The full text of the study entitled, "Intensive Care Unit Nurse Staffing and the Risk for Complications after Abdominal Aortic Surgery" is available on-line.

The current issue of Effective Clinical Practice also has an editorial entitled, "More Nurses, Better Patient Outcomes: Why Isn't It Obvious?"

October 4, 2001 - The recent disasters in New York and Washington have given more attention to the importance of the role of skilled nursing in medical facilities, prompting Congress to revive legislation aimed at curbing the impending shortage of qualified nurses.

Here is an article from American Hospital Association.

In other nursing labor news, the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland State have formed a new partnership to help reduce the nursing shortage in NE Ohio.

October 3, 2001 - Recent news and information relating to the nursing shortage and healthcare labor:

"Skipping Gimmicks, Keeping Nurses" - article from HHN (Hospitals and Health Networks)

"European Nations Poach Each Others' Health Workers" - article from Reuters Health/Yahoo (web link is no longer available)

"Nursing shortage, working conditions intertwined at congressional hearing" - article from the AHA (American Hospital Association)

"Pennsylvania Hospitals: Overtime Ban Will Not Cure Nurse Shortage" - article from nurses.com

"Pennsylvania Auditor General Casey Urges Passage of Bill to Eliminate Mandatory Overtime for Nurses" - article from nurses.com

October 1, 2001 - Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, a coalition of 32 leading nursing and health care organizations addressing the nursing shortage, is launching a national advertising campaign to recruit young people into the nursing profession and encourage existing nurses to remain.

The coalition developed the campaign, which is entitled "Nursing. It's Real. It's Life." Here is the nursesource.org web site and the seven print ads.

September 29, 2001 - HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a series of grants and contracts totaling more than $27.4 million to increase the number of qualified nurses and the quality of nursing services across the country. (web link is no longer available) Here is the press release from the HHS.

September 25, 2001 - With the need to address issues related to the attacks in New York and Washington, lawmakers are delaying action on the nursing crisis and healthcare worker shortage until next year. (web link is no longer available)

September 22, 2001 - The American Hospital Association is reporting that the California legislature has ended the 2001 legislative session without passing a bill that would have prohibited mandatory overtime for the state’s registered nurses and other health professionals.

September 7, 2001 - The latest articles on the healthcare worker shortage:

"The overtime debate goes center stage: Mass. nurses strike settled, but issue of mandatory extra hours lingers" - article from Modern Healthcare

"Standing by on nurse staffing: Providers still await final regulations on California's novel ratio law" - article from Modern Healthcare

"Nursing profession needs better care" - editorial from the San Jose Mercury News (web link is no longer available)

After 92 days on the picket line, striking nurses reached a tentative agreement with Brockton Hospital (Massachusetts) on mandatory overtime.

A television ad campaign by the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care will begin September 16. Its goal is to begin promoting awareness of workforce shortages in hospitals, with the hope of energizing public pressure on Congress to pass legislation to attract and educate more health care workers.

A growing pharmacist shortage is raising concerns about increased medication errors.

August 27, 2001 - The Kaiser Network web site has a report on how two states, New York and Pennsylvania, are attempting to apply legislative remedies to the nursing shortage.

To retain existing nurses, a New York task force recommended:

• higher pay
  
• shorter shifts
  
• more flexible hours
• on-site child care
• streamlined paperwork

August 23, 2001 - The LA Times has a report on a bill currently under consideration in the California Assembly that would prohibit mandatory overtime for the state's registered nurses and other health care employees. (web link is no longer available)

According to the article, "The bill would allow mandatory overtime in two situations: an emergency declared by government officials or a major unforeseen catastrophe such as a plane crash or traffic pileup."

August 16, 2001 - "Nurses will leave a job for a couple dollars more an hour. It may be better to pay them a few more dollars, since it may be cheaper in the long run."

This quote comes from article about a survey from the Unifi Networks division of consultant PriceWaterhouseCooper that says that staffing shortages will continue to be a challenge for hospitals for the next three to five years. (web link is no longer available)

The Amercian Hospital Association has begun a grassroots campaign urging its members to write Congress about pending healthcare workforce legislation.

The KaiserNetwork web site has an article with extensive links on the nursing shortage and the California nurse-to-patient ratios that are due to be implemented on January 1, 2002.

