Nurses and healthcare professionals rally at the State Capitol to fix the shortage crisis
SACRAMENTO -- Hundreds of nurses and healthcare professionals rallied at the State Capitol on Tuesday morning in hopes of fixing what they are calling a "nursing shortage crisis".
They are calling for investment and legislative remedies to what is ailing the nursing industry.
More than 500 members of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) are holding a rally on the Capitol Mall and then making personal visits to elected representatives, where they will call for urgent intervention to save nursing in the state.
The union says the U.S. healthcare system will be short a million nurses by 2030 unless action is taken now.
Baby boom registered nurses would have hit retirement while nurses are quitting in record numbers due to burnout, exhaustion, and trauma. Meanwhile, available slots in nursing programs are far below the number of qualified applicants.
Nurses are asking the Governor and Legislature to invest half a billion dollars in the next five years to double the capacity of graduating new nurses at 77 community colleges.
They are also lobbying for other legislation to compel more clinical placements from hospitals, bring accountability to enforce nurse staffing ratios, and to create a high school-level Nursing 101 course with automatic admission toward an Associate Degree in Nursing at the nearest community college.
There is also a call to pass Assembly Bill 1063 to bring transparency, accountability, and RN input into the Department of Public Health's enforcement of nurse staffing ratios.
Lateefah Khabeer, a registered nurse, said, "Years ago like they did in the 80s. Start with young people, candy stripers, and letting them come in hospitals and programs to support them. Vocational so when they come in, they'll stay. If you don't have support, you're going to leave."
Another registered nurse, Jenny Wong-Swanson, also said, "We try to help each other. We work as a team - often you really feel torn as to I can't be here and there at the same time."
The union says the number of graduating nurses in California needs to increase 60% immediately.