A growing body of research shows that the care provided
by registered nurses has a direct impact on quality of hospital care and patient
safety. An aging population, advances in technology and declining lengths of stay
have steadily increased patient acuity in hospitals.
Nursing care requires continuous patient assessment, critical thinking and expert
judgment, advocating on behalf of our patients, and educating patients and their
families. Those activities are the essence of nursing care and are critical factors
in avoiding preventable complications, injuries and avoidable deaths.
When staffing levels are too low, RNs are frequently forced to compromise the care
they give to their patients. Unsafe nurse staffing is a dangerous practice that
leads to medical errors, poorer patient outcomes and nursing injuries as well as
burnout. Ensuring safe nurse staffing has been a top priority for WSNA for the past
several years.
Safe Nurse Staffing Legislation
Years of advocacy and outreach paid off in 2008 with the passage of Safe Nurse Staffing
Legislation (House Bill 3123). Highlights of the law include:
- Each hospital, by September 2008, must establish a nurse staffing committee composed
at least half direct care nurses. This committee will develop, oversee and evaluate
a nurse staffing plan for each unit and shift of the hospital based on patient care
needs, appropriate skill mix of registered nurses and other nursing personnel, layout
of the unit, and national standards/recommendations on nurse staffing.
- If the staffing plan developed by the staffing committee is not adopted by the hospital,
the CEO must provide a written explanation of the reasons why to the committee.
- The staffing information must be posted in a public area and must include the nurse
staffing plan and the nurse staffing schedule, as well as the clinical staffing
relevant to that unit. It must be updated at least once every shift and made available
to patients and visitors upon request.
Find out more about the law and ongoing policy efforts on the 'About
the Law' page.
Resources for Staffing Committees
With the Safe Nurse Staffing Legislation in place, every hospital must now begin
the important and complex work of creating staffing committees and staffing plans.
The passage of legislation was just the beginning of this process. WSNA is committed
to providing ongoing support and resources so that the law can have the greatest
impact.
WSNA is providing free trainings for members across the state. For more resources
and information for nurses serving on staffing committees or interested in how the
committees work, visit our 'Tool Kit' page for sample committee
charters, staffing ratio grids, and more.
