Contact:

Ann Kettering Sincox, MNA
517.349.5640, ext. 242 or (cell) 517.256.2312
ann.sincox@minurses.org

March 13, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pfeifer-Twite testifies before House committee

Amy Pfeiffer-Twite, RN (far right) testifies about the nursing shortage before the House Health Policy Committee. Pictured with her (l to r) are: Representative Lisa Wojno; Ken Fletcher, Director of Government Affairs, Michigan Nurses Association; and Diane Goddeeris, RN, President, Michigan Nurses Association.

Lansing, MI – Alpena Regional Medical Center nurse Amy Pfeifer-Twite, RN, provided testimony yesterday on issues facing the nursing profession as part of a special Michigan House of Representatives Health Policy Committee meeting. The meeting was held to hear the report and recommendations of the Health Policy Committee’s Nursing Shortage Subcommittee.

Pfeifer-Twite began her testimony by reading a list of some of the physical requirements to be a registered nurse. “Stand and walk, 6 to 8 hours. Bend, lift, carry, push, and pull. Lift up to 50 pounds frequently. Work under stressful conditions with irregular hours, including shifts up to 16 hours. Be exposed to body fluids, communicable diseases, toxic substances, ionizing radiation, etc. Experience occasional exposure to combative and/or abusive patients or family members.”

“Who would want that job?”, Pfeifer-Twite exclaimed to the Committee members. “You have to be truly committed to your patients. That’s why we go into nursing. But to effectively put an end to the nursing shortage, you can’t just look at recruitment. You have to make a significant difference in the workplace as well.” As an example, Pfeifer-Twite explained that at ARMC, restructuring has been talked about but, “I have yet to see any details. We need more resources at the clinical levels but they have yet to appear.” The ARMC nurses are currently working without a contract and are attempting to develop contract language to address health and safety concerns, staffing issues, and benefits protection.

Pfeifer-Twite went on to explain that the issues facing nurses due to short staffing, mandatory overtime, and unhealthy workplace conditions are unacceptable for both patients and nurses. “The current workplace environment defaces and devalues both RNs and patients. With our time stretched between giving safe patient care, documentation, patient teaching, coordination of care with physicians and other duties, a floor nurse is only able to give a patient about 4 minutes of direct care per hour. Patients are sicker, they need more registered nursing care.”

“Nurses, due to their professional training and experience, have an intuition regarding our patients. We rely on that. If I can’t lay eyes on you due to working short staffed, there’s a possibility that I’m not going to be available to see problems develop.”

The Michigan Nurses Association is supporting passage of HB 4339 and S 63, the Safe Patient Care legislation. Both bills call for the elimination of mandatory overtime and minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.

“Be a part of our team,” Pfeifer-Twite encouraged the Committee members. “Take our issues forward!”   

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