Statement on Study Linking Long Hours and Nurse Errors
From AFT Secretary-Treasurer Edward J. McElroy

A new report from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing concludes that nurses who work shifts lasting at least 12.5 hours were three times more likely to commit an error than those who worked less than 8.5 hours.

When nurses are forced to work overtime after their already grueling shift, error rates soar and the quality of patient care declines precipitously. The findings of the University of Pennsylvania report are extremely important because nurses nationwide are faced with untenable working conditions. It’s a fact, not a theory, that when nurses work a dozen or more hours in a very stressful environment, their judgment is reduced and the consequences to patients are unthinkable.

AFT Healthcare will continue to work vigorously on the state and federal levels to ban mandatory overtime for nurses and other healthcare workers. It’s time we set limits to save lives.

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