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Nurses make more mistakes when their 12-hour shifts are extended : The Indicator from Planet Money In hospitals, it's standard for nurses to work a 12-hour shift. But research shows that may not be such a good idea for patients — or nurses.

The Indicator from Planet Money

Nurses and the never-ending shifts

Nurses and the never-ending shifts

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Registered traveling nurse Patricia Carrete, of El Paso, Texas, walks down the hallways during a night shift at a field hospital set up to handle a surge of COVID-19 patients, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Cranston, R.I. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
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David Goldman/AP
Registered traveling nurse Patricia Carrete, of El Paso, Texas, walks down the hallways during a night shift at a field hospital set up to handle a surge of COVID-19 patients, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Cranston, R.I. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman/AP

Burnout among nurses is a huge issue for the hospitals right now. But the conditions for that burnout were in place well before the pandemic. Today on the show: How the push for more flexibility may have backfired for nurses — and patients. Plus: A nurse researcher tells us what states could do to prevent more nurses from burning out.

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