Safe Staffing

The Fight for Safe Staffing

To see the 2009 staffing plan for your hospital and unit, click here.

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Since its inception, the UNAP has fought to ensure safe staffing to protect our patients and our members.

Safe staffing means many things.

Safe staffing means manageable workloads that enable health professionals to give their patients the time and attention they need and deserve.

Safe staffing means hours and shifts that do not put caregivers and patients at risk of medical errors resulting from fatigue.

Safe staffing means protection from mandatory overtime.

Safe staffing means having the necessary equipment to protect health care workers and patients from injuries and accidents.

The UNAP fights for safe staffing in many ways.

The UNAP fights for safe staffing in the workplace by:

- establishing staffing ratios
- serving on patient care committees
- limiting mandatory overtime
- creating incentives for voluntary overtime
- developing on-call programs
- setting limits on shift rotation
- addressing unsafe situations
- promoting the use of safe patient handling equipment
- precepting new graduates
- providing continuing education for experienced staff

The UNAP fights for safe staffing through legislation and regulation by:

- researching, writing, and successfully lobbying for passage of Safe Patient Handling legislation
- researching, writing, and successfully lobbying for passage of Hospital Staffing Disclosure legislation
- advocating for the establishment of minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios
- lobbying for legislation to outlaw mandatory overtime except in true emergencies
- seving on numerous patient safety committees at the RI Department of Health
- advocating for appropriate licensure and continuing education requirements for health professionals

The UNAP is currently working on the following legislative issues:

Mandatory overtime - This bill was passed into law in 2007!