In the beginning of May, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Stark, D-CA, introduced the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2007 (H.R. 2122), which will limit the amount of mandatory overtime a nurse may be required to work.

“Mandatory overtime exhausts nurses mentally and physically, placing patients’ lives at risk and driving nurses out of the profession,” said Stark. “We limit the time that truck drivers and pilots can work to protect public safety. Safe nursing is in the public interest as well.”

It’s good to know that legislation is being passed to improve on the conditions of overworked nurses and overall nurse shortages in the United States.  Temp medical staffing agencies offer another alternative to combating nurse burnout rates.  By delivering fresh employees to cover overtime and vacation shifts, everyone wins, including the patient.