Long-term care nurses are working longer hours across the US, putting them at increased risk of burnout and excessive fatigue, according to a recent report.
Nationwide, the average full shift was 10.5 hours per day in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 10 hours in 2021, Vivian Health noted. In a dozen states, the average shift for registered nurses was 11 hours or more, the staffing firm’s dissection of the most recently available payroll data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services showed.
Nursing homes nationwide continue grappling with a historic staffing shortage that has shown little sign of letting up even as the federal government imposed mandatory staffing ratios.
“A quarter of all nursing homes in the United States in recent years reported ‘critical’ staff shortages amid growing demand,” the report’s authors stated.
Long-term care RNs in Alaska and Utah are working the longest shifts of any state, averaging 11.9 hours and 11.8 hours respectively. Montana (11.44), Nevada (11.44) and Kentucky (11.37) filled out the top five.
Connecticut (9.38 hours per shift), Wisconsin (9.47), Rhode Island (9.48), California (9.54) and New Hampshire (9.70) were the states where LTC nurses averaged the shortest shifts, researchers told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
From the october 2024 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
