Begley, Zimmermann Weigh in on Mandated Staffing Ratios

With nurses lobbying state legislators to adopt mandated staffing ratios to address the nursing shortage, Rose Sherman, EdD, RN, Nurse Leader editor-in-chief, explains their drawbacks in the October issue. She also interviews AONL CEO Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, and President-elect Deborah Zimmermann, DNP RN, about how mandated ratios take away clinical judgment and flexibility from nurses when determining the right type and level of care for their patients. Mandated ratio models usually are based on nursing-only care models and do not consider nurse-driven interprofessional team care models or technological innovation, they note. AONL supports using team care models and creating positive practice environments, among other measures, to improve staffing.