Proposed Ohio law would ban forced OT for nurses

A new Ohio bill could keep hospitals from requiring nurses to work overtime as a condition of employment (Source: “Proposed law would ban forcing Ohio nurses to work overtime,” Dayton Daily News, Jan. 3, 2018).

House Bill 456 was introduced by Rep. Robert Sprague, R-Findlay, in late December.

Hospitals across Ohio are facing a shortage of nursing staff and can require nurses to work longer hours and cover more shifts, but a nurses’ union said that creates dangerous conditions for patients who might get bad care from exhausted staff.  

But the Ohio Hospital Association said staffing is complicate  d and hospitals need to have the flexibility to schedule the nurses they need at the times that they are needed. The association said some of those factors include patient needs, volume and acuity, patient satisfaction, resources available, nursing staff competency and skill mix, availability of medical and support staff and a variety of staffing standards.