Some of the nurses at the University of New Mexico Hospital say they are understaffed, overworked and overlooked by the hospital’s management.
At a press conference in front of UNM Hospital in Albuquerque, nurse Lorie MacIver said the staffing problems have gotten so bad, it can be hard to give patients the care they need.
"One of a nurse’s greatest fears is that she’s so overwhelmed and so busy that she fails to notice something small, and then it gets worse. And I’ve seen nurses in break rooms crying," MacIver said.
Low morale, a lack of policies to keep good nurses in their jobs, and problems with management have put nurses in a very difficult position, MacIver said. That’s led to some nurses leaving their jobs.
In an email statement, UNMH said staffing there is above the national average for teaching hospitals, and hospital administrators say they’re open to talking about the issue with concerned nurses.
