It seems it must have been another era, many generations ago; but Florene Todd-Moore can remember a time when the list of nurses waiting to work at Cook County Hospital was long.
County officials admit a shortage but try to downplay its urgency. “There is a national shortage of nurses, it’s not just at County,” says Wanda Robertson, the hospital’s director of public affairs. “I don’t think it’s affecting the quality of health care. As for staff morale, that varies with people. One nurse might say, ‘Yes, morale is bad,’ another, ‘No.’ We try to do the best that we can.”
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Union officials say they have no plans to stage another protest. But the action left each side feeling a little bitter toward the other, and there is no solution in sight.
Every week, thousands of people wait as long as eight hours to see a nurse or doctor at County’s outpatient clinic. In 1988, according to the nurses’ union, there were 36,000 admissions at County, and the average number of days spent in the hospital was six.
The result, says Bennett, is that everywhere “the demand for nurses exceeds the supply.” At County there are currently 1,046 staff nursing positions budgeted, but only 915 (or 86 percent) are filled.
“Many hospitals are employing big hard-sell campaigns to hire nurses; some hospitals are offering thousands of dollars in bonus money to nurses who work weekends or nights,” says Peter. “Our salaries are competitive. And we offer work opportunities that no hospital in the country can match. But I have to admit that we can’t offer that big bonus money.”
“We’d like to have more staff nurses, but let’s face it, being a temporary nurse has its advantages,” says Peter. “They get paid more, for starters. And they have flexibility. When I was a staff nurse, I worked every other weekend and half the holidays for years. Temporaries can control their schedules. They are in a position to say, ‘Thank God it’s Friday.’”
