Safe Nurse Staffing for Patient Safety & Quality Care Act

[j0yegan]

Please send a letter to your Congressman about enacting the bill about having mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios by going here:

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/page/speakout/national-ratios

You can look more into what the proposed RN ratios will be and more here:

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/issues/entry/ratios

We need your help to make this bill a reality. Send this to everyone you know.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

H.R. 1907: Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2013 affects HOSPITAL staffing only. It does not apply to freestanding SNF/LTC facilities.

[Mn nurse 22]

Section 3104 b F specifies skilled nursing facilities with a ratio 1:5

[j0yegan]

Please keep sharing this link and sending letters to Congress!!

There is a proposed ratio for every setting.

[edmia, BSN, RN]

From the article.....

Thanks Esme.

I'm surprised ICU is 1:2. At times that needs to be 1:1, so I'm hoping these numbers also leave room for adjustment if needed.

Love 1:3 in the ED! If this came true, I'd be back in there in a flash. I miss it terribly, but do not miss the 1:8 ratio with no concern to acuity.

Letters sent and links distributed.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Thanks Esme.

I'm surprised ICU is 1:2. At times that needs to be 1:1, so I'm hoping these numbers also leave room for adjustment if needed.

These are MINIMUMS.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

For a Congress whose approval is in the tank, I'd think passing this bill would be a no brainer. Millions of jobs generated. Better for the economy. Increased satisfaction with patients. For profits would hate it, but the politician could go miles on that kind of good publicity. Why not?

I know the obvious. Increased health care costs, unaffordable health care, insurance premiums going up......

Is there any other reason?

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I think the proposed staffing levels would solve a lot of problems in nursing and healthcare today.

[brownbook]

I worked 11 pm to 7 am acute care hospital med/surg, then ICU, then night supervisor for 17 years. I cannot understand why staffing should be mandated by a politician? I cannot believe on the night shift that one nurse would only have 4 patients? It makes no sense to me. On the night shift one nurse with a CNA can easily take care of 6 - 8 patients. Yes I have done this.

As you all know there can be horrible nights with only 4 patients, and wonderful nights with 8 patients and the CNA went home sick!

I love nights, we had a lot of fun. It can be hard, busy, but lets face the facts, it is quieter, less is going on, it is not as busy as other shifts.

I repeat how can a politician 100's of miles away who never worked in a hospital decide staffing ratios better than a nursing supervisor with feet on the floor?

There has to be leeway and flexibility.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

For a Congress whose approval is in the tank, I'd think passing this bill would be a no brainer. Millions of jobs generated. Better for the economy. Increased satisfaction with patients. For profits would hate it, but the politician could go miles on that kind of good publicity. Why not?

I know the obvious. Increased health care costs, unaffordable health care, insurance premiums going up......

Is there any other reason?

HCA and other for-profits have better paid lobbyists and more money for bribery than nurses.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I repeat how can a politician 100's of miles away who never worked in a hospital decide staffing ratios better than a nursing supervisor with feet on the floor?

There has to be leeway and flexibility.

Because in what hospital does a nursing supervisor with actual feet on the floor determine staffing? It's really all decided by corporate bean counters.

And I've taken care of 8. It sucks. And turns into 9 or 10 when there's nothing to stop corporate from cutting staffing. Like a politician 100s of miles away making a number the bare minimum of nurses that has be on the floor. Sure, there are shifts where 4 would be too many. No law is going to stop you from staffing better than the minimum. But it does keep corporate, who cares only for profits, not for actual patients, from cutting staffing to put a few more bucks in their pockets.

[brownbook]

It is all too black and white. It is all to us vs them. It is all to big bad corporation bean counters vs wonderful nurses. There is a huge middle ground.

There has to be bean counters or companies, cities, hospitals, countries, go out of business or bankrupt.

Honestly I guess this 64 year old is still to naive. I think most bean counters, CEO's, want satisfied patients, (or a good product from their factory), happy workers, well run institutions.

There has to be leeway, politicians mandating how many nurses are on the floor of a hospital each shift....with no leeway....doesn't make sense.

I do believe SNF's need a lot more government over site. Mandates ratio's for SNF's I agree with.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

The middle ground has been snatched away LONG ago; the leeway has been in favor of the money camp for over 20 years.