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November 5, 1998
Community and hospital stewards must ask their managers how many more regular nurses are required to deliver proper care
The information forthcoming from employers is incomplete
The information employers have given us about the number of overtime hours being worked by nurses is not complete. There is no information for community nurses about overtime or casual hours, and information about acute care is spotty.
This was the data the Nurses' Bargaining Association was promised last Friday night, as part of the bargaining breakthrough that led to the lifting of the overtime ban.
We know that we need an additional 880 FTEs in long term care to achieve the ratio s we are seeking of 25 patients to 1 RN on day shift, 30 to 1 on evening shift and 50 to 1 at night.
But for the community and for acute care we need more information to properly frame our workload proposals.
In the community we need all stewards to approach their managers to determine how many more regular nurses they would need to properly serve their patient communities, so nurses aren't forced to turn patients away when they need service.
In acute care we need all stewards to approach their managers to inquire how many more regular RN positions are needed to provide adequate care in all areas of nursing and al areas of the province.
This information is critical for our bargaining. Meanwhile, the Nurses Bargaining Association is continuing to probe for the information with HEABC and the Ministry of Health. But without the information that our stewards can obtain from their managers at their worksites, we will not have a complete picture of how many more nurses are required.
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