[black small square] The new California law requiring safe nurse/patient ratios hasn't upgraded the quality of patient care at our hospital. True, the hospital reduced the patient load for night nurses from eight to six patients per nurse, but it also did away with certified nursing assistants (CNAs). On the day shift, the hospital cut back on CNAs to the point that each CNA covers 12 patients. Now RNs must help the CNAs with their duties throughout the shift. Before the law went into effect, the nurse/patient ratio was 1:6 on day shift and patients were getting excellent care. Now the RNs have an extra hour or so of CNA work, which takes away from patient care.

The hospital has also added eight new traveling nurses to the staff. This sounds great, but now the regular staff is being called off 1 or 2 days a week. We work 12-hour shifts, so this hurts. I'm not signing my name because I need my job!!