Bill Text: NJ A1409 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes limits on resident's hours in hospitals.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [A1409 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1409-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman VINCENT PRIETO
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUNOZ
District 21 (Essex, Morris, Somerset and Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Chivukula, Diegnan, Egan, Thompson, Wisniewski, Assemblywoman Stender, Assemblymen Conaway, Conners, Assemblywoman Greenstein, Assemblyman Scalera and Assemblywoman Voss
SYNOPSIS
Establishes limits on resident's hours in hospitals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning safe resident staffing standards in certain health facilities and supplementing P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. A general hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) that employs residents who are in an accredited program of graduate medical education training shall establish the following limits on working hours for residents who have inpatient care responsibilities:
a. The scheduled work week for a resident shall not exceed an average of 80 hours per week over a four-week period;
b. "On-call" duty during night shift hours for a resident shall not be scheduled more often than every third night;
c. A resident shall not be scheduled for more than 24 consecutive hours in either patient care or educational sessions;
d. A resident shall have at least one 24-hour period of scheduled non-working time per week; and
e. A resident shall not be scheduled for more than 12 consecutive hours of patient care in an emergency department.
2. A general hospital that is in violation of the staffing requirements of this act shall be subject to the penalties provided for in P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires general hospitals that employ residents to establish the following limits on working hours for the residents who have inpatient care responsibilities:
(1) The scheduled work week for a resident shall not exceed an average of 80 hours per week over a four-week period;
(2) "On-call" duty during night shift hours for a resident shall not be scheduled more often than every third night;
(3) A resident shall not be scheduled for more than 24 consecutive hours in either patient care or educational sessions;
(4) A resident shall have at least one 24-hour period of scheduled non-working time per week; and
(5) A resident shall not be scheduled for more than 12 consecutive hours of patient care in an emergency department.
The provisions of the bill apply to all residents with inpatient care responsibilities who are employed by a general hospital and who are in an accredited program of graduate medical education training.
A hospital or nursing facility that is in violation of these staffing requirements shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in the "Health Care Facilities Planning Act," P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), which include a civil penalty of not more than $2,500 for each day the facility is in violation.
