Nursing Unions 2 The Impact of Nursing Unions on Job Satisfaction and Patient Outcome

The nursing shortage is proving to be a serious public health issue. Nurses who feel unappreciated, overworked, stressed and underpaid are expected to remain professional and deliver caring and competent care despite personal frustrations (Gordon, 2002). Realistically this is difficult even among the most professional of nurses. Some nurses believe that one alternative to the current slide in morale is to join together as a collective voice to facilitate change within the healthcare profession (Forman & Davis, 2002a). Although union membership in the private sector is declining (Cherry & Jacob, 2002), participation in nursing unions is increasing (“As shortages, ” 2002) and may lead to improved patient outcomes because of increased job satisfaction among nurses and increased safety measures designed to protect both nurses and patients (Grady, 2002). A national survey by the Federation of Nurses and Health Professions found that “one in five nurses plans to leave the profession within five years because of unsatisfactory working conditions ” (“New Survey, ” 2001). The survey suggests that some of the main reasons nurses are leaving the profession is the result of severe understaffing when patient loads and acuity are at their highest. Many stated the job was too stressful and physically demanding in addition to issues involving mandatory overtime, irregular hours, low morale and worsening work conditions (“New Survey, ” 2001). These frustrations are not only felt at a particular hospital or in a specific community but also nationwide. Leaving the profession should not be the only alternative for thousands of nurses who love taking care of patients but are discouraged by the increased demands placed upon them by management and the public. Nursing Unions 3 Many nurses believe unionization would help elevate the profession and encourage more young people to consider nursing as a career (Forman & Davis, 2002a). However, there are other nurses who believe that the introduction of unions into an institution undermines the independent authority of the nurse and puts the patient at risk for substandard care (Brengman & Shields