Providence Alaska nurses push back on virtual nursing

Nurses at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage raised concerns over the implementation of virtual nursing, arguing that the change could jeopardize patient safety, Anchorage Daily News reported Oct. 31.

In October, Providence Alaska Medical Center launched a virtual nursing program in two patient care areas, assigning virtual nurses to manage tasks such as discharge planning, medication management and patient education. The hospital cited this initiative as a response to the registered nurse staffing shortage. 

However, a group of Providence nurses argues that virtual nursing will exacerbate the issue, increasing the patient-to-nurse ratio for bedside nurses and pushing an already-stretched staff beyond safe limits. "The work it takes to care for our assigned four patients on this unit amounts to hundreds of tasks a day," Madison Eckhart, a nurse in the hospital's progressive care unit, said at a rally near Providence.

The rally attracted around 65 nurses and several elected officials who gathered to protest the change. Additionally, the nurses' union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in response to the virtual nursing roll out.

A Providence spokesperson told Becker's that, given the nursing shortage, the organization had to be innovative and utilize all resources to provide the best, safest care possible for patients. The spokesperson cited a study by the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, which found that Alaska is projected to lead the nation in nursing vacancies — with 23% of openings unfilled — by 2030. 

"Co-caring and the move to a team-based model of care is one way to help address the current and looming healthcare worker shortage, especially with registered nurses," the Providence spokesperson said. "It is important to note that co-caring is a change from primary nursing — one bedside nurse taking care of multiple patients — to a team-based care model, which includes a bedside nurse, a virtual nurse and a patient care technician or certified nursing assistant." 

The spokesperson said that this team-based approach reduces the workload for each patient, resulting in an overall increase in the ratio of care team members to patients.

"Providence Alaska Medical Center has offered the opportunity to negotiate the impacts of this change. The parties have already met twice to discuss this topic specifically, and Providence anticipates further meetings," the spokesperson said. "In fact, Providence implemented some of the union members' suggestions from these meetings. We are disappointed that the association has chosen this path instead of continuing negotiations."

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