August 13, 2001 - One recent article and one letter-to-the-editor about nursing labor issues:

"Nurses win steelworkers pension trust" - press release from the California Nurses Association. This allows the nurses to join a pension fund that 'provides "a real union pension"- one that actually pays enough to support a nurse in retirement.'

"Why is there a nursing shortage? An RN says it starts with no respect" - a letter to the editor of the American Medical News.

"Howling at the moon - Warm and fuzzy no more: It's time for nurses to use their clout" - article from NurseWeek by Mark Jorgensen, a former Marine Corps sergeant who served during the Vietnam War. He has spent years serving as a nursing director and assistant director of nursing in large facilities. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"A self-made multimillionaire acquaintance, who is familiar with what it takes to be a good and educated nurse, has said that nurses rightfully should make about $75,000 a year given the stress, exposure to disease, cost of education, working conditions, hours and the serious responsibilities of the career. He lists numerous business executives who make six figures with a mere fraction of the responsibility of a floor nurse!"

"Think nationally, act locally" from RevolutioN by Kay McVay, President of the California Nurses Association.

And finally, "Here's what I have to show for my two decades of intensive care nursing" - a letter to the editor from a nurse who just left the profession. (web link is no longer available)

"Nursing Workforce: Emerging Nurse Shortages Due to Multiple Factors".

It is available as GAO-01-944, in pdf format. The report says there is evidence of an emerging nursing shortage, but more detailed data are needed to assist in planning and targeting corrective efforts.

"Precedent Setting Agreement for RNs at SF Hospitals Pension, Retiree Health, Safe Staffing Gains in Tentative Pact" - press release from California Nurses Association

"Kaiser OKs 14% hike for its nurses' salaries" - from the Contra Costa Times (California) (web link is no longer available)

"Court Ruling Protects Nurse Whistleblowers" - story from nurses.com

Here is an editorial from the American Hospital Association entitled, "The workforce shortage: More proof of your pain". It provides information on several bills that have been introduced in Congress to meet the healthcare worker shortage.

The web site morenursingstaff.com is a joint effort by The American Health Care Association and the Alliance For Quality Nursing Home Care. They have announced a national advertising campaign urging Congress to act now to address a worsening shortage of front-line caregivers in long-term care. (link is no longer available)

Nursing homes have been hit particularly hard by the nursing shortage. Here is a consensus statement from seventeen organizations on this problem.

July 5, 2001 - If you are trying to recruit nurses, this information from Florida outlines the obstacles that others are facing:

"Nursing shortage hits critical stage in Florida" - Article from South Florida Sun Sentinel. (link is no longer available) The article states that, "It’s taking an average of 90 days to fill a position, and in the meantime hospitals have to fill in for the nurse who is leaving," said Diane Horner, dean of the University of Miami School of Nursing. "The price tag for recruitment and orientation can run to $30,000, so clearly it’s in everybody’s best interest that nurses don’t leave."

"Florida Hospital Association Data Brief: Nursing Facts in Florida" - Four pages of graphs and statistics (in pdf format). Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read pdf format files.

The statistics show that overtime and in-house staffing pools were the most common strategies used to fill vacant nursing positions in Florida hospitals. Use of temporary agencies was reported by 83% of the hospitals, 74% used travelers and 73% used on-call staff.

July 3, 2001 - More nursing shortage news items:

"Labor flexes muscle: United American Nurses votes to join AFL-CIO, sends message to bosses" - article in Modern Healthcare

"Maryland Hospitals Report Growing Shortage of RNs and Other Personnel" - article from American Hospital Association

"ANA Acts to Unite Nursing Profession Over Staffing Crisis, Emerging Shortage" - press release from the American Nurses Association

June 29, 2001 - Increasing personnel costs, mainly due to the growing nursing shortage, is the most significant long-term problem affecting hospitals and threatens to limit their operating margins for the foreseeable future, according to a report released today by credit rating agency Fitch IBCA, Duff & Phelps.

