RNs Urge Management to Invest in RN Staff and Patient Care

Registered nurses at Tenet hospitals, Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes, and Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, will hold informational pickets May 28, urging management to invest in nursing staff. This will improve the recruitment and retention of experienced RNs, and ensure optimal patient care, say nurses.

Nurses also will hold informational pickets on May 28 at 10 other Tenet-affiliated hospitals in Arizona and California, and in Texas, nurses from two Tenet hospitals in El Paso, will hold a rally.

“Our patients are more likely to get optimal care when the hospital prioritizes investing in the nursing staff,” said Javier Abreu Amador, an RN in the telemetry unit at Palmetto General Hospital. “This will strengthen recruitment and retention of experienced nurses and make it possible to bring staffing into alignment with what research shows is optimal for patient care.”

What: Registered nurses will hold informational picket.
When: Tuesday, May 28 – 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Where: Florida Medical Center, 5000 West Oakland Park Blvd, Lauderdale Lakes

What: Registered nurses will hold informational picket.
When: Tuesday, May 28 – 6:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Where: Palmetto General Hospital, 2001 W. 68th Street, Hialeah

According to well-established research there is a clear link between RN staffing levels and good patient outcomes. For example, research shows that every patient over four assigned to one nurse in a medical/surgical unit, could increase mortality by seven percent per patient. The staffing grid at both Florida Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospital allows for up to eight patients per nurse in the medical/surgical units.

“As nurses it is our responsibility to advocate for conditions that support optimal patient care,” said Ijeoma Nwokeyi, an RN in the medical ICU at Florida Medical Center. “We’re holding the informational picket to urge the hospital to support the nurses in providing the best care.”

Research also recommends a patient load of between three to five patients per nurse in a telemetry unit depending on how ill the patients are. At both Palmetto General Hospital and Florida Medical Center the staffing grid allows for up to seven patients per nurse in telemetry. The staffing grid at the Florida Medical Center also assigns up to 14 patients per RN in the psychiatric unit when research recommends a ratio of six patients per RN in these units to optimize patient outcomes and reduce staff burnout and turnover.

The 834 RNs that work at both hospitals are members of National Nurses Organizing Committee/Florida (NNOC/FL), and are in ongoing contract negotiations. NNOC/FL is affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest and fastest growing union of registered nurses in the United States with 150,000 members. NNU plays a leadership role in safeguarding the health and safety of RNs and their patients and has won landmark legislation in the areas of staffing, safe patient handling, infectious disease and workplace violence prevention.