Does.ogrady Peyton Gets Money If A Nurse Signs On With Facility

Nurses staged a Veterans Day picket at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley to protest what they said is a new attendance policy that may require them to come into work while sick or face disciplinary action.

"Such policies also hurt nurses' long-term ability to provide high-quality patient care by making it even more difficult to recruit and retain experienced nurses at St. Mary," the California Nurses Association said Thursday.

The new policy prohibits unauthorized tardiness or absences, according to Providence, which operates the hospital. The nonprofit said amending the way it handles attendance was necessary in the wake of a nursing shortage worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Unfortunately, COVID-19 cases persist at Providence St. Mary, which has placed a strain on staffing levels," the company said in a statement. "When caregivers are late or do not show up for work, oftentimes this will result in co-workers staying later to cover those shifts, often resulting in burn-out."

Sean Bayer, an ICU nurse at the hospital, believes otherwise.

"They're saying they're implementing it because there's a nursing shortage and we don't have enough staff so they're gonna punish us and fire us for getting sick?" he said during a telephone interview. "That just doesn't make sense."

A Providence St. Mary Medical Center nurse treats a patient in a crowded hallway as the hospital works to adapt to the current surge in COVID-19 patients in December 2020.

Staffing problems

St. Mary, like many Southern California hospitals, was struck hard during a surge in coronavirus patients last year.

In December, nurses described a hectic and draining environment. They reported taking leave due to illnesses, and physical and mental exhaustion.

More than a year and a half later, hospitals across the state are still dealing with a severe lack of employees to support operations.

Last month, CalMatters said that nearly a third of all California hospitals had reported "critical staffing shortages" meaning they're unable to meet staff-to-patient ratios or "schedule adequate numbers of other critical personnel."

The union, National Nurses United, of which the California Nurses Association is an affiliate, has argued there is no nationwide shortage and that nurses are only unwilling to work under unsafe conditions.

St. Mary made changes to its policy with the goal of maintaining "appropriate staffing levels that ensured patient care … while encouraging caregivers to plan their time off," according to Providence.

The company wrote that it encouraged caregivers to take paid time off, or PTO.

But Bayer said the new rules don't help those who may have already used up hours designated for unexpected illnesses or for taking care of family members with illnesses, also known as Kin Care.

With the new policy, if an employee has exhausted those hours and takes a day off they aren't scheduled to, they'll be subject to a write-up if they use unscheduled PTO, he said.

Before, the hospital was more lenient and would allow employees to use unscheduled PTO for an absence — as long as the process wasn't being abused — without taking disciplinary action, according to the nurse.

"You had a little bit of leeway because things happen in life," Bayer said, adding that the policy now gave employees "no safety net."

It's not clear how hospital management wants staff to schedule PTO if they come down with a sudden illness.

Bayer and the CNA believe that this will pressure nurses and other health care workers to come into work while sick for fear of losing their jobs.

Hospital representatives wrote in a statement that "depending on the severity of the infraction, caregivers will be subject to a step on the corrective action process."

Providence spokesperson Bryan Kawasaki emphasized that Kin Care accounts for 50% of PTO that full-time employees accrue, which can range from 200 to 320 hours per year.

The new changes have made Bayer — who has worked at the hospital for more than two years — start looking for employment elsewhere, however.

"I'm already looking at other jobs," he said.

Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Providence St. Mary Medical Center nurses protest attendance policy