[hope3456]

Originally Posted by HARRN2b

I now am wondering if there is a "real" nursing shortage. Could this be corporate america not wanting to hire (and pay) nurses. Everyone talks about nursing be a calling, but I can assure you healthcare is not a calling for ceo's.

I totally agree. You hit the nail on the head, harrn2b.

I live in a community where there is a 'magnet' hospital. They treat their nurses well and have decent staffing. It seems that this, in turn, makes it fairly competitive to get hired there and they do have a low vacancy rate. When I was working there, I met many RN's who relocated from other states and communities just to work there b/c of the 'magnet' status and their good reputation.

Facilities that are short staffed - there is often reasons for it, such as HCA - they treat their staff like crap. Facilities that have their acts together (many magnet facilities) most generally don't have as many staffing problems, imho.

[ArizonaICU]

please let me reply to this. if you read the lawsuit, its about staffing being dictated by HCA's PLUS staffing system that ties the hands of individual hospitals in staffing decisions. the system forces perpetual understaffing of RN's all all of their facilities.
Its not about monitor techs. Its about (the lawsuit alledges) 70,000 people that die in HCA hospitals every year as a result of intentional understaffing in light of knowledge that understaffing causes patient deaths.

My impression is that $12.5 billion in damages is really chump change for HCA and monetary damages misses the point. Perhaps they ought to have court ordered safe-staffing ratios, full public disclosure of staffing, and noncompliant facilities have their operating licenses yanked. This is not about money. we need to change their ways of operating. 12.5 billion in damages only hurts the HCA shareholders, who are not at fault here. Nobody who actually works for HCA will be personally liable for any money. The nurses that continue to accept unsafe assignments are putting their licenses on the line though.

Funny, too how many HCA hospitals there are in Florida, where nurses live in poverty, are begging for public housing and are fleeing the state in droves.

[BBFRN]

I wonder how many lawsuits HCA has to face before fixing their dangerous staffing practices?
Does anyone know if they were finally able to wedge themselves into the Canadian or Australian markets?
I'm also wondering who are these nurses that are taking care of this many patients? Have they not left because these are rural facilities and there is no place else for them to go locally? I can't imagine staying at a place like this without good reason.

[fergus51]

It would be pretty hard for them to become that involved in the Canadian market thanks to government controls.

A friend used to work in the NICU at Wesley and her stories were not complimentary. She finally got fed up and started travelling.

[pickledpepperRN]

The list of HCA hospitals is on page 5:
http://www.kansas.com/multimedia/kan...6spireshca.pdf

A nurse from Good Samaritan in San Jose, CA told of the nurses struggle to maintain safe staffing there. They fired one of the main leaders for coming in 40 minutes after being called in when she was on call.
It was pouring rain, her car wouldn't start so she called a Taxi. Then within minutes of receiving the call to come to work she called to tell them she would be there as soon as the taxicab got here there.
They let her work until morning then terminated her.

She filed a grievance and won her job back because the nursing and non nursing staff signed a petition and demonstrated on their off time in support of her. She still works there and is a leader in enforcing the safe staffing ratios. HCA is still a difficult employer but with staffing ratios they ARE for the most part complying. I don't work there but that is what I was told.

[BBFRN]

40 minutes after being called in??? Most places I've worked give you at least an hour...geez.

[PeachPie]

Uh... what does HCA mean?

[KeithEMU]

Originally Posted by PeachPie

Uh... what does HCA mean?

Hospital Corperation of America

[SmilingBluEyes]

http://www.hcahealthcare.com/

HCA's website. Started/established by Senator/ Dr. Bill Frist's father-----recently, Dr. Frist has severed his interests in this company, which has come under federal investigation.

[PeachPie]

Oh, thanks. Ah the word Corporate in the name says it all.