PAStaff06

Pennsylvania does not have a nurse-to-patient ratio law. Nurses have been fighting to get one passed for over five years but certain politicians in Harrisburg have found all kinds of slippery ways to side-step the issue...I guess the hospitals have more pull (they don't want it). I believe the PA Board did issue an opinion a few years back that said it is not abandonment to leave if you have told a supervisor and turned over your patients (I'm not sure if formal report is required or not). Anyway, some hospitals follow their own set of ratios closely or follow ratios in an RN union contract.

The current wage scale at Crozer-Chester Medical Center (just south of Philadelphia) start at 28.42, for a nurse at one year is 29.30 and 30.22 at two years...the wage scale tops out at 44.54 for 24 years. Will go up in June '07. The Weekend Program: 46.82 (days) and 51.13 (nights). Shift Diff: 3.00 permanent evenings and 4.50 permanent nights. Current RN base rate wages at Temple Hospital (North Philly) for 0-1 years experience: 28.60, 1-2 years 30.42, 2-3 years 31.63....tops out at 39.84 for 25+ years. Raises in Oct. '07.

I haven't heard about a CRNA school at Hershey but I know that there was talk of offering a pretty nice package to Hershey nurses that want to go back to school and become a CRNA (time off, paid tuition, etc.)...a lot of HMC nurses are interested so it may be hard to get in. Try calling the Hershey nurse recruiter, she would have the latest info.

Currently the GN start rate at Crozer-Chester Medical Center is 27.48 and the start rate is 28.42. This may be the highest in the area? Next summer they go to 28.58 and 29.56 respectively. Crozer is south of the city in Chester, near Widener University. Also, I've heard they may be looking to hire a few experienced nurses over the summer with a wage up to 34.88. They have a pretty strong nurse's union there.

Positions at Hershey are getting harder to come by, their vacancy rate has been going down and there aren't as many positions open as a few years ago. It is a nice place to work with good benefits all around, especially pay and retirement compared to other central PA hospitals. It is also union. Peds at Hershey has a reputation as a good unit to work on and I know several of the nurses on that unit that say good things. I'm not as familiar with NICU though...

Your right, generally speaking it is quite difficult to prove that a chronic knee, hip or back injury is work related. Without a specific incident to point to...it can be difficult to prove. I do know of a nurse from the Pottsville area that is litigating that issue now through Workers Comp. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'm sorry to hear about the cost cutting going on up in the Erie area but I can tell you that this is the only part of PA that I've heard of a nursing surplus. Pretty much everywhere else, wages are rising and various incentives are available because there are not enough nurses. Your "problem" appears to be an isolated one. The Governor's taskforce on nurse recruitment and retention says that there will be a need for tens of thousands more nurses in PA over the next few years.

As the average age of the nursing work force continues to creep towards fifty, the issue of retiree health insurance becomes all the more important. How many nurses are capable of working until 65 or 67 after thirty years of wear and tear at the bedside? Studies show that nursing has one of the highest injury rates of any profession. Finding an affordable health insurance option for "early" retirees (at least until medicare kicks in) is a very real problem for a lot of nurses. I guess those nurses could wait until national healthcare reform comes along and finally covers every american...but that might take awhile. I hope they get it.

You should be entitled to use intermittent FMLA leave (ie: a few hours a day off) until the 12 days have been used up. It is also possible that you may be coming up on additional FMLA hours but this would depend on when you took your previous medical leaves and whether your employer uses a calendar vs. rolling year when they calculate FMLA eligibility. Does your employer have a policy that allows nurses to request a medical leave of absence? If they do, this might allow you extra unpaid time off and still keep your job. Check in with human resources and they should be able to work through whatever options are available...they likely see this type of thing a lot. If you have a union your contract may also offer additional time off as well. Finally, if you are a bedside nurse with knee problems there is a good chance it is work related. If you haven't done so already go speak with a workers comp attorney about this...there shouldn't be any charge for this and you can findlocal workers comp lawyers in the yellow pages. Good luck!