The reputation of nursing has gotten so that you don't really hear too many good things anymore. Beside patient loads and staffing, mandatory overtime is a pivotal issue for nurses. The practice includes pressuring nurses to work a double shift or stay on because no one will relieve them. The pressure to stay is compounded by the threat of a negative report in the nurse's personnel file. Many women became nurses because of their love of caring for people, but they are made to feel like they shouldn't complain about the working conditions.
Mandatory overtime continues to be a dangerous practice in hospitals across the country.
Promoted as a way to effectively staff during an unforeseen event, such as a disaster or flu epidemic, mandatory overtime frequently is used to cover routine personnel shortages. Nursing unions have made mandatory overtime a central issue of campaigns and contract negotiations. United American Nurses has called for a end to the practice. Nurses at Lima Memorial Hospital in Lima, Ohio, recently signed a contract that prohibits mandatory overtime. Other hospitals do not require mandatory overtime except during disaster or emergency.