PeaceHealth officials said the management change will improve patient safety by reducing work fatigue. The changes are expected to take effect by the end of January. In response, Washington State Nurses Association, representing more than 700 registered nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center, held a rally yesterday to protest the change.
The nurses argued hospital administration is implementing the new work shifts for financial reasons, not patient safety, and the hospital’s proposal to change shift lengths does not address the underlying problem of understaffing, which nurses have identified as a key safety concern.
Related Articles on Staffing Levels:
Westchester Medical Center Nurses in New York Declare Impasse
Workers at Regional Hospital of Scranton Ratify Contract
Cooley Dickinson Hospital Registered Nurses Picket for Second Time in Three Months
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
