Registered nurses at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa., rallied Wednesday over pay and staffing, The Times-Tribune reports.
The nurses, represented by Pennsylvania Association of Skilled Nurses and Allied Professionals, are in the midst of contract negotiations. During the rally, they advocated for higher pay and improved working conditions, according to the report.
Union Executive Director Bill Cruice specifically contended the hospital is understaffed and has trouble retaining workers, which has resulted in "crisis level" turnover rates, The Times-Tribune reports. Nurses also weighed in at the rally, saying they endure long hours without breaks and mandatory overtime, according to the article.
Angelo Venditti, RN, CNO for Geisinger Northeast, spoke out against mandatory, stringent nurse staffing ratiosin a recent op-ed he wrote in response to the union's claims.
"As a dedicated career nurse who is married to a dedicated career nurse, I can say from the front lines that overly simplified registered nurse-to-patient ratios are not the answer," he wrote. "On the contrary, mandated ratios — where enacted — have demonstrated a number of unintended consequences that impacted patient care in unplanned and negative ways, including unit closures, surgical cancellations and the elimination of ancillary support services and staff members."
He also said mandatory nurse staffing ratios do not take into account remote monitoring of patients, among other things.
Wednesday's rally follows multiple hiring announcements from Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System. Last September, the organization declared its intent to hire more than 1,500 physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses and support staff. Then in January, the system announced plans to hire more than 150 nurses in northeast Pennsylvania. Most recently, on the same day as the rally, the system announced plans to hire an additional 2,000 employees in 2017.
The hospital said it hopes it can reach a new agreement with the union soon.