RENO, April 5, 2008 - SEIU Nevada nurses at Renown believe that the most
important part of the patient experience isn't signage or valet parking.
The most important part of the patient experience should be high quality
care.
Nurses in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Renown face a tough job caring
for the most critically ill patients. That's why experts recommend that ICU
nurses should only have two patients under their care. That's the standard
SEIU Nevada nurses want to bring to Renown. No patient should experience
needing a nurse - and not having one nearby.
TODAY, SEIU nurses at Renown gathered to make signs and get ready for next
week's patient care rally. Nurses are excited to be working with their
families and the community to raise awareness about their fight for a
stronger voice at Renown.
My Story, by Marc Dunbar, RN, ICU
"Renown is the region's only Level II trauma center - meaning we see the
sickest in northern Nevada. As an ICU nurse, I take of patients that are in
serious critical condition. These patients need to be monitored very
closely, and sometimes the severity of a trauma patient's injuries requires
them to be monitored by two nurses.
"Right now in the ICU nurses are asked to take care of up to three patients.
Management says that a three patient assignment is based on a nurse's
experience and the acuity of the patient. I have seven years of experience,
but that still doesn't mean I can be three places at once if each of my
patients need me.
"I am not able to provide the full continuum of care I was trained to give
patients. I can't even spend the time to give my patient's families up to
date information about their loved ones.
"Even though ICU nurses at Renown give 110% to do our jobs well, it is
stressful to work in such understaffed conditions. My license is on the
line, and every day is psychologically, physically and emotionally
draining. It isn't fair to nurses or patients to keep understaffing the
ICU."
Experts Agree! Patients are at risk at night.
A 2003 study by the Joint Commission,[1] the organization that sets
standards for American healthcare institutions, found that higher nursing
levels in intensive care units mean better outcomes for patients.
For example, patients in hospitals with fewer ICU nurses are more likely to
suffer from complications after surgery and to have a longer length of stay
in the hospital than patients in hospitals with a greater number of ICU
nurses.
On the other hand, appropriate nurse staffing levels have resulted in lower
catheter-related infections of the bloodstream, lower nosocomial infection
rates in pediatric cardiac ICU, and lower rates of decubitus ulcers
(bedsores), and fewer complaints and deaths. That sounds like a better
patient experience to us!
Join the Nurses at a Rally Sign-Making Party!
WHAT: SEIU Nevada members and their families gather to make
signs for a rally for quality care.
WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 10:30 AM
WHERE: Girl Scout Conference Center: 605 Washington St.
SEIU Nevada nurses are asking Renown - help us spend more time helping
patients by fully staffing our hospital!
This is the 4th story in a 10-day countdown to the SEIU nurses at Renown's
rally for patient care on April 10. For more information about SEIU
contract negotiations at Renown, to interview a nurse or to talk to an
academic expert about why we need enforceable staffing ratios in our
hospitals, contact Hilary Haycock at 745-1532 or hhaycock@seiunv.org. Or
visit our website at
http://www.seiunv.org/healthcare/renonurses/Default.aspx.
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[1] Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. "Health
Care at the Crossroads: Strategies for Addressing the Evolving Nurse
Crisis." 2003. Retrieved on 3/6/2007.
http://www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/5C138711-ED76-4D6F-909F-B06E0309
F36D/0/health_care_at_the_crossroads.pdf