they're paying attention.....

Las Vegas Sun

2/19/02.....

"Nursing shortage blamed on hospital Working Conditions

"Nevada's nursing crisis won't be solved until hospitals improve working conditions", Senator Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday.

Reid joined Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.; Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto, D-Las Vegas; and Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, at a town hall meeting sponsored by the Nurse Alliance of Service Employees International Union Local 1107.

"We don't have a shortage of nurses," Senator Reid told an audience dominated by union members. "We have a shortage of nurses willing to work."

The meeting took place at the Winchester Community Center in Las Vegas on the same day that the union released the results of a survey sent to the more than 1,400 nurses who left Nevada hospital jobs in the past two years.

Of the 190 nurses who responded to the survey, more than 70 percent cited poor working conditions and under-staffing as a reason for quitting.

"Nurses are overworked, underpaid and you don't get the respect you deserve," Rep.Berkeley told the standing-room only crowd of about 100.

Union spokeswoman Christy Sawyer said at least 2,000 registered nurses in Nevada are working in other fields, more than enough to fill the state's 1,200 hospital vacancies.

Nurses won't be tempted back to the job unless the hours, pay and benefits are significantly improved, she said..........

Maryanne Dawicki, a union spokeswoman, said Monday no hospital administrators were asked to be panelists because the goal was a non-threatening environment for the nurses to talk with the legislators............."

full article at: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2002/feb/19/513060214.html

[Cascadians]

Cool to see some politicians partially Get It!

1) Decrease patient workload. Less patients. Acuity? They wouldn't be in the hospital at all unless they were quite sick and needed lots of help and care. 1:1 in ICUs.

2) Decrease legal liability. RNs are legally responsible for all their assorted underlings, their own too-heavy too-dangerous humongous patient loads, AND any mistakes the Docs may make. INSANE

3) Self-scheduling for all nursing personnel.

Not enough workers willing to work enough hours? Why? Solve those problems and hire more experienced nurses. Duh.

No mandatory overtime. That is imprisonment, cruel and inhuman. Forget it.

4) Much better pay. Bonuses for retention and experiences. Big bonuses for further education / certification / competencies. Every known Benefit should be heaped on nurses. Especially hospital-paid disability insurance.

5) Respect from everybody. Management support. Family liasons -- personnel whose job it is to intervene with bizarre family members.

6) Housekeepers, lab techs, Drs, CNAs, transport, family laisons, and floor secretaries working on all shifts.

Lots more necessities, but we gotta run ...