AWHONN supports and champions nurses taking a stand to ensure safe, effective care for their patients through adequate staffing ratios. Understaffed nursing units create a dangerous environment for patients and do not allow nurses to provide the care patients need for the best outcomes.
“AWHONN has developed staffing standards for registered nurse staffing in perinatal units to ensure that adequate staffing is budgeted for and resourced by health care leaders. We also set legislative priorities that include nursing staff retention and reduced student loan burden, including more access to aid and decreased tuition for student nurses to increase the nursing pipeline so safe staffing is easier to achieve,” said AWHONN President Sandra K. Cesario, PhD, MS, RNC, FAAN.
Additionally, AWHONN’s legislative priorities include opposing legislation and regulations to limit the compensation of nurses. Efforts to adequately staff hospitals should focus on meeting market pay necessary to attract and retain qualified staff, including a qualified nursing workforce.
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