Survey Reveals Nurses Are Volume 27, Issue 2 Struggling to Provide Quality Spring Issue 2008 Care A new survey of Milwaukee-area nurses conducted by the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Pro- fessionals (WFNHP) paints a picture L-R, Candice Owley, WFNHP president, and of nurses struggling to provide quality Tiffany Heinen, RN, announce survey results care while experiencing high work- to the press on Nurses Day. A Union of Professionals loads and forced overtime, often without a meal break. member of WFNHP Local 5032 from the VA Medical Center, confirming the find- ―According to the results from over ing that 70 percent of the hospital nurses CIO 1,500 nurses, mandatory overtime say they would worry about the quality of - and nurse fatigue are widespread care their family members would receive and are a major contributor to errors in their own hospitals unless they them- in patient care,‖ said Candice Owley, selves were responsible for that care. president of the WFNHP. ―Over 500 ―My nurse friends are saying that, too nurses gave examples of errors that often, their hospitals are creating short have occurred as a result of nurse staffing situations that make it extremely fatigue.‖ , A F T , A F L challenging when trying to provide high quality patient care.‖ Staffing issues are creating patient safety problems throughout the Not only are nurses often working healthcare system, but the problems with inadequate staffing and putting in in hospitals are especially severe. too much overtime, but they also often More than 90 percent of the hospital work these demanding jobs without meal nurses said there are units in their breaks. In the last two years, 95 percent hospital they believe are unsafe for of the nurses report times when they did ROFESSIONALS patients because of staffing issues. not have a meal break. Thirty-nine per- P cent said they rarely had a meal break, ―Take a nurse with you if you are and 26 percent never had a duty-free sick,‖ said Tiffany Heinen, RN, and meal period. (continued on page 3) EALTH & H Nurse Receives WFNHP Endorsement In fall, elections for state held by Senator Alberta Darling URSES government leaders will take (R-River Hills). N place, and this year, five nurses are in the running to Sandy is a Milwaukee OF become our legislators. One native, a wife and mother of of these candidates, Sandy three grown children, and a Pasch, is running for the 22nd registered nurse. She has Assembly district seat that been an Assistant Professor Representative Sheldon at Columbia College of Wasserman (D-Milwaukee) is Nursing for 15 years, where leaving to run for the 8th she teaches mental health, EDERATION Senate district seat currently F continued on page 5) ( ISCONSIN W Contract Settlements Voter Information Pages 2-3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 7 President’s Podium by Candice Owley, R.N. Milwaukee-area Nurses Voice Concerns About Quality Care and Working Conditions For the first time in over a decade our union decided to survey the nurses in the Milwaukee-area to ask them about their view of the workplace. As an organization, we are often called upon to give voice to concerns of working nurses. Politicians and the media turn to us because the sad fact is over 90% of the Additionally, this fall we will interview dozens of nurses have no way to make their concerns heard. individuals looking to be elected to state office, and we These nurses work in hospitals, nursing homes, home will insist that these candidates support our workplace care, clinics, and doctors‘ offices where there is no agenda in order to gain our support. Once elected, we union, and where the employer has final say on every- will work with these politicians to have legislation devel- thing. So, to celebrate Nurses Day this year we thought oped to deal with these critical workplace issues. We it only right that the nurses have a say. And speak up will also create a virtual network of nurses willing to they did, with over 1,500 nurses returning surveys. work to make these laws a reality. Much of what the nurses said we had heard before Knowing that area employers are violating work- yet much was also new. We knew that mandatory over- place laws on payment for meals or end of shift work, time is a major concern, but it was still worrisome that we will begin a campaign to help nurses get back pay. over 500 nurses gave specific examples of errors they And last, but never least, we will continue to support had made or observed as a result of fatigue. Errors any and all nurses and other healthcare workers in their reported by the nurses included giving the wrong medi- efforts to form unions at their workplaces; because, in cation, the wrong dosages, at the wrong time, and to the