National Nurses United

20 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 2 6 W ho killed safe staffing? When night shift nurses arrived at the conference room, yellow caution tape was draped over the door and (fake) bloody handprints were on the wall. Another wall featured a "murder board," with red string connecting all the clues— shift logs, witness statements, overtime receipts, and more. Nurses filled out cards to submit their proof of unsafe staffing. The whodunit murder mystery dinner was organized by the Professional Practice Committee (PPC) at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin in Austin, Texas, during Nurses Week earlier this year. It was part of a series of creative, fun, and educational events that the PPC organized to engage nurses. "My favorite part is talking to people from other depart- ments, giving them a chance to mingle, and listening to other people talk about what's going on in their units," said Monica Gonza- lez, RN in the neuro medical-surgical unit and PPC member at ASMCA. "We also did a membership drive around Nurses Week. All members got entered in a raffle and each time you showed up to an event, you got an extra entry. If you became a member during Nurses Week, you got three raffle entries." Education and information is vital to an effective PPC, the only committee elected by the nurses and representing each major nursing unit in the facility. The PPC usually meets monthly on paid time and is an essen- tial part of contracts negotiated by California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU). The PPC has the authority to document unsafe practices and the power to meet with management and make real changes across the facility. ASMCA's PPC hosted events every day of Nurses Week, with each day's events held at different times so nurses on every shift would be able to attend at least one event. Day one began with a Don't Mess with Texas breakfast from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. to include the night and day shift nurses. Day two was a lunch, burgers and hotdogs, where nurses logged their staffing temperature using a meat thermome- ter scale from Rare (fully staffed) to Burnt (you shouldn't still be here). Day three was the murder mystery dinner held from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., naming management as the killer of safe staffing. More than 100 "evidence" sheets call- ing out management's staffing decisions were delivered to management the week after the event. Day four's evening event, Fuel Up at Shift Change (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) was race car themed and aimed at night and day shift nurses. The PPC served energy and electrolyte drinks and sandwiches. The final day coin- cided with Mother's Day so they had a brunch where nurses jotted down on post-it notes An ongoing series Celebrating Nurses Fun, educational activities engage members at open houses and Nurses Week events. By Chuleenan Svetvilas

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