As a nurse, I was offended by the News Tribune's editorial on the proposed Standards of Care Act and the assertion that support for the act is a "power grab" by the Minnesota Nurses Association (Our View: "Steer state clear of nursing mandates," March 7"). The editorial reasoned that more overall nurses would increase membership in the union and increase union revenue.
I noticed the editorial didn't quote bedside nurses, who have nothing to gain monetarily from this bill. The newspaper seemed to speak only with hospital administrators who have little direct contact with patients and whose main priority is their bottom line. Who would know better about how many patients a nurse can safely care for than the nurses actually doing the caring?
We nurses care deeply about our patients and their families, and we feel an incredible amount of distress when we are unable to provide good care because we are stretched too thin. If the News Tribune had spoken to bedside nurses, it would have found a great number of us in support of this bill even though we have no coffers to fill from its passing. Our only motivation is quality care and the safety of patients.
Also, the newspaper evidently has no understanding of nursing practices if it thinks an obstetrics nurse could safely care for a trauma victim in the emergency room. Nurses in larger hospitals are highly specialized; we cannot float to areas where we have no experience with safely caring for patients. Maternity nurses taking care of traumas? Ridiculous!
Finally, staffing levels are the government's concern because they are a public-health issue. Let's not forget our private business involves people's health and oftentimes their lives. I hope Minnesotans take a look at this bill. Who wouldn't want to ensure their sick loved ones are getting the attention and care they deserve?
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Kathy Meyer
Duluth
