Minnesota Nurses Association backs staffing ratio bill

MINNESOTA (KVRR) — The Minnesota Nurses Association says a bill to require a minimum staffing number of nurses in a hospital would help stave off the waves of nurses leaving the profession.

The Keep Nurses at the Bedside Act would set minimum nurse to patient ratios across the state.

The MNA says the current ratios aren’t safe and put patients at risk.

They say the stress, worry and overwork of too few nurses is part of what’s driving the remaining nurses away.

“It’s a significant concern for me, it’s a significant concern for my wife who is also a nurse, it’s a significant concern for our friends and colleagues in the field,” said Chris Rubesch, the First Vice President of the Minnesota Nurses Association.

The Minnesota Hospital Association opposes the bill saying that it’s already hard to staff properly given our current nursing shortage.

The union disagrees, saying the state has a lot of licensed nurses who no longer work in the profession.

They say these new ratios would give them the sense of security they’d need to return to the profession.