The ANA is worthless, looks down on floor nurses, don't join!

[DannyBoy8]

The ANA has decided to turn their backs on RNs in Massachusetts. The people of Massachusetts have spoken and want to vote on the matter of nurse-patient ratios this November. The ANA, through their local Mass. affiliate, has decided to oppose the nurses who put this on the map.

A short history. The ANA has been parading around a similar bill for over a decade with zero success. They can't handle the fact that another organization, let alone a union, has found some traction. The ANA has decided to play politics and stand jealously in their way.

If you aren't a member, keep it that way. If you are a member, cancel your payments and send an email to leadership. If you're a student, don't let their reps off-the-hook and ask the tough questions when they come to your campus.

Quite simply, this is some petty B.S. from a do nothing body of suits who sit in their DC offices while floor nurses break their backs with ridiculous assignments.

Disclaimer: I have no membership with any of the nursing organizations who support or oppose this bill.

[cleback]

I also find the ana argument weak. I mean, the staffing ratios are understood to be MINIMUM staffing ratios. If the acuity warrants it, there's nothing to say hospitals and nurses can't staff beyond that. It's crazy that ana opposes a bare minimum for safety.

[TriciaJ, RN]

In case anybody else is wondering what the heck the ANA were against - here is some more info.

The ANA seems hopelessly out of touch. Of course, in an ideal world staffing would be done by staff nurses and take into account all the factors that should be taken into account. But we could spend the next millennium dicking around with all the petty details.

In the real world, we just need to get something started to make hospitals accountable for how staffing is done. We can adjust as we go. The ANA is missing the boat with their position statement.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Let's be clear, this ballot initiative is not equivalent to the 'government' having its hand in anything, as the ANA wants everyone to think. This is a grassroots effort by nurses that has been endorsed by the the people. The people will vote and hospital executives, administrators, and managers will listen.

That's wonderful your facility has proper ratios - most don't. There will still be plenty of time to practice the art of patient assignments within a set of safe parameters. Some poor MB nurse won't have 12 patients to care for, women in labor will have the attention they deserve, and neonates will be less susceptible to infection.

The ANA lives in some fantasy land with these staffing committees. Even if they existed, the members (especially managers) would be in an incredibly awkward position and most definitely be facing significant pressure from their superiors. It's unfortunate, but there isn't a way to empower them to make authentic staffing decisions with their directors and executives just down the hall.

I was on one of those "staffing committees". The manager completely hijacked it and staff nurses still had absolutely no input. For starters, the manager handpicked the committee members. She leaned toward new grads. She had to be told a CNA was not eligible to be on the committee. It was a joke from the get-go.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I've never been a fan and this certainly doesn't change that.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

Wow, the ANA stance is so transparently pro-hospital bean-counter I could vomit. I've never liked the ANA and have never wanted to be a member. Thanks for reminding me why. They seriously can't support MINIMUM staff ratios? Disgusting

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

I just came from Washington DC and the #nursestakedc rally to promote safe nurse-patient ratios. I'm from California, and ratios work.

On our Tele units, a nurse can only be assigned a maximum of 4 patients- this is in effect 24/7. We also have CNAs, 2 monitor techs, a dedicated charge nurse 24/7 who is NOT included in the ratios, a clinical pharmacist, a throughput nurse Mon-Fri (yes! and not included in ratios), and 2 unit secretaries. And a unit educator-me!

And btw, our nurses on the floor do not draw their own blood, administer resp treatments, or take EKGS. Because we have excellent ancillary support.

If a Tele nurse has a high acuity pt, such as a CBI, the ratio drops to 1:3 until the CBI is stable. It is not true that acuities are not taken into consideration under mandated ratios. My hospital is not unique by any means.

I support MA and please read https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/mandated-nurse-patient-1143936.html for a deeper dive into the discussion.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

In case anybody else is wondering what the heck the ANA were against - here is some more info.

Love the quote "...We favor a plan with enough flexibility to allow the nurse at the bedside to decide how they provide care." As if any floor nurse would be against fair mandated ratios instead of walking in to higher staffing ratios because once again they short staffed and refused to pay for the necessary staff they could get by using travelers or agency or providing enough incentives for current staff to pick up overtime! Or management just raises staffing ratios out of the blue simply to save money and increase profits. Yeah that's what nurses want instead of a law that would provide safe fair ratios on a day to day basis. Give me a frickin break already!

To the other OP I didn't know a fracture between the national and state ANA was responsibility for the NNU. I wish we had the NNU where I work and the state I work in. I would gladly and proudly join and pay dues because they have a proven track record of helping nurses. The ANA is all hot air, platitudes and suggestions, but never wants to step on the hospital admin's feet to actually demand real safe staffing ratios and a no lift environment instead they waste everyone's time with their "Handle with care" alerting to the dangers of lifting as if we didn't know and didn't live with the chronic back pain or injuries from the lack of lift equipment already! I think the ANA is worthless and worse in the hospital's back pocket! They have totally sold the nurses out!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Well I think we shouldn't have mandated nurse patient ratios because every time nurse patient ratio is inadequate the Nurse Fairy should be summoned to bippity boppity boo me some nurses.

I mean which would you pick: the Nurse Fairy or the government?

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

Well here in California we do have legislation mandating safe ratios in Acute care. I would like to see a push though for safe staffing across the board. LTC nurses often have up to 30 patients under their care and in my specialty (Psych) one nurse oversees the care of 18 or more acute psych patients on any given shift. Tell me how I am supposed to talk 18 patients in 8 hours and do comprehensive charting while maintaining unit safety?

Hppy

[sarbo1010]

We had this same problem in Florida when lobbying the Florida legislature about safe staffing ratios about 10 years ago. The legislators simply told us that since our governing body the Florida Nurses association and ANA do not support safe staffing why should they. We never even made it to a bill.

[emmjayy, BSN, RN]

I absolutely agree with the MA nurses on the issue of mandated nurse to patient ratios. I'm graduating from nursing school soon and chose not to apply to any med-surg floors because the staffing ratios are so unsafe on these floors. 1:6 during days, 1:8 during nights on Class I telemetry units. It's even worse on less critical floors. And let's be real, the patients on the med-surg floors are the ICU patients of 20 years ago. It hasn't somehow gotten more safe for them to receive a decreased level of care, hospital administration has just decided not to give a hoot about patient (or nurse) safety. A couple of weeks ago, a nurse on one of these floors came in for the night shift and by the time she got around to seeing one patient, she found the patient had passed away. She had no idea when this patient passed and I don't blame her for what happened because of how wild that floor is. I wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear this story because that's what happens when you understaff. Patients suffer, nurses suffer, and in the scant 2 years I've spent working in the hospital float pool as an aide, I've seen enough of it and want no part of it.

[guest940422]

I'm just gonna sit back with some popcorn and watch the carnage unfold....