January 9, 2002 - Two nursing-related news items:

It is taking longer than expected to develop the legislatively-mandated nurse staffing ratios for California hospitals because of the complexity of the task. News brief from AHA (American Hospital Association).

An RN who is the director of planning and staffing at the 10-hospital system hit the roof when she heard that her daughter was told by a high school career guidance counselor that she was "too bright" to go into nursing. Story about the nursing shortage from Modern Healthcare.

December 18, 2001 - It appears that California officials will miss the January 1 deadline to declare nurse-to-patient ratios as required by AB 394, the nurse-to-patient staffing law that was signed into law in October 1999. Story from nurses.com.

The California Nurses Association has an on-line presentation that outlines their views on proposed staffing ratios.

This article in Modern Healthcare shows how one Colorado hospital has become a "magnet hospital" for nurses while others have job vacancy rates of 20%.

December 6, 2001 - Reps. Pete Stark (D-CA) and Steve LaTourette (R-OH) have called for action on H.R. 3238, The Safe Nursing and Patient Act, a bill they co-wrote banning the use of mandatory overtime (OT) for nurses. The limits on mandatory OT would be part of the Medicare provider agreements and would not apply to nursing homes. News summary from the AHA (American Hospital Association).

November 28, 2001 - Here are two articles about nursing labor issues:

• "Virginia Nurses Head Anywhere but to the Hospitals" - story from Virginian Pilot
  
  
  
• "Area medical center hopes higher wages keep nurses" - story from Virginian Pilot. A Virginia hospital has stopped using nurses from temporary agencies and instead pays higher wages to permanent staff.

November 27, 2001 - Among Canada's major occupational groups, nurses have the highest number of lost work days and the highest percentage of lost time due to illness and injury. Information from RNAO(Registered Nurses Association of Ontario web site).

November 19, 2001 - The latest healthcare labor news:

In the largest single hospital union election win for Registered Nurses in California in many years, Registered Nurses at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center last week voted to affiliate with the California Nurses Association (CNA). Story from CNA.

A recent national survey indicated that nurses work an average of 6.5 hours of overtime a week, or 8.5 weeks of overtime a year. In California, nurses work an additional 11 weeks of overtime on average per year. This page from the SEIU Nursing Alliance on mandatory overtime explains their reasons for supporting of The Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act (H.B. 3238/S. 1686), which would limit mandatory overtime for nurses.

November 15, 2001 - Three interesting stories about healthcare labor issues:

"Half of nurses answering poll say they'll quit" - article from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette

"Nurses to run more hospitals" (in UK) - article from the BBC

"Over 100,000 Health Care Professionals Urgently Needed To Help Care For America�s Most Vulnerable Senior Population" - news brief from the AHCA (American Health Care Association).

November 10, 2001 - The American Nurses Association (ANA) recently hailed the introduction of the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act of 2001, which would strictly limit the use of mandatory overtime for nurses. Story from nurses.com. The legislation would:

• Prohibit health care institutions that receive Medicare funding from requiring a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN) to work beyond an agreed to, predetermined, regularly scheduled shift. In no instance could a nurse be required to work more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period or for more than 80 hours in a two-week period � a provision that would prevent an institution from altering shift schedules in a way that would undermine the law.
  
  
  
• Include nondiscrimination protections for nurses who refuse overtime and for nurses who provide information and/or cooperate with investigations about the use of overtime.
  
  
  
• Include an exception in the case of a declared national, state or local emergency. Such an emergency would be in response to an unpredictable disaster, not in response to a staffing deficiency resulting from management practices.
  
  
  
• Provide for a study by the Department of Health and Human Services on the maximum number of hours that may be worked by a nurse without compromising patient safety.

Hospitals in England are paying as much as 1000 pounds ($1450) to nursing employment agencies for a 12-hour nursing shift in some specialties. Story from the BBC.

November 8, 2001 - The Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act (HR 3238), a union-backed bill that would prohibit the use of mandatory overtime for nurses except during official emergencies, was introduced in the US House of Representatives yesterday. The bill would incorporate an overtime restriction into Medicare provider agreements and would be enforced by the Department of HHS. Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry plan to introduce a companion bill in the Senate.

Last week, the Nurse Reinvestment Act (S 1597) was introduced in the Senate. It is a federal initiative to combat the growing nursing shortage.

This article from the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) points outs that despite rising unemployment rates, health care institutions across the country continue to face a significant shortage of technicians, engineers, nurses, administrators, and clerical staff.

See this RenalWEB news summary for other recent healthcare labor news.


[This message has been edited by Gary Peterson (edited 04-11-2002).]