HPAE Local 5030 at Palisades Medical Center

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Friday, October 1
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Atlantic City, NJ
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When is enough enough?

July 08, 2010

On the 7th of May, the seasoned and senior nurses of the 4th floor had a meeting with Ruben, Yvonne and Zoraida to present some of the many problems experienced daily on their unit. The nurses collected and analyzed statistical information unique to the 4th floor from their admission and discharge books.

They clearly demonstrated to any reasonable person that the nurse to patient ratio and the nursing assistant to patient ratio were clearly below the national recommended average. In simple terms, it means that one nurse or one nursing assistant on the 4th floor is taking care of too many patients. It means PMC has stretched its staff too thin to the detriment of our patients. It’s like going to a restaurant with only 1 waiter to 20 tables. There is no way in hell you are going to have good service, no matter how hard the waiter works!

This substandard ratio of care giver to patient is dangerous. The 4th floor is a rough floor to work. They care mostly for post-operative patients that have a high need factor. Hourly issues include pain management, hygiene, getting patients out of bed, encouraging movement and deep breathing to mention just a few. It is like taking care of a child because their needs are so great. The cost of inadequate care can easily create an increase in the length of stay for our patients or contribute to a sentinel event. Worse yet, it tarnishes the reputation of our institution in the community.

Horrific staffing ratios cause additional damages. It demoralizes good nurses, increases job stress and creates an unhealthy working environment. It will not attract great nurses to our institution. It will not attract patients with the money or insurance to go elsewhere.

Sadly, the administrators attacked our data. Additional staffing is needed on this floor to promote the best possible patient outcomes. Why does management refuse to listen to the nurses and caregivers who know what’s best for their patients?

Our institution’s negative culture creates a very difficult working environment. It is a common practice to suspend members while pending investigation; this is insane. This behavior causes extreme financial stress to our members, while leaving the nursing floors short and negatively impacting the care we can give to our patients. Shouldn’t we assume that people are innocent until proven guilty? It is human nature to make mistakes. We are not Divine!

Management must learn to turn our mistakes into learning experiences, not disciplinary actions. They need to be more supportive and understanding of our honest, human errors especially when there is no harm to the patients. They need to nurture and inspire us.

It was my privilege to represent the members of Local 5030 at this meeting. I cannot tell you how proud I was of these nurses. I cannot express how painful it felt to see all their hard efforts fall onto deaf ears. We are not looking for a “get out of jail free” card. All we want is the recognition that you need the right amount of staff to get the job done safely and with the best possible outcomes for our patients.

Nelva Torres, MSW
Vice-president, Local 5030