[ A S TAF F R EP OR T ]
Ratios,Then and Now
California RNs remember
and appreciate how
safe staļ¬ng ratios have
transformed nursing
practice, and note
what still must improve.
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N at i o N a l N u R s e
s california nears the 10-year anniversary of
safe RN-to-patient staffing ratios, it's useful to
pause and reflect on how limiting the maximum
number of patients that can be assigned to one registered nurse has dramatically changed nursing
practice for the better, improved patient safety, and
inspired a movement by nurses across the country
to achieve the same in their states. Though there is
always room to improve the ratios, they have fundamentally transformed nursing in the state.
"I can't imagine in this day and age not having ratios," said Kathy
Dennis, a float RN at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, and a
board member of the California Nurses Association. "With the acuity of our patients all across the country increasing, ratios boil down
to one thing: better outcomes for our patients."
In recognition of the dire need for minimum, safe staffing ratios for
all patients and RNs in the United States, National Nurses United is
A
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
o C to b e R 2 01 3
