Safe Staffing Poll reflects significant need for nurses

As a nurse, the obstacles you face on a daily basis increase the difficulty of your job regardless of the pressure for you to deliver quality patient care. You might feel many of these obstacles are unnecessary and unfair. If the sufficient amount of nurses were employed at your facility-- these obstacles might not even exist.

Have you ever wondered how staffing issues at your facility measure up to those around the country? Take a look at the results below from the American Nurses Association's Safe Staffing Poll that more than 10,000 nurses participated in. The findings emphasize the ongoing need for adequate staffing.

• 73% of nurses asked don't believe the staffing on their unit or shift is sufficient.
• 59.8% of those asked said they knew of someone who left direct care nursing due to concerns about safe staffing.
• 51.2% of nurses believe the quality of nursing care has declined in their unit over the past year.
• 48.2% would not feel confident having someone close to them receiving care in the facility where they work.
• 46% of nurses that were considering leaving their position associated it with inadequate staffing.
• 36% rarely or never take their full meal break.

Do these results surprise you?