National Nurses United

4 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 NATIONAL M ore than 7,000 National Nurs- es United registered nurses work- ing for hospitals affiliated with Hospital Corporation of America (or HCA as it is commonly known, the largest for-profit hospital chain in the country), are banding together across five states to settle contracts that will help them provide the optimal patient care that their patients and communities deserve. Since their contracts expired May 31, nurses at have been picket- ing and educating the public about their ongoing efforts to increase the retention of experienced nurses by reducing the turnover rate and consistently maintain staffing levels that provide for the best possible care for patients. In August, nurses at 15 HCA-affili- ated facilities voted overwhelmingly to authorize the negotiating team to call for strikes, if necessary, to achieve a contract that satisfies the nurses concerns. The nurses are calling on the hospitals to reduce attrition rates, which translates into low numbers of more experienced RNs, which would increase the likelihood that the hospital will be able to follow its own staffing plans in all the hospitals, which are located in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, and Texas. For example, at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., 188 RNs were hired in 2017, but nearly as many left, 169 RNs, that same year. Data covering the period June 1, 2008 through June 1, 2018, shows that the hospital has been able to retain 18 percent of its RNs for more than 10 years. More than half of the hospital's nurses, 58 percent, have been there for three years or fewer, with 35 percent of those at the hospital fewer than 18 months. The other facilities show very similar turnover patterns. "The retention of RN staff is what allows us to build strong teams of experienced RNs to provide our patients with optimal care," said Leslie Rogers, an RN who works in the operating room. "I've worked at this hospital for 43 years and because of this I'm able to contribute a deep and broad knowl- edge to patient care, and support the development of other RNs. NEWS BRIEFS Nurses at HCA-affiliated hospitals stage nationwide pickets RNs at 15 hospitals across five states unified in bargaining

• Cover