Impact of states' nurse work hour regulations on overtime practices and work hours among registered nurses.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the degree to which states' work hour regulations for nurses-policies regarding mandatory overtime and consecutive work hours-decrease mandatory overtime practice and hours of work among registered nurses.


METHODS
We analyzed a nationally representative sample of registered nurses from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses for years 2004 and 2008. We obtained difference-in-differences estimates of the effect of the nurse work hour policies on the likelihood of working mandatory overtime, working more than 40 hours per week, and working more than 60 hours per week for all staff nurses working in hospitals and nursing homes.


RESULTS
The mandatory overtime and consecutive work hour regulations were significantly associated with 3.9 percentage-point decreases in the likelihood of working overtime mandatorily and 11.5 percentage-point decreases in the likelihood of working more than 40 hours per week, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
State mandatory overtime and consecutive work hour policies are effective in reducing nurse work hours. The consecutive work hour policy appears to be a better regulatory tool for reducing long work hours for nurses.
School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, 1710 Red River, Austin, TX, 78701.
Sung-Heui
SH
Bae
Jangho
J
Yoon
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D016526:Workload / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
State labor policy for nurses; consecutive work hour; difference-in-differences; mandatory overtime; quasi-experiment