Nurses

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In: Home, Nurses, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sam Fettig
(c) 612-741-0662
sam.fettig@mnnurses.org

Lauren Bloomquist
(c) 651-376-9709
lauren.bloomquist@mnnurses.org

Minnesota nurses urge lawmakers to trust nurses on the need to address corporate greed and patient needs in our hospitals   

(St. Paul) – January 23, 2024 – Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) celebrated being named the most honest and ethical profession for the 22nd consecutive year. In the Gallup poll, conducted in December 2023, 78 percent of U.S. adults said nurses have “high” or “very high” honesty and ethical standards.

“Nurses greatly value the trust and understanding we share with our patients as we both face the consequences of executives’ corporate greed in our hospitals,” said Chris Rubesch, RN, MNA President.
… Read more about: Nurses named most trusted profession for 22nd year in a row  »

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In: Education, Member Blog, Nurses, Unions

If you’re a nurse at a Twin Cities hospital, it’s likely you’ve heard about your MNA Twin City Pension Plan. And whether you’ve heard of it or not, that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions about it. What is the pension plan? What are the benefits? How can I learn more? Let’s dig in! 

After years of attempts at negotiating and finally arbitration, the Minnesota Nurses Association and Twin City hospitals established the nation’s first multi-employer pension plan in 1962. The plan is a “Defined Benefit” pension plan that is negotiated and jointly administered. Participating employers include Allina, Children’s, Fairview-HealthEast, Methodist, and North Memorial.  
… Read more about: The Twin Cities Pension Plan   »

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In: Activism, Elections, Home, Member Blog, Nurses, Volunteer

by Rachel Hanneman, RN

Being a nurse these days is unrelenting. The expectation to multitask has long since been normalized as an expectation and, as family demands continue to mount, finding “extra” time for additional hobbies shrinks like your favorite jeans in the dryer.

Between working full time, parenting two young children with busy activities, and trying to maintain a work-life balance of personal needs, the request to volunteer seemed downright illogical to me. Asking me to commute to the MNA office to phone bank and be back in time to pick my kids up from the bus stop while spending money on gas?
… Read more about: Electing nurse-endorsed candidates—from the couch!  »

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In: Action, Elections, Healthcare, Home, Legislative Policy, Member Blog, Nurses

Hello fellow MNA members. My name is Peter, and I am a volunteer for MNA’s phonebanks.

What does that mean? I spend about three hours a week going down to the MNA office to make calls to other MNA members. I do this with several other nurses and our goal is to reach out to membership with an important message. Currently, that message is the importance of the upcoming midterm elections on November 8 and how it affects nursing. Most importantly, please get out there and vote!

Now that you know what I do, I have to be completely honest with you—it’s the last thing I ever thought I would be doing!
… Read more about: From rutabaga festivals to MNA phonebanks  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing

Written by Mary Kirsling, Retired RN from Essentia Health – St. Mary’s Duluth, Member of Honors & Awards Committee

I have been a member of the MNA Honors and Awards Committee for several years. While I have served on many committees, this is my favorite. We have the privilege of learning about nurses who excel–individuals who mentor, inspire, encourage, lead, educate, and innovate. As a previous recipient, I cannot overstate how thrilling it is and how much it means to receive one of these awards. Most recipients are unaware of the difference they make and recognition from peers is one of the best honors to receive.
… Read more about: Nominate someone to be honored by MNA  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Nurse Staffing, Nurses, Nurses Shortage, Nursing, Press Releases

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact: Sam Fettig
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
sam.fettig@mnnurses.org

Lauren Nielsen
(o) 651-414-2862
(c) 651-376-9709
lauren.nielsen@mnnurses.org

(Duluth) – March 29, 2022 – At 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2022, Minnesota nurses will share the results of a new survey analyzing why nearly 750 nurses left bedside care positions within the last two years. Nurses who have retired early or have otherwise been pushed out of bedside care will share their stories and discuss the findings of the new report.

The report – “Why We Left: 2022 Nursing Workforce Report” – was compiled by the Minnesota Nurses Association based on a survey of 748 nurses who left an MNA-represented nursing job in the past two years and did not take a new job in another MNA-represented facility.
… Read more about: ‘Why We Left’ – Minnesota nurses to discuss retention crisis, release new nursing workforce report  »

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In: Nurses, Nursing Accent, Racial Diversity Committee, Volunteer

The following article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of the Minnesota Nursing Accent

It started 1,750 feet from where Jeanette Rupert grew up, and many of her family still lives today.
An MNA member and Registered Nurse, Jeanette had just gotten off the night shift on the morning of May 26, 2020, and was on her way to meet her brother to help a friend transition out of prison. When she arrived at her brother’s house, she learned that while she was taking care of patients at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, an event happened that would change her community and her life forever: the murder of George Floyd.
… Read more about: Nursing Accent Highlight: Turning tragedy to hope in one Minneapolis community  »

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In: Coronavirus, COVID-19, Member Blog, Nurses

by Ann Foisy, RN
MNA Member

 

Hello, my name is Ann. I’m a nurse on the 8th floor at Fairview Southdale Hospital. We are a Med-Surg specialty unit for Oncology and Urology, but we’re known to kind of “catch-all.” We’re the floor that ends up with and Heart Center patients when those two units are full.

I love my floor, I love my coworkers, and I love my patients. I came to nursing later than some, graduating at 31 in 2008. It’s hard, it makes me think, it makes me sad, it makes me so happy and fulfilled, and I can’t see myself ever doing anything else.
… Read more about: Making Sacrifices to Keep My Family Safe  »

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In: Coronavirus, Home, Member Blog, Nurses

I’m writing this in the hopes that this will cut through some of the noise. As nurses, I feel it is our role to educate the public, especially in times like this. What I’m about to say is not intended to scare you or make you panic. It’s to help you understand the gravity of the issue that faces us, and to keep you well-informed. In fact, my hope is that, instead of fear and panic, you feel more knowledgeable than you did before reading this. And with that knowledge, my hope is that you will act responsibly, effectively, and with caution. This is especially for people who tune out the news, know others that aren’t taking this seriously, or believe that we are over-reacting.
… Read more about: An Open Letter to the Public on the Coronavirus, from an ICU Nurse  »

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In: Home, Hospitals, Mary Turner, Mayo, Nonprofit, Nurses

By Mary C. Turner, RN

MNA President

 

Mayo Clinic released its 2019 annual financial report at the end of February, and it surely made more than one person’s mouth fall open. A lot of those people, by the way, probably also work on the top floor, management offices of hospitals—not just Mayo.

 

First, here’s the numbers.  Mayo reported the company earned more than $13.8 billion in 2019. That’s money for everything from patient care to Mayo-branded backpacks ($39.95 in the Mayo marketplace store). Out of that, Mayo spent $12.8 billion. This means Mayo’s “operating revenue” is 1 billion dollars! 
… Read more about: Mayo’s Numbers Show NonProfit Financials are Really, Really Big  »