4S Care Pair/Team Nursing

Proposed “4S Team Nursing Model Trial” Update

Lots of rumors have been circulating about 4S’s proposed Team Nursing Model. With your concerns in mind, MNA officers had a sit down meeting with local management to discuss concerns regarding this proposed staffing change. 

Management stated that this model of nursing is called the “Care Pair” model. This would include 1 RN and 1 CNA tag teaming a group of patients. They stated there was evidence involving increased patient and nurse satisfaction, and decreased patient safety events. However, they did not bring any evidence of said studies to the meeting. 

This “Care Pair” model trial would have the following ratios,

Days: 1 nurse & 1 CNA: 5 patients

Nights: 1 nurse & 1 CNA: 6 patients

The following issues and concerns were addressed by MNA Officers among others,

• Concerns regarding ability to find and hire enough CNA’s to staff this new matrix

• Nurse fatigue/burnout

• Increased patient falls 

• Patient neglect

• Concern regarding novice nurses not being able to handle the increased workload

• Time management issues

• Patient acuity

• Inability to precept new nurse AND manage 5-6 patients

In summary, the vast majority of our concerns were centered around how stressful the nurse workload is CURRENTLY. Increasing a nurse’s workload is not the solution to this issue. This will most likely result in increased burnout and stress. 

Suggestions we made include the following,

• Holding an open forum with nurses who are actively involved in patient care to hear their input

• Hiring more CNA’s, not increasing nursing workload

• Establishing a HUC

• Implementing Rovers 

• And most importantly, if we were to trial this kind of team nurse model, making it ELECTIVE, not mandatory. Meaning, nurses and techs would sign up to trial this model if they were willing. 

Management adamantly stated that they are looking for innovative ways to improve the work environment. This “Care Pair” Model is a suggestion, but by no means needs to be the solution. They are planning on scheduling an Open Forum for nurses to come and speak to new ideas on how to improve the work environment. Keep an eye out for future announcements coming soon! 

To clarify some rumors: there will be no nursing layoffs, this is NOT set in stone and no roll out date Is planned officially.  This is simply an idea that upper management is open to feedback on before deciding to officially trial it.

Please comment with any questions or concerns about this topic. As always, we hear you, and support you!

Yours in solidarity, 

Jeff, Kate, Lynnette, Tyler, Casey, Cindy, Cassidy, and Leslie.