Contract Negotiations to Resume as Nurses See Progress Made

The New York State Nurses Association has said that it has withdrawn its strike notice, citing the significant progress made in contract talks with Mount Sinai, Montefiore and New York-Presbyterian Hospital systems as the cause. Contract negotiations continue, as the union leadership moves to create changes that can result in safer staffing and better patient care.

Need for Staffing Ratios

Union members are convinced that safe staffing ratios are the key—the magic bullet—that’s needed to address and resolve more than 2,500 complaints or Protests of Assignments. The changes must be done to improve the quality of care that the patients receive.

Job Retention Boost

With not enough nurses to do the job, members of care teams are often called on to attend to a lot of patients, to the detriment of both patients and staff. Staff members are more likely to make mistakes. Burnout is a common result, which strains team resources further. Patients are also dissatisfied. Staffing ratios aim to change all that. By limiting the number of patients assigned to a nurse, work conditions are less stressful, allowing nurses to deliver quality care to patients. That leads to better patient satisfaction. It also helps improve retention rates. Improved workplace conditions can also go a long way to encourage more applicants to fill up nursing positions.

The Strike Can Continue

While the notice has been withdrawn, that does not mean the strike is completely off the table, though. There’s a need to develop a new contract agreement between the New York Hospital Alliance and the NYSNA. If both parties fail to come to an agreement, then there’s a huge possibility that the union will only declare a new strike date.

Staffing Solutions

With staffing challenges, recruitment firms continue to be an integral part of hospitals’ efforts to hire new employees and fill up vacancies. While staffing ratios seek to help fill the gap, it’s going to take some time before hospitals start enforcing the ratio. Companies that provide staffing solutions continue to serve the community by providing qualified applicants to fill in roles and meet speedy turnaround times.

Many resolve staffing problems for nursing assistant jobs by getting in touch with companies like Concentric Healthcare Staffing. By relying on recruiters, hospitals are able to achieve staffing at levels closer to their capacity.