As a medical professional, you are likely already aware of just how pressing the matter of understaffing is in hospitals and clinics across the country. Unfortunately, this issue persists across the years due to the vast difference in medical personnel versus patients.
But did you know that your overworked, understaffed hospital environment can lead to the suspension of your license?
Why are medical staffs overworked?
The National Center for Biotechnology Information discusses the profound impact of overworking in the medical field. This happens when a hospital or clinic has too few staff on hand to cover their shifts appropriately. In order to keep the hospital working at its maximum capacity, the staff often take on double or even triple shifts, or more. Some nurses especially complain about having to sleep on the job in the break room, getting just a few hours of sleep between enormous shifts of eight to twelve hours.
The introduction of negligence
Unfortunately, this can lead to a situation in which staff works too hard with not enough sleep. This is when mistakes start to happen. Sometimes the mistakes are small and negligible. Other times, they are crucial to a patient’s health. For example, a staff member might accidentally mix up the medication of two patients. They might even forget to give a patient their medication entirely. In some severe cases, staff has even forgotten that a patient is waiting for treatment or care.
This can potentially lead to the suspension of your license through charges of negligence or malpractice. Needless to say, this is an outcome you want to avoid. Thus, you should do what you can to address issues of understaffing as quickly as possible, for the safety of your patients, staff and yourself.