GILROY
– Saint Louise Regional Hospital is struggling to comply with a
new state law requiring more nurses to be on duty.
They’re not alone. Officials at Saint Louise join numerous other
California hospitals in expressing concern over the new
nurse-to-patient ratios that went into effect Jan. 1.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – Saint Louise Regional Hospital is struggling to comply with a new state law requiring more nurses to be on duty.
They’re not alone. Officials at Saint Louise join numerous other California hospitals in expressing concern over the new nurse-to-patient ratios that went into effect Jan. 1.
“We are challenged on a daily basis to meet the new ratios,” said Vivian Smith, public information officer for the hospital.
Saint Louise’s struggles to fulfill minimum staffing levels resemble those seen across the state due to a nationwide nursing shortage, Smith said.
“There is simply a shortage of nurses and not enough nurses to meet the mandated ratios at all times, due to the fact that we are the only acute care hospital within a 30-mile radius, the unpredictable patient census, and the availability of staff,” Smith said.
The ratios, sought for 12 years by the California Nurses Association, a 55,000-nurse union, are the first such standards in the country.
Donna Fischer, a Registered Nurse in Saint Louise’s intensive care unit, said that fewer patients per nurse means better care.
“You can focus on the patients and not be putting out fires every few seconds,” she said.
Since the start of the new year, nurses in other departments at Saint Louise that are experiencing lower nurse-to-patient ratios for the first time are finding their jobs less stressful, Fischer said.
The Safe Staffing Law was signed by then-Gov. Gray Davis in 1999 and finalized last year.
The minimum number of nurses on duty varies by department, but nurses may not attend more than eight patients at a time. In the intensive care and critical care units, for example, one nurse may have a maximum of two patients. Nurses in the medical/surgical unit of California hospitals may have up to six patients and those in emergency rooms may attend no more than four.
Before the ratios were approved, California hospitals had minimum staffing requirements for nurses in specialized units, such as intensive care, and the number of nurses in other units varied depending on the number of patients and the level of care they required.
The implementation of the higher staffing levels at Saint Louise last week was a smooth one due to adequate preparation, Fischer said.
“This particular hospital, the administration has been on board gearing up for this all along, and they’ve been prepared,” she said.
California hospitals largely resisted the ratios, even filing an 11th-hour lawsuit against the state Department of Health Services last week. The California Healthcare Association’s lawsuit, which representatives say is not intended to delay implementation of the law, takes issue with the state’s view that, because the ratios apply “at all times,” additional nurses are required to fill in for a nurse who is away from patients, even for a bathroom break.
A hospital in compliance with the ratios could be violating the law when a nurse goes on break or if more patients than expected show up needing care.
“We cannot predict what the census will be during any given shift,” Smith said.
Although some hospitals have warned that patient services may suffer if they cannot comply with the ratios, Smith said no such risk exists at Saint Louise.
“No, not at this time. We can predict longer waits for services, particularly in the emergency room,” Smith said.
California Nurses Association representatives said that hospitals proactive in preparing to meet the new staffing requirements have maintained the state-mandated ratios over the past week.
Saint Louise currently employs 100 nurses and has a vacancy rate of 11 percent, Smith said. Hospitals in California generally have a 15 percent vacancy rate.
“The hospital has focused on recruitment and retention of nurses since the nursing shortage,” Smith said. “We have hired and trained new grads as well as experienced nurses.”
