Legislation Would Establish Patient Nurse Standards

medical57-24
medical57-24

The Safe Patient Care Act, a bi-partisan bill in the state legislature, would require standards for how many patient nurses will be required to care for. Dawn Kettinger, Director of Government Affairs for The Michigan Nurses Association, says these standards are needed to make sure nurses are able to safely care for

“Standards for the number of patients nurses have to take care of and standards for how many working hours they can be ordered to work. So it is common sense that nurses shouldn’t have to take care of too many patients, nurses shouldn’t have to work unlimited hours beyond exhaustion.”

Kettinger says the Safe Patient Care Act has strong bipartisan support because it makes sense. She says it also makes sense that hospitals should be transparent about their nurse-patient staffing ratios. That bill is sponsored by Sturgis GOP State Rep. Aaron Miller.