Nursing Workload and Patient Safety Essay

The an increased demand for nursing professionals in hospitals and other health care facilities. On the other hand, the number of nurses graduating into the profession is not increasing in the same rate as their demand. As a result, hospitals and other health institutions have to increase the working times of the present nurses. It is now common for nurses to work extensively on overtime just to match the demand for their services. The issue causes nurses to suffer fatigue, which compromises their . I strongly disagree with the above claim that nurses are overworked.

Nurses are not overworked
Nurses face various situations in the hospital that require them to make rational choices instantly. They receive training on how to deal with emergencies as well as normal health conditions. Thus, the claim of overworking nurses is false. Many people go into the nursing profession due to their passions to assist people and not for the money. Therefore, they are motivated to assist as many patients as possible.

Previously, the government trained very few nurses. However, nurse shortages prompted for a reversal of that policy (Chang, et al., 2005). The nursing selection and training is vigorous enough to eliminate any person not keen on the professional demands of nursing. Everyone who becomes a nurse knows that the job requires his or her commitment at all times. Although they , leaves and normal working hours, nurses know that they should be on call always. The nature of emergencies does no give nurses the luxury of avoiding overtimes at work.

There are different aspects of nursing, apart from general nursing, which require additional skills and proficiency. These specialization demand extra commitments on the part of the nurse during training (Carayon & Gurses, 2008). Given that the specialized nurses attract a higher pay than general nurses do, the professions attract many applicants. People who have a calling on helping people would like to do so with a high pay. The high number of applicants forces institutions to use a rigorous selection process. The process ensures that only the best and most prepared for the profession eventually turn to be nurses. The demanding process prepares all nurses for what will later come when they are in the job.

Complaints saying that nurses are overworked point to their negligence at work as an effect. Some say that nurses are uncaring. People expect nurses to with their patients. The reality is that nurses handle many cases in a day and they cannot afford to attach themselves. This does not imply that they are uncaring. It also does not mean that they are overworked.

Just like with any other profession, nurses are free to when they are not feeling good. They suffer from the effects of the economy like everyone else. Some face difficulties in some areas of their lives. Different personal conditional affecting nurses cause them to deviate from properly doing their jobs. As far as the nursing job goes, its demands do not exceed the capabilities of the people who serve as nurses. Some nurses do a terrible job, and complain of being overworked. Some hospitals face budget cuts and are understaffed. However, such cases are minute and their solutions appear immediately people raise complaints. These few cases do not represent the entire situation for nurses. Nurses work normally and receive compensation whenever they do overtime. Therefore, there is no issue of overworking.

Nurses are overworked
On the other hand, nurses might actually be overworked. The characteristics of bad nurses offer signs of being overwhelmed (Chang, et al., 2005). Some nurses appear to neglect basis procedures and hygiene requirements (Rauhala, et al., 2007). For example, they have hanging hair, wear dirty shoes and smoke in or around hospitals. Patients complain that nurses neglect them. Nurses have many cases to attend. They prefer to deal with the straightforward cases and leave the complicated cases for later. Unfortunately, there is no later for nurses; patients keep streaming into hospitals. Therefore, the neglected patients are a sign of nurse work overload. Some people go into the profession to earn money. If you are motivated to earn more, then work becomes too much as long as your pay does not match your expectations. A high number of dropouts from nursing degrees indicate that the process is arduous. If the training process is that difficult, then what people are training for will demand much more than the training.

Based on the above arguments for both sides, the two positions could all be right. We can say that nurses are not overworked and at the same time say that nurses are overworked. The first part is a disagreement with the claim that nurses are overworked. This part shows that money is not the main attractiveness of the nursing profession. Therefore, it is wrong to equate the amount earn with the time put to work, and then use that to claim a work overload. The argument rightfully shows that the rigorous training for nurses equips them for the demands of their jobs. Since they are well equipped to handle the situations arising in hospitals, nurses should not claim to be overworked.