Las Vegas Safe Staffing Ratio ?

U.S.A. Nevada

Published

To bad for the patients and nurses.......... http://www.inbusinesslasvegas.com/2006/05/26/healthcare.html :smiley_ab

Yes it is sad, but true! Is there a nursing shortage everywhere, or just in Vegas?? Part of the problem is the number of people moving to the area on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. The flip side of the coin is the lack of a sufficient number of nursing instructors at CCSN and UNLV.

This article make me think twice moving to Vegas.

there wouldnt be such a shortage of nurses in nevada if the ratios were the same as california.

why would a nurse come from cali with a ratio of 1;5 to work with a ratio of 1;8 and no-one to cover your breaks, so maybe you dont get them!

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Not to mention that nevada is one of the worse states that pays nurses. Under-paid and over-staffed?

Its sad to say but most nurses I know that will be graduating at CCSN will not be staying in this state after they get their license.

Specializes in M/S, oncology, QI/PI, SCI rehab.

There is a nursing shortage everywhere. I have been an RN for 25 yrs and hope for another good 25! I work in a large downtown Chicago hospital and our day staffing ratios are 1:6-8 patients. I often eat my lunch on the run, but I wouldn't trade nursing for any other job. I currently work on a spinal cord injury unit in a rehab hospital. I am seriously considering a move to NV.

just because there is a nursing shortage everywhere doesnt mean that you have to have an unsafe assignment. with 6-8 patients on the day shift, there can be no way that they get the time from the nurse that they should.

there is the same shortage in california, but they manage to only give 5 patients to each member of staff because it is mandated.

where I work right now in arizona, there is a big shortage, but this hospital has a 5-1 patient ratio. so it can be done.

There are a number of strikes going on in Las Vegas regarding the nurse-patient ratio. Nurses want safer standards for their patients in order to give them better care. However will a nurse-patient ratio solve the problem? There are advantages and disadvantages concerning a nurse-to-patient ratio. They all vary and should be highly considered. Nurses around valley and desert springs hospital feel that patient ratios set a safety net for patients and nurses and I agree that they will. However, others say that the rigid nurse-patient ratio will turn away patients. Some advantages for a nurse-client ratio include safer environments for patients, incentives for nurses to return to bedside, gathering the collection of nursing relevant data within the healthcare system, and showing the complexity of the issue of safe and adequate staffing levels. Some disadvantages include expecting patient ratios to become normal for nurses, data collection and comprehensive workload measurement tools are not available or not applied in many cases, and some argue that ratios don't reflect the level of expertise an experienced nurse has obtained. As I watched the news they stated that nurses and contractors/administrators have 30 days to reach an agreement. I hope this matter can be solved for the nurses and especially for the patients' sake.

As nurses we better support safer nurse /patient ratio numbers if we ever want truly improved working conditions.

Specializes in mostly MICU and some L&D and PACU.
There are a number of strikes going on in Las Vegas regarding the nurse-patient ratio. Nurses want safer standards for their patients in order to give them better care. However will a nurse-patient ratio solve the problem? There are advantages and disadvantages concerning a nurse-to-patient ratio. They all vary and should be highly considered. Nurses around valley and desert springs hospital feel that patient ratios set a safety net for patients and nurses and I agree that they will. However, others say that the rigid nurse-patient ratio will turn away patients. Some advantages for a nurse-client ratio include safer environments for patients, incentives for nurses to return to bedside, gathering the collection of nursing relevant data within the healthcare system, and showing the complexity of the issue of safe and adequate staffing levels. Some disadvantages include expecting patient ratios to become normal for nurses, data collection and comprehensive workload measurement tools are not available or not applied in many cases, and some argue that ratios don't reflect the level of expertise an experienced nurse has obtained. As I watched the news they stated that nurses and contractors/administrators have 30 days to reach an agreement. I hope this matter can be solved for the nurses and especially for the patients' sake.

I am hoping to correct the misconsception of a "number of strikes going on in L.V". Desert and Valley Hosp. have not striked! They were "locked out" by the employer. Our community legislators helped devert the strike. The nurses agreed to a cooling off period. UHS initially "declined" the first offer of a "30 day cooling of period"by Mayor Oscar Goodman. Well that did not go over well. So the Governor, Assembly Speaker, County Comissioner have also stepped in and managed to encourage UHS to a "60 day cooling off period". As of this day the first 30 have passed without progress. I am getting lots of coworkers asking if we will have to have another vote to strike. I HOPE NOT! What UHS refuses to even address is the Staffing Ratios. I am wondering also about what resolving this for the patients sake means. I see better ratios as better care and better patient outcomes. UHS sees ratios as "just don't work". Could they explain that a little better? And for the patients sake, the county makes sure a hospital is well staffed for if and when a strike notice is given. If they are not, patients are sent to other facilities, elective surgeries aren't scheduled,etc.. What happens if this continues is that patients,as before, continue to suffer and we as nurses put our nursing licences at risk.

Specializes in Lactation Ed, Pp, MS, Hospice, Agency.

Anyone see this is Wednesday's RJ?

Link http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Jan-10-Wed-2007/business/11885818.html (also posted below)

I loved the zinger at the end!

Hospital Labor Dispute: Ex-gaming boss to mediate talks

A high-profile former gaming executive will attempt to help the Valley Health System and the Service Employees International Union resolve a nine-month labor dispute.

