PA Legislation: Mandatory Overtime; Nursing Ratios

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

track pa legislation here: electronic billroom

house bill 834, senate bill tba imposing powers & duties on the department of labor & industry: would prohibit hospitals and other health facilities from requiring nurses to accept work in excess of their regularly scheduled work shift, or in excess of 80 hours in a two-week period. nurses would be permitted to accept overtime voluntarily, but could not be dismissed or punished for not accepting overtime.

hb 171 amends the health care facilities act, further providing for purposes & duties of the dept. of health, for admin & licensure; for public disclosure of staffing requirements; for license standards; & for medical assistance payments. sets specific patient-to-nurse staffing ratios based on the type of care needed in a particular hospital or care unit. ratios would range from 1:1 in emergency trauma room and or; 1:2 in critical care, pacu and l+d units; 1:3 ed; 1:4 med surg/ acute psych; 1:5 rehab, up to 1:6 in postpartum and well-baby nursery units.

solobay’s legislation includes grant programs to encourage more students in nursing education programs.

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hb 834 bans mandatory overtime for nurses supported by pa state nurses association and nursing unions: pasnap and seiu healthcare/nurse alliance

passed in house by a vote of (166-31), now stalled in the pa senate.

help bring it out of committee.

seiu link: february 20, 2008

now is the time to remind your senator to protect patient care in pennsylvania. you can send your senator a message here.

senator pileggi represents the ninth senatorial district, which includes parts of chester and delaware counties.....he doesn't think mot is a problem in his district as 3 facilites have pasnap contracts with clauses prohibiitng mot; please help educate him on the facts if your in his district.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I didn't read the links yet, but wonder if there are ratios set for LTC yet? I know the way they will be getting around this at work...they will make all the FTers 8 days a pay so that they do not go over the 80hrs.

I would love to see fines and more done for the LTCs.

Now I will go and read the links.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately, LTC regulations not addressed in ANY staffing legislation being introduced at this time.

Last ANA convetion I attended, plan was to start with largest work area for nurses: hospitals then move onto LTC staffing since seperate areas for regulations.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Better than nothing I guess. Still, LTC is always talked about as being soooooo horrible, it just seems like it is so often overlooked. I guess I could be more of an activist on this too.