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MI hospital addresses staffing issues though union-management committee

Nurse Leader Weekly, September 10, 2004

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Addressing nurse-to-patient staffing ratios through a joint union-management committee has resulted in low turnover and vacancy rates for Sparrow Health Systems in Lansing, MI , according to the Detroit Free Press.

Although the state does not currently mandate nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, legislation introduced in the State Senate in April would eliminate mandatory overtime and establish minimum staffing levels for nurses at Michigan hospitals. In January, California became the first state in the country to set unit-specific nurse-to-patient ratios in its hospitals.

Sparrow created a Mutual Gains Committee in 1994 as the result of contract negotiations between nurses and management. The committee meets at least once a month to maintain communication during the contract years.

The organization's current contract covers 1,800 nurses. It includes specific language dictating staffing levels, which are expressed in "nursing hours per patient day" and account for not only the volume of patients but also their acuity.

"We consider that more accurate than nurse-patient ratios," said Elizabeth Henry, a registered nurse and senior vice president of patient care services at Sparrow who was quoted in the Free Press story. Staff is adjusted shift by shift. The contract uses national benchmarks to establish minimums, but Henry said if any unit demonstrates a need for more nurses, it can ask for a committee review. The contract mandates the reviews be taken up and responded to within a specified timeframe.

Sparrow's contract with its nurses also addresses floating. It establishes that a permanent pool of nurses who choose to float can move among units with similar competencies.

The cooperative approach has been a win for both sides, Henry said. Sparrow's turnover among nurses is low, and its 3% nurse vacancy rate is well below the 14% national average for hospitals.

Source: Detroit Free Press, August 20, 2004

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