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Nursing practice, Safe staffing and WA Safe + Healthy
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Statement by WSNA Executive Director Sally Watkins on COVID-19

Statement

We are all working together under extraordinary circumstances to deal with this public health crisis in our state.

March 9, 2020

Unions representing healthcare professionals call on CDC to maintain protections during coronavirus outbreak

Press release Statement

Leaders of several local and national unions issued a joint statement following the expected guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will weaken protections for healthcare workers on the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

March 6, 2020

Coronavirus highlights school nurse role in public health prevention and response

During this outbreak and every day, our students deserve the security of having a regis­tered professional nurse on campus. Please join us in urging Washington state lawmakers to invest $1.7 million in new funding in the School Nurse Corps during the 2020 legisla­tive session.

March 6, 2020

WSNA statement on nurses and COVID-19

Press release Statement

Nurses are on the frontlines of caring for patients, including those with COVID-19, and nurses represented by the Washington State Nurses Association have been caring for COVID-19 patients here in Washington state. Nurses feel a tremendous professional and ethical calling to care for every patient, and they are doing just that. We…

March 3, 2020

FAQ on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Senior citizens and people with underlying health conditions or compromised immune systems are at increased risk of severe disease.

March 3, 2020

WSNA, WSMA, WCAAP Joint Statement on COVID-19 Outbreak

Press release Statement

The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), Washington State Medical Association (WSMA), and Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (WCAAP), representing more than 30,000 health professionals in the state, today issued a joint statement on the COVID-19 outbreak.

March 2, 2020

Information on the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave program

The Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave program became effective for Washington employees as of the beginning of this year. This state run program is designed to provide paid leave for employees for instances such as the illness or injury of an employee or employee’s family member or parental bonding time with a new child.

February 29, 2020

Nurses Climate Challenge: Educating 50,000 Health Professionals by 2022

To activate nurses, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and Health Care Without Harm launched the Nurses Climate Challenge in May 2018, a national campaign to educate health professionals on climate and health. We are aiming to educate 50,000 health professionals by 2022.

January 31, 2020

What does professional activism look like?

Professional activism is the engagement of skilled and competent professionals utilizing strategic campaigning to achieve a goal. In nursing, it is nurses coming together to assess a need and identify the problem, design and implement a plan to address the issue, evaluate that plan, and repeat until the problem is solved.

January 30, 2020

Update on statewide response to 2019 novel coronavirus

As the investigation into 2019 novel coronavirus continues, the Washington State Department of Health is sharing important data points to help the public understand and track the progress and the work being done statewide.

January 27, 2020

Update on statewide response to 2019 Novel Coronavirus: contact investigation continues

If you have questions about what is happening in Washington state, how the virus is spread, what to do if you have symptoms, and need a phone number or website for additional information, read more.

January 22, 2020

10 years after the IOM’s Future of Nursing Report: How is Washington measuring up?

The Future of Nursing report in 2010 gave states a set of goals to aim for as they developed their nursing workforce. Now, almost a decade later, how is the state of Washington measuring up?

December 16, 2019

WSNA statement on Governor's Executive Order on vaping

Vaping products present a serious public health risk, and we commend the Governor for taking immediate action and a multi-pronged approach.

September 27, 2019

We won! Now what? Learn about legislation that impacts nurses

Attend an event in our Fall Leadership Series. Learn what you can do as a nurse to ensure successful implementation of new laws aimed at preventing workplace violence and protecting overtime and breaks for healthcare professionals.

September 16, 2019

Opioid overdose drug available in pharmacies

Naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, will be available at pharmacies throughout Washington after Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer, signed a statewide standing order on Aug. 28.

September 5, 2019

Some medicines and driving don’t mix

The Department of Health and the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission are working with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to help spread the word about impaired driving from prescription and nonprescription drugs.

August 21, 2019

When you’re there in body, but not in mind

Presenteeism is when someone is physically at work, but not fully engaged or performing. As nurses, we have a lot going on both at work and outside of work, and these things (like our work environment and our own health and well-being) can affect our ability to be fully present at work.

June 13, 2019

Research exploring nursing delegation

Nurse delegation, unlike general delegation, is a specific process within nursing under the Washington Administrative Codes. It is focused on assigning care tasks to be performed by long-term care workers within certain settings, under the management of a registered nurse, called a nurse delegator.

June 10, 2019

New nursing workforce data sheds a light on supply and demand in an increasingly changing health care landscape

The Washington Center for Nursing, the state’s nursing workforce center, has released several new reports that give insight into the changing nursing workforce in the state.

June 6, 2019

Incident (occurrence) reporting: a cornerstone for safety and quality improvement

Incident reporting is a powerful source of information. When used effectively, it provides a factual description of an adverse event or near miss that supports learning, safety and improved care quality. Most health care entities utilize an electronic incident reporting system to identify opportunities for improvement.

June 4, 2019

Incrementalism: bad or good?

What is incrementalism? Merriam-Webster defines it as a policy or advocacy of a policy of political or social change by degrees: gradualism. Why do we as nurses need to be aware of incrementalism? Because it’s a double-edged sword and it can cut deep.

June 3, 2019

Washington nurses support MNA as it pickets for safety

Minnesota nurses, 4 years after passing a comprehensive workplace violence law and 3 years after obtaining security guards in the ED, are on the picket lines at Children’s, United, Methodist, North Memorial, Healtheast, Fairview, and Abbott-Northwestern hospitals. They’re asking their employers for paid time off after incidents of…

May 31, 2019

Can a nurse walk off the job to protest unsafe working conditions?

As a general matter, the law does not afford employees the right to walk off the job because of unsafe conditions in the workplace. However, a situation may arise in which a nurse is confronted with an immediate choice between not performing an assignment or being subjected to a real risk of serious injury or death arising from a…

May 30, 2019

On-the-job injury: What you need to know

Each employer has a duty to provide a workplace that is free of known dangers that may harm employees. Like all workers, you have the right to working conditions that are free of known health and safety hazards.

May 28, 2019