We Need Better Staffing

Keep Filing ADOs

Please continue filing an ADO whenever the staffing plan is not met, you missed a meal or rest break, break buddies are used, or available help is denied. Please also file when unsafe situations occur and when a Charge RN takes patients! Include as much detail as possible! The amount of ADOs that go unresolved makes a difference! 

Please file ADOs when your unit utilizes the Break Buddy system. Even if it means every shift. If you didn’t document, it didn’t happen. 

The Break Buddy system is against the SB 5236 the Nurse Staffing law. 

RCW 70.21.420(7)(b): Out of compliance means the number of patients assigned to the nursing staff exceeds the patient care unit as directed by the nurse staffing plan.  

Example: 2B staffing plan states with 17 patients, the unit must be staffed with 5 RNs. When RNs go into the meal and rest break period via the break buddy system, 2B is NONCOMPLIANT because there are less RNs on the floor as per the minimum staffing plan. The number of RNs drop during the shift which is against the staffing plan. The unit MUST always be staffed with 5 RNs on the floor THROUGHOUT the SHIFT. This is the same for the number of CNAs. 

File an ADO at www.wsna.org/ado

UW Northwest Staffing Plan (Start page 545): https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/hospital-policies/UWMedicalCenterNS.pdf

Hospital Staffing Committee RCW 70.21.420: https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70.41.420

Meal and Rest Breaks

• You are required by Washington state law and UW Medicine Policy to take a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes when you work 12 hours. 
• Continue to clock out ANY MISSED break during your shift and file an ADO.
• Meal and rest break waivers are WHOLLY voluntary, and you can REVOKE all OR part of them at any time.
• If you revoke your waiver for the timing of your meal and rest breaks and you cannot get those breaks during legally allotted time, you may still clock out missed meal and rest breaks. By law, RCW 49.12, an employee who works more than 5 hours must get a meal period break.
• Many UW Northwest RNs have revoked their Meal and Rest break waivers because they know how unsafe it is to leave their coworkers with 4-10 patients during their break. You should not receive pushback for revoking your waiver.

Washington State Law (RCW 49.12.480) https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=49.12.480

UW Meal and Rest Period Policy https://hr.uw.edu/policies/meal-periods-and-rest-periods/

L&I Wage & Hour Complaint: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/wagecomplaint/#/

Staffing Compliance

UW Northwest is gaining more information whenever a unit goes under the approved staffing grid, even for a short while. UW must maintain compliance throughout each shift and report any time units are below the staffing plan. Well, they haven’t because they only take one snapshot of units' staffing plans at 0800/2000.

When a hospital is out of compliance for more than 6 days a month, we will report it to DOH. This can lead to continuous fines for the UW. 

Please see the below compliance flier; it has a QR code to report this information that we will be filing. This information is not shared with the employer.

The flyer is also posted on your local unit web page.

If you want to send your own complaint to DOH for staffing violations, patient safety concerns, or harm events:

https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/FileComplaintAboutProviderorFacility/FacilityComplaintProcess#heading25859

We need the following information:

• Date
• Shift (Day or Night)
• Unit
• Planned Number of Patients per Staffing grid
• Actual number of patients on unit
• Planned Number of RNs per staffing gird
• Actual number of patients per shift
• Planned Number of PCTs per staffing grid
• Actual number of PCTS per shift
• Planned Number of Charge RN per shift
• Actual number of Charge RN per shift
• Description of events (Extracted from your ADO)

UW Leadership DOES NOT believe we need an increase in baseline staffing and proper break relief. For us to get what we rightfully deserve by law and what we experience every shift, we must all DO THE WORK and make UW Northwest ACCOUNTABLE for their LACK of support.  

In Solidarity,
Your WSNA UWMC NW Officers

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Stephenie Troftgruben at stroftgruben@wsna.org.