Exhausted: Nursing At Boston Medical.

EXHAUSTED: Nursing at Boston MedicalTom JuravichABSTRACTThis paper examines the changing work lives of operating room nurses in Boston after the merger of their public hospital with another facility. It is based on extensive in-depth interviews with nursing staff and union officials. To maximize revenue, the newly formed Boston Medical Center has a significantly higher utilization of their operating rooms, yet few if any adjustments have been made in the staffing schedules of nurses. This has led to tremendous pressure for overtime past normal shifts, and a demand for nurses that far exceeds supply. All of this is taking place in a context where nurses are already required to work weekend and off-shift hours. At the same time, the hospital has increasingly relied on surgical techs and traveling nurses in its operating rooms, which has only intensified the work for the remaining staff nurses. This paper explores the conflict between these changing demands and the culture of caring that is central to the nursing profession, and why some nurses are choosing to leave their profession. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]