CHRISTUS St. Vincent Medical Center in Sante Fe, N.M., has proposed several nurse staffing changes that nurses said could lead to "significant" increases in their workloads, according to an Albuquerque Journal report.
Hospital administrators proposed increasing the patient load of nursing aides, decreasing the number of secretaries to floors and reducing nursing hours, according to the report. Hospital officials said they hope to deal with the staffing changes through attrition rather than layoffs.
A formal plan for the staffing changes is expected to be presented and implemented by February. Nurses at CHRISTUS St. Vincent have expressed opposition to the possible changes.
"The nurse-patient ratio would be the same, but they're pulling out the rug from underneath us [by removing support workers]," Sharon Argenbright, vice president of Local 1199, said in the report.
Hospital administrators proposed increasing the patient load of nursing aides, decreasing the number of secretaries to floors and reducing nursing hours, according to the report. Hospital officials said they hope to deal with the staffing changes through attrition rather than layoffs.
A formal plan for the staffing changes is expected to be presented and implemented by February. Nurses at CHRISTUS St. Vincent have expressed opposition to the possible changes.
"The nurse-patient ratio would be the same, but they're pulling out the rug from underneath us [by removing support workers]," Sharon Argenbright, vice president of Local 1199, said in the report.
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