Update: Found: RN willing to testify re mandatory overtime

pa state nurses association to testify before the senate judiciary committee in support of sb 327 -- restricted overtime for health care workers act on may 24, 2004 at 11:00 am at the capital building in harrisburg.

"presently, our industry is carrying the burden of forecasted shortages with increased needs among patients. recent research suggests that we may be seeing signs of improvement through evidence of increased interest in the nursing profession," said michele campbell, msn, rnc, executive administrator of the pa state nurses association. "to not nurture this improvement through protective measures, could lead to a reversal in any gains made. these protective measures must be implemented to ensure not only the quality of care provided to patients, but also to sustain the professional life expectancy of nurses."

"i see mandatory overtime as a form of emotional blackmail. you are told you cannot leave because leaving is patient abandonment, and for that you will lose your job. as a single parent, i could not fight that because i needed my job to support my two children, but at what cost? what about child abandonment and neglect? i always had a fear of something happening to my children or my home, from a fire to having them taken away from me, all because i was unable to come home," said cyndi owen-manns a clinical nurse specialist, staff nurse and member of the pa state nurses association.

stay informed on this topic by visiting www.panurses.org, click on the news room tab.