The nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are also committed to a vision of excellent care for patients and families. We always have been. In fact, if you talk to some of us you might think we invented the concept and, actually, we did. But the corporate monster of market-driven health care continues to attack the vision for safe delivery of excellent care. Is the profit in the term “non-profit” being reinvested in the vision for safe delivery of care or is it being reinvested in corporate business plans to own all of New England health care? Our vision and the investment in our NURSING PRACTICE are consistently threatened by those who refuse to challenge the status quo.

Can the expectation for the delivery of care in a safe and supportive environment be realized with lower staffing ratios in any of our units? Can introducing more paperwork (13-page assessment forms) increase the actual time we have to deliver this care when staff members already have trouble getting to a lunch break or even to the bathroom? Can the delivery of excellent care be provided when the Nurse Manager uses interrogation and intimidation tactics with staff or NICs to change a 1:1 ratio to a 1:2, forcing bedside nurses into unsafe assignments?

Your union is aware of these ongoing issues and they have been addressed during the Nursing LIFELINES We Have a Vision Too! Advisory meetings. We still have a vision too. Remember, if you determine your assignment to be unsafe go to your NIC, Nurse Manager or off-shift supervisor with your concerns. If you are not satisfied with the response the next step is to utilize the staffing concern report. The staffing concern reports are made available for the unit by the Nurse Manager. Please continue to fill them out on your shift, within thirty days of the concern. Have them signed by other nurses present as they are affected as well.

When bad assignments are made and good nurses accept those bad assignments, beware! The hospital is never going to stand behind your error in judgment or mistake, but they are going to do everything they can to make you take the assignment. After all, they have a business to run. If this is happening to you and your colleagues, go to your nurse manager and explain the specifics of the situation. She/he should speak to the manager of the unit in which this is occurring. And please be sure to use the unsafe staffing forms as well as another way of communicating your concerns.

		Our vision is that our nursing practice be supported, protected and implemented in the professional and safe environment that the BWH nurse thrives in. Our vision is that every patient receives nursing care that is nursing driven within a collaborative interdisciplinary environment that supports a holistic focus. Our vision is to deliver nursing care unencumbered by system failures that neglectfully impede the expedient delivery of patient care. Our vision is an institution that supports the professional practice of nursing at the bedside. Our vision is Nurse Managers who respect themselves as nursing professionals and reflect this through a mutual respect of their staff. Our vision is to have Nurse Managers who invite bedside nurses to communicate their concerns and challenges and provide appropriate and supportive feedback and follow-up to these concerns. Our vision is that Nurse Managers are supported by an administration committed to providing the appropriate tools to support a nursing staff committed to safe and excellent patient care. Our vision is to provide the highest level of compassionate nursing care guided by our professional code of standards and code of ethics. Our vision is to always have enough nurses to enable this vision.