mburrill2001

I work on a critical care ambulance in the metro Boston area. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has just recently posted regulations covering this level of care. They require camts (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services, www.camts.org) certification to operate at this level. Per camts, no critical care personnel should be working more than 12 hours in a row. You cannot think critically for that amount of time. We currently are allowed 16 hr. shifts, but they are disappearing. According to a study by one of the air medical journals (can't find the citation), it takes about 30 minutes to wake fully from sleep, so they recommend removal of all sleeping quarters. This is basically aimed at pilots (and, by extension, drivers), but critical thinking is critical thinking. The above paragraphs are vastly oversimplified, both the camts requirements and the journal article run for multiple pages, are evidence-based and are very persuasive. I also think that a nap at work is beneficial, but at least where I work the long shift and the afternoon nap are going or gone.