Phil Satre, the retired chairman of Harrah's Entertainment, will try to foster an agreement between the hospital operator and the union, who have tangled bitterly over a new labor agreement since contracts for 800 nurses and 110 technicians at Valley and Desert Springs hospitals ran out in May.

Satre accepted the role of mediator for a simple reason.

"Some people I respect and admire asked me to help," he said.

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, Nevada Assembly Speaker-elect Barbara Buckley, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman asked Satre to guide bargaining for the next month in an effort to resolve the negotiating impasse.

Satre said Jan Jones, a former Las Vegas mayor and current Harrah's executive, approached him about two weeks ago on behalf of the elected officials and asked him if he'd be interested in overseeing talks should negotiating with federal mediators not yield an agreement.

Federal mediation didn't prove successful by the end of last week. Satre agreed on Monday to participate.

"I am not coming into this with any background as a mediator, but I feel like I may be able to provide some assistance, and I thought it was worth my time and effort to try," Satre said. "Obviously, I'm interested in seeing an outcome here that works for the community and both organizations involved in this."

D. Taylor, secretary and treasurer of the Culinary Workers Local 226, said Satre is qualified to spearhead labor talks.

"He's highly professional, very detailed and no-nonsense," said Taylor, who worked with Satre on labor negotiations for Culinary members employed at Harrah's. "He has an ability to get to the core issues, and he's been very good at building consensus. I have a lot of respect for him."

Satre spent 25 years with Harrah's, which he joined in 1980 as vice president, general counsel and secretary. He became president and chief executive officer of Harrah's Gaming Group in 1984 and chief executive officer of Harrah's Entertainment in 1994. He was named chairman of the company in 1997, and retired from that post on Jan. 1, 2005.

Satre, who lives in the Reno area, is also on the board of the Nevada Cancer Institute, and he's served on the board of trustees of the UNLV Foundation as well. The American Gaming Association inducted Satre into its Gaming Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gibbons said in a statement that Satre's career has positioned him to assist in the talks.

"A settlement between the union and the hospital administration is important to all Southern Nevadans," Gibbons said. "We have the utmost confidence in Phil Satre to bring his experience from management and labor relations and his genuine concern about Nevadans to the table."

Added Reid: "(Satre is) very capable and has experience with complex negotiations. I'm hopeful that the parties will allow him to lead them to a resolution for the benefit of the entire community."

Satre said his work as the chief executive officer of publicly traded Harrah's required him to come up with solutions to account for competing interests between, for example, Harrah's and regulatory authorities, or between Harrah's and other private entities the company worked with.

The company's relationship with the Culinary was strained in the 1980s, Satre said, but that relationship evolved in the 1990s as executives of Harrah's realized that "we could collaborate (with the Culinary) to create the best possible guest experience." Improving visitors' experiences would benefit both Harrah's and the Culinary, as happier customers would be more likely to return to the company's hotel-casinos.

Satre said he sees parallels in the Valley Health-Service Employees International Union dispute.

"Hospitals have high marks because patients have very good experiences with the nursing staff and other parts of the company, and the SEIU also wants a positive (working) experience for its members," he said.

Officials of both Valley Health and the union praised Satre's selection.

Jane McAlevey, executive director of the Nevada chapter of the Service Employees International Union, pointed to Satre's service with the Nevada Cancer Institute and his role in building Harrah's Entertainment into one of the country's biggest hotel-casino operators.

"It's terrific to have a well-respected Nevadan who understands Nevada's business environment and who understands the need to make improvements to health-care in Nevada," McAlevey said. "If you look at his profile, it's clear this is someone who cares about Nevada."

David Bussone, group director of Valley Health, said he's eager to begin talks involving Satre.

"He certainly has a very prestigious background, and we look forward to meeting him," Bussone said. "His success in dealing with labor relationships is a plus."

McAlevey said she had no reservations about Satre's management background, and wasn't concerned that he'd favor one side based on his professional experiences.

"This state is known for what (Satre) and others like him helped build -- a world-class entertainment and resort town," she said. "Our nurses and this organization are trying to put Nevada's health-care systems on the map, and I'm assuming the people who came here to help grow and develop Nevada's chief industry realize that Nevada is maturing. People are beginning to be concerned about the quality of education and health care."

Taylor said he believed Satre would be "very fair" to both sides in the dispute.

"If there's not a successful resolution (with Satre mediating), one of the two parties can be blamed," Taylor said. "It would be despite the best efforts of Phil Satre. At the end of the day, both parties have to want a resolution that is in line with the standards of the community, and I think Phil Satre will understand that."

Both Valley Health and the union have suggested dates for new negotiations, but no talks have been scheduled.

Satre said his responsibilities as mediator run until Feb. 3.

Specializes in medical/surgical.

Wow, I thought twice before reading this thread as I don't want anything drastically deterring me from considering relocating to Las Vegas.

But after reading it, I just wanted to say that the nursing ratio's don't sound so bad! I curently work in an American Run Hospital in Dublin and the ratio's are obviously set by American standards, 1:5. And yes, it is a very busy acute ward!

However, the hospital I worked at before ran on a ratio of 1:12 on the busy acute medical ward where I worked, and I know the surgical ward ran on a ration of 1:13.

I feel like that prepared me for anything!

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