Nurses at St. Mary's Medical Center say low staffing is jeopardizing patient care
Nurses ate St. Mary's Medical Center say they will rally to bring attention to staffing shortages on Monday. (Image courtesy: Google street view)
Nurses at St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco say they are going to protest on Monday because of staffing shortages.
The California Nurses Association says they want the public to know about the chronic shortage which they say is a danger to patients.
"Nurses at St. Mary’s are determined and committed to providing their patients with the highest quality of care, but we consistently do not get the support we need from CommonSpirit management to safely staff our units" said Amy Preble, a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. "This chronic understaffing means patients may not get care in a timely manner, which profoundly affects the overall safety of the unit.
According to the nurses, they have been working without support staff such as certified nursing assistants and sitters, who provide supervision for patients who are in vulnerable states.
"This means that nurses are not only doing their nursing duties, but taking on the duties of many other caregivers," said Tuiasosopo, a registered nurse."If a nurse is running from patient to patient without a chance to eat or recuperate throughout the day, that fatigue may compromise care."
The nurses say they will rally on Monday from 1:00 p.m. through 2:30 p.m. outside of St. Mary's Medical Center.