Legislature(2009 - 2010)BUTROVICH 205
03/25/2009 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB139 | |
| SB12 | |
| SB101 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 101 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 139 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 12 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 12-LIMIT OVERTIME FOR REGISTERED NURSES
2:22:56 PM
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SB 12. She said this bill
had come before them previously and a couple of changes had been
made since then. The committee also had a couple of amendments
to ponder.
CHAIR DAVIS said she would like someone from the Nurses
Associate to tell her if they want them. One has to do with a
program that is like the Baylor Plan and that language was in
last year's bill.
2:25:22 PM
MARK HICKEY, Alaska Nurses Association, said the exemption that
was in the bill last year has been referred to as the Baylor
Plan although it really isn't. It allows weekend back-to-back
eight-hour shifts followed by an eight-hour break and an
additional 16-hour shift at residential psychiatric treatment
centers. They are still looking for a solution to the present
language which they don't support.
The reason it was added last year is that the nature of the care
at this facility was different than an acute care 24-hour
facility. Their concern was about nurses being overly tired and
possibly making mistakes. He suggested to the sponsor that the
bill start out without this language while the issue was
researched. A compromise provision already allows hospitals to
get up to 14 hours of consecutive work to come up with adequate
staff and balance that with not having nurses' excessive numbers
of hours without adequate rest. However, he repeated the Nurse's
Association does not support the amended language today.
CHAIR DAVIS asked if he was saying is that the bill is fine in
its present form.
MR. HICKEY replied yes.
2:28:48 PM
CHAIR DAVIS asked Senator Dyson if he would have a problem
moving this bill, and he indicated no.
2:29:13 PM
RYAN SMITH, CEO, Central Peninsula Hospital, Soldotna, AK,
supplemented the ASHNHA data saying that nurses at their
hospital worked approximately 14,000 shifts last year and 44 of
them were greater than 14 hours; 21 of the 44 were 14.25 hours;
so about 23 out of 14,000 shifts were over 14 hours. He said he
was unaware of any Alaska studies that show mandatory overtime
is causing any patient safety problems. His hospital does not
use on-call and mandatory overtime to supplement a nursing
shortage. In fact, the Peninsula doesn't actually have a nursing
shortage, because they make a significant contribution to the
UAA Kenai Peninsula College Nursing Program to help subsidize an
instructor position that has hired approximately 50 nurses from
the prior two graduating classes.
This bill also creates another mandatory reporting requirement
which will raise operating costs for both them and the state. As
a participant of the Health Care Commission, they have taken an
interest in lowering the cost of health care. And, finally, he
said they are currently in contract negotiations with their RNs
and have always been able to negotiate shift issues with their
nurses.
2:32:45 PM
TAMMY McCUTCHEON, Human Resources Director, Alaska Regional
Hospital, said they have a "weekend flex program" that allows
nurses in certain areas of the hospital to work two shifts per
week and receive payment as well as benefits as a full-time
employee. The current language would limit those nurses' ability
to be with their families during the week. They also they hire a
lot of snowbirds who enjoy being able to work and make a living
when they come to Alaska.
2:34:08 PM
SENATOR DYSON asked how many hours the nurses work on the
weekend to be considered full time.
MS. MCCUTCHEON replied that they work two 12-hour shifts with 12
hours between them.
2:35:01 PM
BRANDY PROCTOR, Registered Nurse (RN), North Star Behavioral
Health, supported continuing the Baylor plan at their hospitals
throughout the state. They allow two consecutive 16-hour shifts
on Saturday and Sunday only. North Star doesn't have mandatory
overtime and she chooses to work the 16 hour shifts voluntarily.
If she were to feel impaired for any reason, she could ask to be
relieved. It works for her because she can stay home during the
week and be with her family - which decreases her child care
costs as a side benefit.
TRACY CURLEE, Registered Nurse (RN), North Star Hospital, said
she works the same modified Baylor plan with two 16-hour shifts
on the weekend and an 8-hour break in-between. Without this
shift opportunity she couldn't finish her education. Also, she
said North Star has a very unstable and sometimes very acute
population and during the week they have school and other
activities that bring them off the unit. But on the weekends
most of their time is spent "on unit" it helps them to have one
RN available during their waking hours - which is for their
safety.
2:37:51 PM
DIEDRA JOSEPH, Registered Nurse (RN), North Star Hospital, said
she also works the 16-hour "Baylor Plan" on Friday/Saturday. She
was a nursing student when she started working this shift and
this schedule helped her finish school. Now it helps her because
she can pick up another job during the week which helps her to
pay for debt incurred due to moving her family after Hurricane
Katrina. It provides opportunities and options for nurses, she
said, and she didn't feel that the patients were at risk as a
result of this plan.
2:39:52 PM
LEVI WASHINGTON, RN Manager, North Star Hospital, said they have
not incurred any issues related to the nurses on the Baylor
Plan, and he felt it actually enhanced the quality of care. It
provides continuity to the kids in the plan. They are always
tracking patient safety. It also allows him the time to be a
great dad to his kids.
MR. WASHINGTON said he thinks there is a genetic factor that
makes it possible for some people to recover quickly enough to
work these shifts. It doesn't work for everyone, but some people
can do it and do it well. He doesn't see how the language in
this bill addresses patient safety or the needs of the nurses.
He asked the committee to put the exemption language back in and
continue research to determine whether it is a problem.{
2:44:00 PM
ROBIN RICHARDSON, Director, Critical Care Services, Alaska
Regional Hospital, said their nurses don't have mandatory
overtime, but they have the weekend flex program (Baylor Plan)
with two 12-hour shifts on Fri/Sat or Sat/Sun. At least 50
percent of her critical care staff, whether on the Baylor plan
or not, also work at another facility. So she didn't feel nurses
would be any more tired because they worked Baylor versus other
shifts in other facilities. She has had no increase in reports
of errors during the year they have had the Baylor plan and it
has hugely benefited the nurses. It has also helped to bring
nurses up from the Lower 48 to Alaska.
2:46:36 PM
CHAIR DAVIS recognized that Senator Thomas arrived earlier.
SENATOR THOMAS asked how the 16-hour shifts work on weekends and
what the average hourly wage of a nurse is.
MS. CURLEE responded that those who work the 16-hour weekend
shifts do not work during the week at North Star. They work 32
hours on the weekend and are paid for 40 hours with full
benefits.
MS. RICHARDSON added that the Alaska Regional nurses work two
12-hour shifts and get paid for 36 hours with full benefits. The
average wage is based on years of experience.
SENATOR THOMAS asked what that the range of average wages is.
MS. RICHARDSON replied that at least two years of experience is
required to get into the ICU, so those nurses average $28 per
hour.
CHAIR DAVIS closed public testimony on SB 12.
2:50:34 PM
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report SB 12 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There
being no objection, the motion carried.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|