To Whom it May Concern,
Amidst the tumultuous climate at Swedish First Hill the last several months, I have witnessed a number of this institutions safe gaurds fall to the wayside. I took a pledge as a nurse to "Do all in my power to elevate the standards of my profession" and to be an "Advocate and a healer". I have found the working conditions at Swedish to test this pledge as we are daily faced with increased census and inadequate staff. Our nurses are hard pressed to get our legal breaks that are mandated by the Washington State department of labor and industry. We have failed to increase staff to meet the census needs and as a result are being forced to take on patient loads that are greater than our professions recommendations (AWHONN). We are now being forced into mandatory overtime with no notice, forcing us to have short rest between breaks working upwards of 16 hours in a row under these conditions. During these moments of crisis, we rarely have seen management come to the unit to help take assignments, and we have not gone under “Divert” or “Treat and Transfer” despite being surrounded by a myriad of institutions that have labor and delivery units. We continue to proceed with admitting patients for induction in the face of short staffing, and have not utilized seeking out agency nurses for short term relief. Because of these working conditions, we are losing staff and unable to hire and train staff quickly enough to replace our deficits. We are having an increasing number of sick calls. We are being intimidated against picking up on call shifts at time and a half if we decide to come in on a vacation days, per diem staff are being intimidated against picking up time and a half shifts when the unit has increased need. We know as nurses and as an institution that this is not sustainable practice and we call on our leaders to rapidly make change. It is our dedication that until change occurs, we will continue to complete safe staffing variance forms, complaints of unlawful necessary overtime forms, and violations of mandatory breaks.
Anticipating Reply,
Swedish First Hill OB Nurses
Updates
September 12, 2019
Reaching this level of visibility shows that people are finally starting to see the unsafe conditions inside our unit. I am exhausted from these shifts but seeing this level of public attention confirms that we are fighting for something necessary.
Reached 100 supporters
September 12, 2019
23 Comments
I completely agree with the unsafe staffing issues , I was here when mandatory nurses had to stay over , I was told that our CNO Christy Carrington was called to perhaps offer double time so those nurses could go home and we get fresh nurses to take care of our overwhelming amount of pts. Her answer was NO! And when people do stay over and work 16 hours and come back the next day they are told if it wasn’t mandatory that you stay you DO NOT get the first 4 hours of your shift paid at OT , I have been a nurse for 40 years and we always got the OT pay for retuning to work , who on your panel of 3 Is Backing this info??? PLEASE ANSWER
As a newer nurse with only 2 years on this unit I already feel like leaving due to the current working conditions. Repeatedly being overworked with unsafe ratios, and usually without mandated breaks. Half of the cohort I was hired with has already left. My mental and physical health has declined due to the sacrifices I have made at work solely for the love of my patients and colleagues. How many mothers, babies and families will we traumatize and risk their lives for before this changes? L&D isn't just about life and death, it's about the culture of the care we give in this country contributing to PTSD and PPMD. It is absolutely unacceptable and sickening. It's detrimental to our society. STOP IT.
I was one of the nurses who was mandated to work 16 hours, as well as come back to work at 7am the next day. I have an infant and toddler at home and am breastfeeding/pumping. What a cruel irony that I was forced to stay at work to help other moms and babies while sacrificing the needs of my own baby. I am outraged that it has come to this. Swedish is losing great nurses because of unsafe staffing. When will it end??
The working conditions at Swedish First Hill are getting very unsafe and we should not be put in a position by management of risking our licenses because Swedish/Providence wants to save a buck so it’s CEO can get his bonus. Show us you care about your employees by providing safe staffing. We don’t need your pizza, ice cream, or lanyards!!
I am a former First Hill L&D RN. I loved my co-workers and L&D, but I left because of unsafe and demoralizing working conditions. The management team at Swedish made me feel like a number instead of a human.
God bless the nursing staff at Swedish First Hill.
The Swedish labor nurses are some of the strongest, most hard working and brilliant people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. These nurses are a staple to the Seattle community, providing top notch care and compassion to those they serve. I implore Swedish to change the unhealthy, unsafe and unsustainable work environment they have created.
