Urge Hospital to Comply with Staffing Plan, Recruit and Retain Experienced RNs

Registered nurses will hold an informational picket and rally on Monday, Aug. 24 to urge Medical Center of Trinity to consistently comply with its own staffing plan and improve the recruitment and retention of experienced RNs.

 “When the hospital consistently complies with its staffing plan our patients are more likely to get the timely care that they deserve," said Louise Eastty, an RN in the Cardiovascular ICU. "Our patients depend on us to advocate for them and that is our professional responsibility," said Eastty who has been an RN for 16 years.

What: Registered nurses hold informational picket and rally
When: Monday, August 24, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Rally at 7:45 p.m.
Where: Medical Center of Trinity, 9330 State Road 54, Trinity, Fla.

According to the data recently provided by the hospital covering the period between February and March of this year, the hospital is regularly out of compliance with its own staffing plan. For example, the Oncology Unit was out of compliance 93% of the time in February and 97% of the time in March. The Intensive Care Unit was out of compliance 82% of the time in February and 87% of the time in March.

When the hospital is out of compliance with its staffing plan nurses are more likely to miss rest and meal breaks.  Research shows that these breaks are vital to prevent fatigue that contributes to medical errors and injury to patients and staff. Medical Center of Trinity nurses regularly work 12-hour shifts and miss their rest and meal breaks because they don't want to leave their patients unattended, nurses say.

The nurses are also asking the hospital to address the dismal wage conditions for RNs in Florida, which contribute to high turnover rates and loss of experienced RNs. Medical Center of Trinity can play a leadership role, nurses say, by aligning its wages with the national average. Currently Florida RNs are paid $3.00 below the national average and although Florida is the third largest state it ranks 28th in terms of RN wages.

The 414 registered nurses at Medical Center of Trinity, affiliated with the National Nurses Organizing Committee, NNOC/FL are in ongoing contract negotiations with Medical Center of Trinity and their contract expired May 31, 2015. NNOC/FL is affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest organization of registered nurses in the United States with 186,000 members.