http://www.post-gazette.com/businessnews/20021112forumhostetterp7.asp

Oramar, this NURSE and journalist says it LOUD and CLEAR, UNDERSTAFFING is the problem; I doubt if we would have such a shortage of nurses working in health care if hospitals would staff appropriately!

I hope everyone reads this article and gives it to their hospital administrators! Thanks for posting it.

Marilyn Hostetter RN, is coordinator of the Harrisburg-based Nurse Alliance of Pennsylvania, an 8,000-member affiliate of Pennsylvania's Health Care Union, District 1199P/Service Employees International Union and a practicing bedside RN.

We've exchanged many email's over PA legislative activity and nursing issues. I had the pleasure of meeting her at our state Capital for SEIU/PASNAP rally re Mandatory Overtime last May.

Both Nurse Alliance of PA and PASNAP have a good grasp of the issues facing bedside RN's and are effectively getting their message out.

Now how about the rest of PA nurses raising their voices too!

I'm glad to see SOME of our nurse leaders 'get it'. :)

Speaking of raising voices. That same Nursing Alliance has a rally downtown next Tuesday. It is in Market Square at 10:30 am. It is strange because the announcement says fill out enclosed card and send in but there is no enclosed card. No matter, I have sent a card that came previously.

Well, I agree completely with the article. But I know how industries, including hospitals, function these days. Just like those who will hire a black female to meet two separate goals, the hospitals will fill more management positions with RNs. They will include these RNs in their staff ratios so the numbers seen do not reflect the reality.

I worked in a hospital (magnet status, BTW) as a float where they cooked numbers in an interesting way. All staff on the floor - secretaries, aides, LPNs and RNs were "counted" - equally - as care providers. They usually had close to a 4 to 1 ratio (nurse manager also included). Nurses still had about eight patients.

Oramar,

I work Tues or I would come. Is anyone else attending the rally in Pgh, or their city? I see that they will be in Harrisburg at 430P. We need to get out there.

Also, oramar, is there an online invitation we could post?

And while we're at it, let's address staffing ratios in LTC. The residents are older, sicker, on more medications and have more dementia than the typical resident of the 70's when the ratios were set.

I urge Pa nurses to respond to this by attending the rally or calling your local legislator.

Blessings,

Abrenrn, I have encountered this 'cooking of the numbers' as well. I think some facilities' policy of calling all staff 'nursing service workers' and telling us NOT to wear our RN name badges is part of their little scheme..they hope nobody notices what they're up to.

No wonder the public is confused...so often the facility wants us all to look like nurses...so how should the public know we all aren't???

Good luck on your rally in Pittsburgh! :)

Whats the "enclosed card" for? We had a situation once with the SEIU/1199 setting up a table in our hospital lobby supposedly for "voter information" before the last Presidential election. They stopped RNs rushing in & out for work and asked them to fill out the "voter information" card. The RNs became suspicious when it was insisted that they put their social security # on the card with their signature. Why would anyone need the persons social security number just to send them information in the mail? The RNs reported the activity to their own union. It turns out the card wasnt for voter info at all & was to be used to inform the NLRB that the RNs wanted to unionize with SEIU/1199. Dirty trick of a silent raid - considering the RNs were already unionized with their state nurses assoc & had no intention of switching unions. Ive heard of stories where RN signatures were transferred to other things that said something entirely different from what they had actually read & signed.

Moral of the story - PRINT your name, not your signature, when asked to sign up to receive info of any kind & NEVER give your social security number.