For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 10, 2001
Studies Continue to Show Nurses Overworked and Underpaid
Grim news as nation celebrates National Nurses Week
Washington, DC —Study after study has reached the same conclusion: the state of nursing is in critical condition and something needs to be done about it.
The latest report comes on the heels of a survey conducted last month by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found widespread concern about quality of patient care and discontent in the ranks of hospital nurses and have identified alarming trends that bode ill for a quick resolution to the current nurse shortage.
The study documented widespread nurse dissatisfaction and growing concern for patient well being in the survey of 43,329 registered nurses in 711 hospitals in five countries. Fundamental problems with management of care in hospitals and working conditions for nurses are international in scope and may contribute to medical errors and other undesirable consequences for patients, concluded the investigators.
The AFSCME survey, conducted last month during an annual conference of AFSCME nurses, asked respondents to indicate which issues have a negative impact on the quality of their work experience. Nurses attending the conference ranked inadequate staffing as their number one concern. AFSCME nurses report that they are increasingly concerned that an insufficient nursing pool is jeopardizing the quality of care that patients receive. Not only are there not enough nurses to do what needs to be done on any given shift, but also the nurses who are on duty are fatigued and stressed.
"Our nurses have said over and over again that they are weary and in some cases, ready to give up," said Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.3 million-member AFSCME. "As National Nurses Week draws to a close, we urge the nation's health care industry to recognize and compensate their most precious commodity. Our nurses are the glue that holds the health care industry together."
"Nurses report they are unable to provide quality of care consistent with professional standards in today's hospitals," said Linda Aiken, Ph.D., RN, University of Pennsylvania professor of nursing and sociology. "Hospital executives should take a hard look at management practices and move away from quick fixes."
Among the recommendations AFSCME makes to hospitals and other health care employers are to:
- Eliminate mandatory overtime
- Involve nurses in staffing decisions
- Consider flexible work schedules
- Respect nurses as the professionals they are.
- Give nurses a say in patient care decisions
- Reward experience and longevity with appropriate compensation
- Consider nurses a valuable member of the health care team
AFSCME represents over 50,000 nurses who work in a variety of health care settings across the country.
