Registered nurses held a rally outside UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles May 29 to protest scheduling practice changes for float pool nurses, which could result in as many as 200 nurse resignations.
The scheduling change would limit the flexibility that float pool nurses had to to seek days off and to sign up for their required shifts, which allowed units to have safe staffing coverage, according to a May 29 California Nurses Association news release shared with Becker's.
"Now, management is seeking to limit the flexibility by compelling per diem nurses to sign up under strict rules that will limit how per diems help with short staffing and insisting nurses adhere to a rigid new scheduling practice that will have a tremendous impact on safe staffing coverage," the release said.
The suggested scheduling changes would result in less scheduling flexibility for the nurses, which could lead to as many as 200 nurses resigning from UCLA Health, according to the union.
During a May 14 staff meeting, UCLA Health float pool nurses were told if they quit, replacements would be hired, the release said.
"UCLA Health strategically recruits, trains and flexibly deploys nurses consistent with our overriding priority of providing safe, high-quality patient care and in compliance with state-mandated staffing ratios," a spokesperson for UCLA Health said in a statement shared with Becker's. "We value the commitment, compassion and skill of our nurses and are confident in the details of our staffing program."