why can't nurses get safe staffing laws passed

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Why does it seem that nurses here in the USA cannot get safe staffing laws passed. Only California has been able to do this

Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

So, staffing laws get passed and looks good on paper. Now, facilities need to hire more nurses. In areas where there is a nursing shortage, wonder where they are going to find the nurses.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
Then we should try to get federal legislation passed rather than going state by state. Any other news about these bills??
I think this is the time to begin talking to our member of congress and our senators about safe staffing. It may be difficult to meet them face to face at first, but their staff will meet with nurses. You can begin education the staff, s=who will bring the issue to the elected official's attention. Offer your expertise and be willing to answer questions. One ofour state senators met with a group of nurses after being told of a nurse who explained a Foley catheter to a staff member. That senator voted for our California ratios.

(I believe in the future congress will actually begin to introduce, negotiate and discuss bills, and actually pass legislation beneficial to we the people)

In California the ratios continue to save lives. Hospital working conditions are better than before 2004. Most hospitals actually follow the law. Even the worst are much safer than before implementation of the ratios.

National bills you ccn begin working for:

National Campaign for Safe RN-to-Patient Staffing Ratios | National Nurses United

A couple studies:

State-Mandated Nurse Staffing Levels Alleviate Workloads, Leading to Lower Patient Mortality and Higher Nurse Satisfaction | AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange

Implications of the California Nurse Staffing Mandate for Other States

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
So, staffing laws get passed and looks good on paper. Now, facilities need to hire more nurses. In areas where there is a nursing shortage, wonder where they are going to find the nurses.
The hospital association claimed they wouldn't be able to hire enough nurses.

When the ratios were implemented nurses came to California from other states. There is no longer a shortage of nurses willing to work in our hospitals.

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

How many would move to the rural areas? Bet not too many.

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Theb they can offer more scholarships and more seats for nursing programs already. ..they have the money to help the community meet their staffing needs.

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Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

One of the lobbyists for the Texas Nurses Association told me that hospitals will continue making staffing cuts at bedside until nurses start billing for their professional services like every other discipline does (like PT/OT/speech for example). Once we start making the hospital money, they will start investing in the nursing workforce.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.

There was a discussion about this nine years ago. One post addressed how rural areas staff to meet the ratios.

... Since the nurse/patient ratio law was enacted a few years ago, several hundred thousand RNs have relocated into California to take advantage of this legally mandated staffing. I suppose many of these nurses became excited at the thought of no longer having to care for 6 to 10 patients on a med/surg floor in their previous states of residence, and decided to move out west.

In addition, the less desirable parts of California have no problem attracting travel nurses from lower-paying states. The poorer, more isolated regions in California stay staffed with travelers and agency...

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/how-does-california-324171.html#post3026834

I know many nurses working in rural areas. Some are staffed OK with residents most of the time. One actually pays registry nurses for 12 hours when they work an eight hour shift because of the drive.

I know of one hospital near a highway where they hace a hard time keeping travelers. Those travel nurses tell of poor management.

At another they have travel nurses who return every year for 12 week contracts. They are usually staffed well.

Unfortunately some of our hospitals in rural areas have closed. It is a dangerous problem.

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If anyone is going to fight for LTC ratios in Calif do it quick while we still have democratic governor Jerry Brown.

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Specializes in All areas of Critical Care, ED, PACU, Pre-Op, BH,.
I don't know about the numbers but I can guess that the US does not have high union membership rates.

I've worked in both Australia and NZ and union membership rates are very high. It is hard to come by a nurse colleague who is not a union member. As a result, all hospitals are unionised. The unions negotiate pay rises every year, weekend penalties of 50-75% of the hourly rate, night shift penalties of 20 to 25%, afternoon shift penalties of 12.5 to 25%, 6 weeks of paid vacation leave for everyone regardless of seniority (you get long service leave after a certain number of years of service), double pay for public holidays (x1.5 to x2.0 for Australia depending on the holiday) 10 days of paid sick leave, generous professional development leave, professional development allowances, and the list goes on and on and on. And there are some Australian states that have legislated nurse-patient ratios (not sure about NZ but we never get more than 6 on a PM shift, or more than 5 on an AM shift). The union actually holds the power and as such enterprise bargaining almost always results in a positive result for nurses (the negative being pay rises will sometimes only reflect CPI changes and inflation).

The glaring difference between the USA and NZ and Australia is publicly-funded healthcare which is seen as a right in NZ and Australia so they don't have a user pays system.

Are American nursing unions actively promoting their union and recruiting members? Sometimes it can get very political as well and the union leaders will only look out for their own interests.

Not all states have Unions. Arizona works overtime to keep Unions OUT of their hospitals. If any hospital catches wind of anyone trying to bring in a Union, that is big trouble for that nurse.

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Specializes in All areas of Critical Care, ED, PACU, Pre-Op, BH,.
One of the lobbyists for the Texas Nurses Association told me that hospitals will continue making staffing cuts at bedside until nurses start billing for their professional services like every other discipline does (like PT/OT/speech for example). Once we start making the hospital money, they will start investing in the nursing workforce.

Good luck with that. Texas is not about to make any changes for the better in nursing for the nurse. Not that I can see.

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One of the lobbyists for the Texas Nurses Association told me that hospitals will continue making staffing cuts at bedside until nurses start billing for their professional services like every other discipline does (like PT/OT/speech for example). Once we start making the hospital money, they will start investing in the nursing workforce.

Now that would be absolutely fantastic.

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Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
Not all states have Unions. Arizona works overtime to keep Unions OUT of their hospitals. If any hospital catches wind of anyone trying to bring in a Union, that is big trouble for that nurse.
Even without a union a group of nurses lobbied their elected leaders and achieved safe ICU staffing in the law:

State of Arizona Administrative Code

TITLE 9. HEALTH SERVICES

CHAPTER 10. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES

HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS: LICENSING

… In addition to the requirements in R9-10-208©, an intensive care unit is staffed:

a. With a minimum of one registered nurse assigned for every two patients; and

b. According to an acuity plan as required in R9-10-208;…

http://http://www.hpm.umn.edu/nhregsplus/NHRegs_by_State/Arizona/AZ%20Complete%20Regs.pdf

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