At a Senate hearing this week aimed at gauging the overall picture and seeking solutions to a possible nursing shortage, experts testified that a nursing shortage may be inevitable. (web link is no longer available)

In other nursing-related labor news, representatives of the 100,000-member American Nurses Association (ANA) voted to affilitate with the AFL-CIO. (web link is no longer available)

In March of this year, the 35,000-member independent California Nurses Association and the 700,000-member United Steelworkers announced the formation of a national alliance to organize the largely nonunion health care industry.

June 23, 2001 - A broad-ranging report released by the Canadian Health Research Services Foundation (CHRSF) this week highlights the impact of the working environment on the health of the nursing workforce. Here is a summary from the nurses.com web site.

Here is the Executive Summary of the report entitled, "Commitment and Care: The benefits of a healthy workplace for nurses, their patients and the system". (web link is no longer available)

June 20, 2001 - This article from nurses.com shows that the nursing shortage has created unprecedented demand for healthcare temps. Temps now routinely receive partial or full benefits, high pay, and flexible schedules.

This article from the American Hospital Association provides a summary of the proposed laws that are currently being debated in state legislatures which limit mandatory overtime for nurses.

Here is an article by the president of the American Hospital Association that suggests actions to meet the healthcare labor shortage.

June 16, 2001 - The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA) will announce the introduction of legislation this week that would prohibit the use of mandatory overtime for nurses.

Maine has become the first state to restrict how hospitals manage mandatory overtime for nurses. This bill prevents a licensed nurse or other health care worker who provides direct care to patients from being disciplined for refusing to accept overtime work. News item from the American Hospital Association.

June 14, 2001 - A US News and World Report story on the nursing shortage points out that nurses no longer view a labor strike as "a betrayal of patients".

In Northern California, 3500 nurses are planning a one-day walkout on June 27.

June 12, 2001 - A "maldistribution" of nurses is more likely than an actual shortage, said a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. Here is a summary of this report from the American Nurses Association.

Here is the CRS Report entitled, "A Shortage of Registered Nurses: Is It on the Horizon or Is It Already Here?" It is in pdf format.

This story from Modern Healthcare reports on the confusion that this CRS report has created about the nursing shortage.

June 5, 2001 - There are several nursing-related news stories today:

Article from Modern Healthcare: "Split decision: Nurses lose crucial ruling on union representation, but win right to sue". The recent US Supreme Court ruling (see May 31) dealt a serious blow to nurses' unions. "The decision will have a chilling effect on the ability of nurses to form unions and gain valuable workplace protections under the National Labor Relations Act because employers may now try to claim that many more registered nurses are supervisors," said Cheryl Johnson, chair of the United American Nurses.

Article from Modern Healthcare: "No shortage of nurses, yet: report".

Article from American Medical News: "Bills aim to increase number of nation's nurses". One bill would create a "National Nursing Service Corps," which would provide nursing school scholarships in exchange for a commitment to serve for two years in a health facility with a critical shortage of nurses.

Article from American Medical News: "Florida hospitals send SOS to doctors to help keep nurses".

Column from the nurses.com web site: "Manager’s Roundtable: Organizational Behavior? It’s All Around Us!". This article compares organization behaviors seen on nursing teams with those seen on "reality TV" shows such as Survivor.

"The decision will have a chilling effect on the ability of nurses to form unions and gain valuable workplace protections under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), because employers may now try to claim that many more registered nurses are supervisors, because they direct the work of others, such as nurse's aides and licensed practical nurses", said the American Nurses Association (ANA).

According to the ANA, this ruling denies some registered nurses basic workplace protections under federal labor law and is unfair to nurses and patients. Here is the press release from the ANA.

Here is the ruling from the US Supreme Court that was released on Tuesday. It is in pdf format.

Update - Minnesota nurses at five of the twelve hospitals that are negotiating new RN labor contracts have reached tentative agreements. (web link is no longer available)

Nurses at Minneapolis/St. Paul hospitals are set to go on strike on Friday. The main stumbling block to a contract agreement is money. Hospitals offering a 19.1 percent increase over three years and the nurses' union is seeking a 35 percent increase.

May 25, 2001 - In Minnesota, 7700 nurses are threatening to walk off their jobs on June 1.

Allina Health System in Minneapolis plans to lay off 1,000 employees in the next two weeks. The layoffs are needed primarily to offset the costs of a planned strike by the registered nurses. Here is the story from American Hospital Association.

