County Nurses Meeting

Every May, social media timelines flood with pictures and warm wishes for nurses, those invaluable medical professionals who often stand on the front line of health and wellness for people from all walks of life. It’s easy to join in the chorus of people appreciating nurses during that week in May when we celebrate them, but what about when the nation’s attention turns away? For the nurses on the front line, their work doesn’t stop. Neither does the work of unions who work daily to ensure members who are nurses have the best possible work conditions and resources to do their job and serve members of their community.

In that spirit, members of AFT-Maryland and AFSCME Council 67 brought together county nurses to meet to assess the needs of nurses who work for county governments. Baltimore County Federation of Public Health Nurses (BCFPHN) President Karen Pilecki noticed there was a problem with insufficient training of nurses in Baltimore county. Due the great solidarity among public sector unions, AFT-Maryland and AFSCME Council 67 realized they had similar problems. The meeting was a fruit of that labor. “We don’t get the real training, we get a fact sheet,” an AFSCME member said referring to nurses in Baltimore city, demonstrating the problems in the city.

Baltimore county hasn’t necessarily fared any better. A BCFPHN member reports that nurses there are not being sufficiently trained. In one instance, a member was asked to train their supervisor. Another instance saw a nurse who was written up for a policy that didn’t even exist. A unanimous desire from all members in attendance (there were members who work for Baltimore city, Baltimore and Prince George’s counties) was uniform standards for county nurses throughout the state. A suggestion that would help increase staffing and retention of nurses would be continuing education units (CEUs). In addition, nurses welcomed uniform application across counties of the Joint Commission: Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Members should be encouraged by the conclusions and recommendations coming out of this meeting. The legislative representatives from the unions heard directly from members what was needed so the nurses can be best equipped to deliver high quality service to the residents that citizens deserve.

For more photos, visit AFT-Maryland's Facebook page.

2018-07-25