Nurses at the Ascension Seton Medical Center announced their unionization with National Nurses United on Sept. 21 as a result of staffing shortages causing issues for employees. 

With 800 nurses, the Ascension Seton Medical Center is the largest private sector hospital in Texas to unionize, according to a press release sent by the union. Julianna Pisano, a registered nurse at the medical center, said the staff chose to unionize because the nurse shortage has forced a lower level of care for patients.

“We are, like most hospitals in the US, struggling with short staffing,” Pisano said. “I became a nurse so that I could advocate for patients, and being stretched thin with short staffing makes me feel like I’m not able to do that to the best of my abilities.”

Jean Ross, one of three presidents of National Nurses United, said while some hospitals experience issues in staffing, there is no nationwide shortage of nurses. A staffing report released by the union in December 2021 found there are over 4.4 million active registered nurses in the nation, though only 3.2 million are currently employed. 

“You hear a lot about burnout and we don’t actually like that term,” Ross said. “We know exactly what to do and we’re up to the task. You have to give us the tools we need and employers are not doing that.”

Ross said another issue causing nurses to leave the field is workplace violence resulting from extreme medical circumstances.

“When you’re in a hospital or clinic, people aren’t necessarily at their best,” Ross said. “Patients are ill. They’re often on drugs they’re not used to. It can alter their state of reason.”

According to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2018, over 20% of nurses reported some form of intentional injury in the workplace. 

Ross said this violence results primarily from patients and family members. 

“(Families) get very upset when they believe their loved ones are not being cared for,” Ross said. “You’re short-staffed and not able to get to those people as quickly as you would like. It’s a very dangerous place to work.”

Ross said the union endorses H.R. 1195, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year. 

If passed by the U.S. Senate, the bill would require employers to implement violence prevention training programs, including de-escalation techniques, incident reporting and investigation procedures. 

“Consistent with the ethical and religious directives for Catholic health care services, we respect our nurses’ right to organize themselves through union representation,” a hospital spokesperson said in an email statement to the Daily Texan. “We are united in our commitment to care for our community and those that we are privileged to serve.”