National Nurses United

J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7 Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, San Ramon Regional Medical Center in San Ramon, Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, and Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock. Cali- fornia Nurses Association represents 3,500 nurses at these Tenet facilities. The data provided by Tenet shows that in 2018 at eight Tenet hospitals, nurses worked more than two full weeks of overtime from "on call" work and being called back in, including right after or within hours of completing a full shift. Since 2016, this prac- tice has increased 48 percent. When nurses are "on call," they are required to return to the hospital within 30 minutes, even after they've already worked an entire shift and before they've had an adequate rest period. Research shows that when nurses don't work overly long hours, they are more likely to provide safe patient care. In 2018, three Tenet hospitals showed an even greater dependency on "on call" staff. Nurses at Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, San Ramon Regional Medical Center in San Ramon, and Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, aver- aged more than 1,000 hours each on call. According to information supplied by Tenet, the company paid out a total of nearly $8 million in penalty pay to RNs from 2016 to 2018 for more than 140,000 missed meal breaks in the eight California hospitals hold- ing the strikes. In 2018, nurses at these hospitals reported more than 57,000 missed breaks, a 28 percent increase over 2016. Research studies shows that when RNs are able to take adequate rest and meal breaks, they are less likely to experience fatigue, which can lead to medical errors and injuries to both RNs and their patients. "To give the best care to our patients, it is very important for nurses to get rest and meal breaks," said Rebecca Rhodes, who has been an RN for 23 years and works in the ER at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, Calif. "I am honored to have worked as a nurse for 25 years, and share with my colleagues a deep commitment to advocating for my patients," said Ginny Gary, an RN in the ICU at Los Alamitos Medical Center in Los Alamitos, Calif. "We know that to give the best care, it is very important for nurses to get rest and meal breaks. When the hospital has adequate staffing, it is more likely that nurses can take their meal and rest breaks and return to work alert and nourished." Florida registered nurses held strikes at Tenet's Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes and Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah. The staffing grid at both Florida Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospi- tal allows for up to eight patients per nurse in the medical-surgical units. NNOC-Florida represents 900 RNs at these two hospitals. Research 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 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. "As nurses, we are committed to providing our patients with the best care possible," said Ja Anna Rose, an RN in the ER at Florida Medical Center. "We are better able to fulfill this commitment when staffing is in align- ment with what research shows is optimal for patient care." —Martha Wallner

• Cover