end, that is the strongest way to make a lasting the wrong patient. difference—not only in working conditions, but also in quality of care—and that is what celebrating Nurses Staffing also continued to be a concern with Day is really all about. virtually all hospital nurses (93 percent) stating that there were units in their own hospitals that were unsafe because of staffing problems, and 70 percent said they would worry about the care of a family member if they What You Can Do were not personally present to oversee that care. ♥ Nurses also routinely work without relief for meals Visit www.wfnhp.org and follow the link on the and without being paid for those missed meal periods. home page to download and read the complete In addition, because of pressure to cut costs, they often report on the survey results. punch out of work then return to complete charting and other tasks—literally working for free, and in violation of ♥ Log on to www.wfnhp.org and follow the link to tell state law. us your mandatory overtime story. The survey made it clear that more needs to be done to provide equipment to eliminate injuries from ♥ Join our E-Activist Network—Make your voice lifting and moving patients, and to provide training and heard! Join the fight for safe patient care and staff support where nurses experience workplace abuse quality working conditions. It‘s easy—just send an and violence. email to [email protected] with your name, email address, complete mailing address, and phone Armed with the survey results, our legislative com- numbers. We will email you when nurses and mittee and staff will mount a campaign for legislation to healthcare workers need to get E-Active. end mandatory overtime, establish safe staffing ratios and equipment, and policies for a safe workplace. NETWORK 2 Fatigued Nurses Struggle to Provide Quality Care… from page 1 Armed with the survey results, the Wisconsin Fed- eration of Nurses and Health Professionals has devel- oped an ambitious program to turn nurses‘ concerns into action. Here is a partial list of the items on the WFNHP Action Agenda: Legislative Agenda ♥ Ban Mandatory Overtime—Working with other health professional groups, WFNHP is spearhead- ing the drive to enact a bill in the state of Wisconsin that will ban forced overtime for healthcare workers, thereby making all overtime voluntary. ♥ Mandatory Nurse-to-Patient Ratios—WFNHP supports the public‘s right to know the number of patients a nurse is required to care for, and is work- ing to pass patient safety legislation requiring safe nurse-to-patient workloads. ♥ Health and Safety—WFNHP supports legislation that would require all healthcare facilities to adopt safety programs that include purchasing equipment for lifting and moving patients, as well as training on how to use that equipment safely. Workplace Agenda ♥ Workplace Violence—WFNHP supports legisla- tion requiring all healthcare facilities to develop a violence prevention plan including training with ♥ Organize—Actively assist nurses at healthcare input from front line caregivers. facilities that want to form a union in order to negotiate a legally binding contract. Political Agenda WFNHP will be sending the results of the survey, which was released May 5th, to area nurses and state ♥ Fall Elections—WFNHP will support and endorse and federal legislators. candidates for state and federal office that support the agenda to improve quality care and working What You Can Do conditions for nurses and healthcare workers. ♥ To read the complete survey results, visit Enforce Current Laws www.wfnhp.org and follow the link on the home page to download the results. ♥ Wage and Hour Laws—WFNHP is beginning a ♥ Log on to www.wfnhp.org and follow the link to tell campaign to demand area healthcare employers us your mandatory overtime story. stop violating wage and hour laws, and immedi- ately begin paying nurses and healthcare workers Thank you to all the nurses who participated in our for missed meal periods. survey. We value your experience and judgment, and ♥ Wage and Hour Claims—WFNHP will assist area appreciate your participation. With your help, all of us nurses and healthcare workers with wage and hour can work together to create the kind of healthcare claims when they have worked without pay, either system both our patients and we deserve. through their meal period, or at the end of their shift. NETWORK 3 The Fight to Ban Mandatory Overtime Continues by Stephanie Bloomingdale, Director of Public Policy Another legislative session The bill was voted on at a public hearing that ended, and still there is no ban included spirited testimony from WFNHP members. on mandatory overtime for Union president, Candice Owley, spoke to the impor- nurses and healthcare workers.