PEF asks nurses: What issues matter most to you? |
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“I think a big issue among nurses is stress.
All the other issues, such as short staffing and
mandatory overtime, lead to stress. We deal with people
every day who are very ill. We always put others first.
Then, we don’t take care of ourselves. There’s
a lot of burnout in nursing.” — Sally Dixon, RN, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo |
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“Retention of nurses is the biggest thing, especially in a state facility. The structure is very rigid here. The state needs to find ways to make nursing attractive to people and make them happier in their work lives. The people who are low on the totem pole work every holiday. There should be split shifts or other alternatives. The bottom line is ensuring quality care for all of us.” — Paola Bartley, RN, University Hospital, Syracuse |  |
“There’s a severe problem here with
shortage of staff. However, the state doesn’t agree.
Our overtime for the last three months was 822 hours.
That cost $135,000. For that kind of money, they could
hire two more nurses.” — Tim Quain, RN, Clinton Correctional Facility, Dannemora |
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“I work in a forensic hospital. Many of our
patients are behaviorally unstable. It’s not
uncommon for PEF members to respond to emergency
situations when a patient becomes out-of-control,
aggressive or assaultive. If we are injured in the line
of duty and unable to to work, we must first use seven
days of our own accruals before Workers’
Compensation becomes available. Then, we are entitled to
only 60 percent of our base pay.” — Jennifer Tine, RN, Central NY Psychiatric Center, Marcy |
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“The staffing ratio needs to be
improved. A good nurse-to-patient ratio would reinforce
quality care. There’s also the issue of recruitment
and retention. When the quality of care decreases because
of understaffing, how is management going to recruit and
retain new nurses? Many of us are concerned about who
will take our places when we retire.” — Helen Kurtzke, RN, University Hospital, Stony Brook |
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Nurses, families, share burdens of understaffing CLICK HERE FOR STORY • Helping Pilgram patients in search of healthier states of mind CLICK HERE FOR STORY
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Attention PEF nurses: