The real (as opposed to symbolic) battle lines have been drawn. Twin Cities nurses, who recently voted to walk out for 1 day last week in a show of mutual support for changes in staffing conditions on the premise of improving patient care, will again vote next Monday to walk out indefinitely. The one-day strike led to the conclusion that the hospitals were essentially operating in the black and weathering the recession against short-term losses to reap longer-term gains. Nursing contends that their employers — represented by 14 metro area hospitals — are just sitting on profits as patient care suffers at current oppressive staffing ratios and less than desirable pay conditions.
The ball has always been the nurses’ court. Now they must act. But do they have the full support of its collective?
The prospect of an open-ended strike had already ignited a debate on the [Minn. Nurses Association]‘s Facebook page late Monday. One post called for nurses to “march on,” while another cautioned against becoming “sheep to be led to the slaughter.”
Will the sixty-six percent yea vote needed to effect a new date for an indefinite walkout occur? We’ll see. For every day until that vote takes place, the mega union must convince patients — well, more like the public — that what they are proposing is in the best interest of the community, the patients, and most importantly — the overall state of healthcare as a bastion of quality performed in a cost-effective manner. | LINK
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Originating from Saint Paul, Minnesota, [doctorpundit.com] is a weblog about the policy of healthcare and where it intersects with politics and public opinion; it is edited by Michael Douglas, MD, MBA. Welcome, and please consider my take on what is Healthcare 2.0, complemented by a few of my thoughts on my personal avocations and guilty pleasures: music, prose, and writing. Follow Doctor Pundit via RSS above.
North, GA #hospital job for Physical Therapist #jobs on 2/7 - @careerbarn Details http://t.co/wORGjzp9
RT @RichmondDoc: In the absence of #MDChat, should you be interested: @NPALive is covering a health policy conference call with Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel.
Grant Will Aid Hunterdon Medical Center for Community Needs Program http://t.co/FliewVHM #hitc #hcsm
RT @HealthIsSocial: RT @farristimimi: Psychologists Debate Social Media's Role in Suicide Interventions
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DOCTOR PUNDIT @ ONE YEAR | An occasional DP series from 2010 highlighting healthcare policy trends over the period from 2009-2010 in a compare/contrast format.