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To Whom it May Concern,
Amidst the tumultuous climate at Swedish First Hill the last several months, I have witnessed a number of this institutions safe gaurds fall to the wayside. I took a pledge as a nurse to "Do all in my power to elevate the standards of my profession" and to be an "Advocate and a healer". I have found the working conditions at Swedish to test this pledge as we are daily faced with increased census and inadequate staff. Our nurses are hard pressed to get our legal breaks that are mandated by the Washington State department of labor and industry. We have failed to increase staff to meet the census needs and as a result are being forced to take on patient loads that are greater than our professions recommendations (AWHONN). We are now being forced into mandatory overtime with no notice, forcing us to have short rest between breaks working upwards of 16 hours in a row under these conditions. During these moments of crisis, we rarely have seen management come to the unit to help take assignments, and we have not gone under “Divert” or “Treat and Transfer” despite being surrounded by a myriad of institutions that have labor and delivery units. We continue to proceed with admitting patients for induction in the face of short staffing, and have not utilized seeking out agency nurses for short term relief. Because of these working conditions, we are losing staff and unable to hire and train staff quickly enough to replace our deficits. We are having an increasing number of sick calls. We are being intimidated against picking up on call shifts at time and a half if we decide to come in on a vacation days, per diem staff are being intimidated against picking up time and a half shifts when the unit has increased need. We know as nurses and as an institution that this is not sustainable practice and we call on our leaders to rapidly make change. It is our dedication that until change occurs, we will continue to complete safe staffing variance forms, complaints of unlawful necessary overtime forms, and violations of mandatory breaks.
Anticipating Reply,
Swedish First Hill OB Nurses
Updates
September 12, 2019
Reaching this level of visibility shows that people are finally starting to see the unsafe conditions inside our unit. I am exhausted from these shifts but seeing this level of public attention confirms that we are fighting for something necessary.
Reached 100 supporters
September 12, 2019
23 Comments
To make things even more unsafe staff is being pulled from other swedish hospital in the area... Staff that has never been orientated to the hospital with the shortage.
I completely agree with the unsafe staffing issues , I was here when mandatory nurses had to stay over , I was told that our CNO Christy Carrington was called to perhaps offer double time so those nurses could go home and we get fresh nurses to take care of our overwhelming amount of pts. Her answer was NO! And when people do stay over and work 16 hours and come back the next day they are told if it wasn’t mandatory that you stay you DO NOT get the first 4 hours of your shift paid at OT , I have been a nurse for 40 years and we always got the OT pay for retuning to work , who on your panel of 3 Is Backing this info??? PLEASE ANSWER
As a newer nurse with only 2 years on this unit I already feel like leaving due to the current working conditions. Repeatedly being overworked with unsafe ratios, and usually without mandated breaks. Half of the cohort I was hired with has already left. My mental and physical health has declined due to the sacrifices I have made at work solely for the love of my patients and colleagues. How many mothers, babies and families will we traumatize and risk their lives for before this changes? L&D isn't just about life and death, it's about the culture of the care we give in this country contributing to PTSD and PPMD. It is absolutely unacceptable and sickening. It's detrimental to our society. STOP IT.
I was one of the nurses who was mandated to work 16 hours, as well as come back to work at 7am the next day. I have an infant and toddler at home and am breastfeeding/pumping. What a cruel irony that I was forced to stay at work to help other moms and babies while sacrificing the needs of my own baby. I am outraged that it has come to this. Swedish is losing great nurses because of unsafe staffing. When will it end??
The working conditions at Swedish First Hill are getting very unsafe and we should not be put in a position by management of risking our licenses because Swedish/Providence wants to save a buck so it’s CEO can get his bonus. Show us you care about your employees by providing safe staffing. We don’t need your pizza, ice cream, or lanyards!!
I am a former First Hill L&D RN. I loved my co-workers and L&D, but I left because of unsafe and demoralizing working conditions. The management team at Swedish made me feel like a number instead of a human.
God bless the nursing staff at Swedish First Hill.
The Swedish labor nurses are some of the strongest, most hard working and brilliant people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. These nurses are a staple to the Seattle community, providing top notch care and compassion to those they serve. I implore Swedish to change the unhealthy, unsafe and unsustainable work environment they have created.
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To make things even more unsafe staff is being pulled from other swedish hospital in the area... Staff that has never been orientated to the hospital with the shortage.