“Helen, I’m a wreck... I almost made a mistake today that could have cost someone their life! I was so tired, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“Kathy, let me guess, another double shift? Third time this week, right?”

End Mandatory Overtime.
The life you save may be your own.
Condition Critical: The double shift is called Mandatory Overtime — and it’s taking it’s toll on nurses — how long before it takes it’s toll on you or someone you love?

Here are the facts
• As many as 98,000 hospital patients die annually in the United States as the result of medical errors according to a report by the Institute of Medicine. New York state accounts for an estimated 6,600 of these fatal errors.

• Forcing nurses to work beyond the point of exhaustion is dangerous. Excessive overtime can impair a nurse’s judgment. A recent study found people who were awake for 19 hours or more scored substantially worse on performance tests and alertness scales than those with a blood-alcohol level of .08 — a level considered legally intoxicated in 29 states.

• Fewer mistakes would be made if nurses weren’t forced to work as many as three consecutive shifts.  A recent survey shows more than 58 percent of nurses employed by New York state are mandated to work overtime on a regular basis.

• Ten other states — California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia, — have passed laws or regulations to limit or ban mandatory overtime.

What does it mean to me?
Nurses — who are mandated more than any other occupational category — are the most important factor in quality acute care. Providing the bulk of patient care and early warning and rapid intervention for critically-ill patients, fatigued nurses are more likely to make errors, or to miss subtle changes in the condition of patients.

 What can you do now?
Call 1-877-255-9417 today. Tell state lawmakers to end Mandatory Overtime and pass Bill A.1898/S.125 now! The life you save may be your own.
 
Download PDF print ad 10 Second Spot (700Kb WMV) 30 Second Spot (1370Kb WMV)

PEF Public Relations ad campaigns
This ad was created by the PEF PR department and appeared as a black & white version during the week of Feb. 26, 2007 in  The Albany Legislative Gazette. The TV spots ran in 2006 © Copyright 2007.