good work ethics, exploring the profession of nursing, and nurses recognizing that they make a difference will…
In the past couple months I've been struggling with the future care of my grandma. My dad passed away in December and after the funeral my mom's mom went into the hospital for pneumonia. This has happened a few times with her going into the hospital in the last few years so it for the most part was a common thing. Usually after the hospital she is placed in the nursing home and after rehabilitation she is released to go home. This time after she was released she had home health care which is a nurse that comes out a few times a week to evaluate her (HHN). After this last stay with the nursing home they requested that she not drive anymore. My mom and I were in total agreement with that. My grandma is 89 years old and not…
Sleeping throughout the day limit working time. When you a nap that is too long or takes a nap at the wrong time then you are hindering your work. Naps may benefit you, but naps also have many negative side effects. You will slowly realize the changes you have when you take naps. Ultimately, naps are not healthy for everyone.…
These shifts still need to be filled because of the ever increasing patient amount within the hospital. These extra hours will play a toll on our current employees who are expected to step up and take these extra shifts. “Long work hours can lead to fatigue, restlessness, inadequate sleep, pain and deficits in performance and reaction time as a result of increased exposure to physical demands and insufficient recovery time (Bae, Nursing Overtime: Why, How Much, and Under What Working Conditions?). Continuing, “Reduced rest and recovery time leads to physiologic depletion or exhaustion that continues into the next workday. The Institute of Medicine recommended nurses work no more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period and no more than 60 hours in a 7-day period to avoid error-producing fatigue” (Bae, Nursing Overtime: Why, How Much, and Under What Working Conditions?). Nurses will not be able to abide by this recommendation from the IOM due to the need for overtime of nurses on the ICU from missing three nursing positions. This will prove to be unsafe and unhealthy for the patients and the individual nurse working so many overtime hours alike. “Excessive use of overtime increases nurse injuries, including needle stick and musculoskeletal problems” (Bae, Nursing Overtime: Why, How Much, and Under What Working…