Nurses at Brockton Hospital in Massachusetts went on strike today, primarily over the mandatory overtime issue.

Nurses at Petaluma Valley Hospital in California have rejected St. Joseph Health System's final contract offer. Nurses and hospital managers are now deciding their next step. (web link is no longer available)

May 23, 2001 - Here is a story from the LA Times about the growing number of registered nurses that are joining unions. (web link is no longer available)

Nurses at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (California) reached an agreement last week that would give about 300 nurses immediate raises of between 6 and 30 percent as well as ban mandatory overtime. (web link is no longer available)

Congress took on healthcare workforce issues last week as a Senate committee hearing took testimony on how the shortage is affecting quality of care. A bipartisan bill was also introduced in the House to address nurse training. Here is the story from the American Hospital Association.

May 21, 2001 - Here are several stories about the increasing gloomy nursing shortage situation:

"The Royal College of Nursing will vote on a motion condemning the policy of recruiting foreign nurses to plug chronic shortages at British hospitals" - story from the BBC

"Nurses fear effect of staff shortages" - story from San Antonio Express-News (web link is no longer available)

"The Labor Department projects a shortage of 450,000 nurses in just seven years as demand rises and nurses become more frustrated on the job" - from ABCNews (web link is no longer available)

May 10, 2001 - A panel assembled by the University of Illinois Nursing Institute earlier this week called for immediate national action to avoid a severe shortage of nursing care providers for the elderly beginning in 2010. Here is the executive summary and the full report of Who Will Care for Each of Us? America's Coming Health Care Labor Crisis. (pdf format).

In other news, more than 200 nurses gathered on the steps of the US Capitol this week surrounded by hundreds of pairs of empty shoes to symbolize the US nursing shortage. (web link is no longer available)

May 9, 2001 - Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) announced yesterday that he will sponsor a bill to bar mandatory overtime for nurses in facilities receiving federal Medicare funds. (web link is no longer available)

May 8, 2001

Nursing Dissatisfaction - The report from the University of Pennsylvania on nurses' job dissatisfaction that is receiving wide coverage in the general press is now available on-line. (link is no longer available)

Here are two summaries of the report:

"Study finds hospital nurses concerned about deteriorating quality of patient care" - summary from nurses.com

"Nurses cite work design and management as reasons for dissatisfaction" - short summary from the American Hospital Association

Book - On a lighter note, Gail Staudt, an RN with some nephrology nursing in her background, has published a book that speaks to nurses and caregivers with new insights and colorful twists on proverbial wisdom. Here is a press release (web link is no longer available) describing, Nursing the Nurse: Affirmations.

Study Ties Drug Industry to Staffing Ratios - Here is a study from the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy entitled, "Big Pharma": Mergers, Drug Costs and Health Caregiver Staffing Ratios (pdf format).

It is a study that explores the relationship between patient access, merger and acquisition activity within the pharmaceutical industry and health caregiver staffing ratios. The study's principal hypothesis is:

"Increasing volume and values of pharmaceutical merger and acquisitions may impact drug prices and drug prices strongly influence hospitals to reduce caregiver to patient ratios - the national nursing shortage notwithstanding."

National Nurses' Week is May 6-12. Here is the main information page on National Nurses' Week and a fact sheet about nursing from the American Nurses Association (ANA).

A study being published this week in the May-June issue of Health Affairs journal shows that many U.S. nurses are frustrated to the point of burnout and that one of every three nurses surveyed under age 30 plans to leave their jobs within the next year. Here is a summary from Yahoo/Reuters. (web link is no longer available)

The United American Nurses (UAN) contends that the tiring and stressful hospital conditions faced by overworked nurses means there's nothing to celebrate during National Nurses' Week. (web link is no longer available)

In the last two weeks, both the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the Maine Nurses Association have voted to disaffiliate from the ANA. Massachusetts is considering forming an alliance with the California Nurses Association (web site), which recently announced an alliance with the United Steelworkers union.

Paperwork is a major frustration for nurses. Healthcare professionals spend on average at least 30 minutes on paperwork for every hour of patient care provided to a typical Medicare patient.

Here is a report from the Bureau of Health Professions entitled, "The Registered Nurse Population"