Unions Prevent Heart Attacks

[hbscott]

"One recent study compared union and non-union hospitals in California. Even after accounting for unions' potential impact on pay and staffing ratios, researchers found that unionized hospitals had 5.7 percent lower mortality rates for patients suffering acute myocardial infarction."

http://www.afscme.org/una/sns02.htm

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I guess thats getting to the Heart Of the matter.

[hbscott]

As the article states above (and many have said so on this BB):

"In brief, there is no shortage of nurses. The health care industry has created its own Catch-22: As working conditions worsen, more nurses opt out of the profession, creating shortages on hospital floors and resulting in even greater speedups, stress, safety worries and similar conditions that drive additional nurses out of the industry. As long as work conditions do not improve, the industry will fail to retain qualified RNs. On the other hand, if conditions improve, there are enough RNs in the country who are qualified and most likely prepared to return to work, so that the so-called "shortage" could evaporate in little time. "

-HBS

[mattsmom81]

That paragraph sums it up precisely. thanks for posting it!

Perhaps we should bombard all of the media with it, so others will pick up the clue phone.

[live4today, RN]

Originally posted by hbscott

As the article states above (and many have said so on this BB):

"In brief, there is no shortage of nurses. The health care industry has created its own Catch-22: As working conditions worsen, more nurses opt out of the profession, creating shortages on hospital floors and resulting in even greater speedups, stress, safety worries and similar conditions that drive additional nurses out of the industry. As long as work conditions do not improve, the industry will fail to retain qualified RNs. On the other hand, if conditions improve, there are enough RNs in the country who are qualified and most likely prepared to return to work, so that the so-called "shortage" could evaporate in little time. "

-HBS

Thanks for speaking the absolute truth here hbscott!