A Washington state lawmaker has apologized after saying that nurses in small, rural hospitals "probably play cards" for much of their day, and she agreed to shadow an RN.

Republican state Sen. Maureen Walsh made the comments last week during a debate on a bill proposing uninterrupted meal and rest breaks for nurses, as well as further protections against mandatory overtime.

"I want to offer my heartfelt apologies to those I offended with my comments on the Senate floor last Tuesday. I was tired, and in the heat of argument on the Senate floor, I said some things about nurses that were taken out of context – but still they crossed the line," Walsh said in a statement on Monday.

Walsh said she was trying to make the point that many small hospitals already face financial hardship and that the bill would further these strains.

Walsh wanted an amendment to exclude hospitals with fewer than 25 beds from the meal and rest break requirements.

'Probably play cards': Washington state lawmaker angers nurses

"By putting these types of mandates on a critical access hospital that literally serves a handful of individuals, I would submit to you those nurses probably do get breaks," Walsh said on the Senate floor last week. "They probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day."

Her comments drew the ire of many nurses and others. Online petitions circulated, one calling for her to shadow a nurse and another calling for her to resign.

The Washington State Nurses Association website crashed on Friday after too many people viewed a blog post describing Walsh's comments as disrespectful and patronizing.

The state nursing association said recruiting nurses to rural hospitals is already challenging. Denying them uninterrupted breaks and imposing mandatory overtime would further complicate the hiring process, the association said.

The state Senate and House passed different versions of the bill, and lawmakers will have to reconcile the different versions before it can become law.

Walsh had also introduced an amendment that limited the length of a nurse's shift to eight hours. After her comments, Walsh said she heard from thousands of nurses who say they prefer having 12 hour shifts, and the lawmaker now supports removing that amendment from the bill.

However, Walsh doubled down in her support of excluding small hospitals from the meal and rest break requirements.

"I am worried that 61 of our critical access hospitals, those small-town hospitals with 25 beds or fewer, are already operating in the red. This will make them redder, and I am worried this added cost will force some of them to close," she said.

In her apology, Walsh said her mother was a nurse and that she has great respect for the work they do. She also agreed to follow a nurse on a 12-hour shift "and walk a mile in her shoes."

"I really don’t believe nurses at our critical access hospitals spend their days playing cards, but I did say it, and I wish I could reel it back," Walsh said.

Contributing: Kristin Lam; The Associated Press

Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller