Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi

Some of my questions about nursing;

1. Why do nurses work 6 days week when office and even fastfood workers are having 5 days week?

Although some hospitals are implementing new regulations such as 3 days off in 2 weeks, this is something that baffles me. Healthcare workers' job are not easy and most of them are physically and mentally exhausting, and not forgetting that lives are at stake too.

2. The shifts are planned as such: Ends at abt 10pm, and starts at 7am the following day.

This a bit absurd, it will be abt 11pm when the nurse reaches home (this is provided that work are finished on time), add in the shower time etc... it will be at least 12am when he/she goes to bed. Then to wake at 5am again, only 5 or less hours of sleep.

I understand that it will be tough for a person to work 5 or more mornings in a row. But can't it be scheduled such that the person works morning shift followed by afternoon shift the next? Eg, 3 mornings followed by 2 afternoon shifts and then off a day.

Imagine having 5 or less hours of sleep and having to serve medication early in the morning. Doesn't this increase the risk for errors?

I've asked some of my lecturers this question, they couldn't really answer me except that it's like that all along.

My friend told me that perhaps after the current batch of dinosaurs (senior nurses, nursing officers etc) retire that things might change. I'm just hoping for a huge 'meteor' to come crashing, that was how the dinosaurs got extinct.... :)