On International Nurses Day, RNs demand safe staffing

The more than 225,000 nurses represented by National Nurses United (NNU) – the nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses – applaud the introduction of federal legislation to mandate minimum registered nurse-to-patient ratios in every hospital across the country. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jan Schakowsky and new Senate sponsors, Sen. Alex Padilla and Sen. Jeff Merkley. 

Throughout National Nurses Week, nurses have been given hollow praise and “appreciation gifts” by hospital employers, but nurses across the country are standing up to say: Keep your pizza, give us safe staffing ratios. The hospital industry claims that ratios are unattainable because of a so-called “nursing shortage.” There is no shortage. Over 1 million RNs with active licenses are not working as nurses, and unsafe staffing conditions created by hospital management is a top reason.

Today, on International Nurses Day, May 12th, Congress Members have the opportunity to demonstrate their genuine support of nurses by cosponsoring legislation to address this core problem pushing nurses away from the bedside and out of the nursing profession as a whole.  

“Nurses are constantly forced by our employers to care for too many patients than is safe. Yet, during National Nurses Week, those same employers hang banners or give out a free cookie to show their appreciation of us. It’s a slap in the face,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and NNU president. “Our patients deserve high-quality care, and nurses have always stood up to protect our patients. It’s time hospital managers are mandated to staff our units safely for our patients’ sake and to actually give nurses the resources and respect we deserve.”

The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act would establish minimum RN-to-patient ratios for every hospital unit, effective at all times. The bill also provides whistle-blower protections to ensure that nurses are free to speak out for enforcement of safe staffing standards.

“I am proud to reintroduce the Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act with Senators Padilla and Merkley that will establish registered nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals, provide whistle-blower protection for nurses who advocate on behalf of their patients, and invest in training and career development to retain hardworking nurses in the workforce," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky. "For years, I’ve talked to exhausted nurses who have said they go home at night, wondering if they forgot to turn a patient because they were stretched far too thin. Study after study shows that safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios result in higher quality care for patients, lower health care costs, and a better workplace for nurses. It is past time that we act on the evidence, give nurses the support they deserve, and put patients over profits. Let’s get it done!"

“Every patient deserves access to quality care, but the registered nursing staffing crisis across the country is putting patients at risk and leading to preventable health complications, especially in communities of color,” said Sen. Alex Padilla. “The numbers are clear: California’s mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient ratio is saving lives. Extending safe staffing at hospitals across the country is long overdue and is essential to retaining our nursing workforce and improving health outcomes.”

“As the husband of a nurse, I’ve seen how our health care heroes give so much to keep communities in Oregon healthy every day,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, co-chair of the Senate Nursing Caucus. “As we celebrate National Nurses Week, I am committed to fighting for safe staffing levels for both nurses and patients, to enhance the quality of patient care, reduce medical errors, and increase nurse retention. Nurses make the world so much better, one bedside at a time, and Congress must do all it can to tackle the challenges these lifesaving professionals face.”

For years, NNU has surveyed thousands of nurses, who have consistently reported that staffing has worsened over the years and that they have considered leaving nursing because they do not want to risk their patients’ safety nor their own license.

The federal bill is mirrored after a seminal California law, fought for and won in 1999 by the California Nurses Association/NNU. The law, which took effect in 2004, has saved patient lives, improved patient outcomes and the quality of care, attracted nurses back to direct-care nursing, and reduced nurse burnout, keeping experienced RNs at the patient bedside. A  2021 study by leading nurse staffing researcher Dr. Linda Aiken showed that if New York state had the same staffing mandate as California, at least 4,370 lives would have been saved that year alone.

Decades of studies have shown that more nurses equate to lives saved and fewer complications. Here are a few highlights:

Studies show that when RNs are forced to care for too many patients at one time, patients are at higher risk of preventable medical errors, avoidable complications, falls and injuries, pressure ulcers, increased length of hospital stay, higher numbers of hospital readmissions, and death.

Numerous studies have  documented disparities in care in hospitals that serve communities of color. Studies have also found that registered nurse staffing levels in hospitals that serve communities of color are often lower, contributing to these disparities in care. Setting a single standard of nursing care across hospitals will improve outcomes for patients of color, including reduced readmission rates, increased satisfaction, and better obstetrical outcomes.

The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act is also endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Alliance for Retired Americans.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.