Massachusetts Nurse :: September 2005

Nurses in the News

LGH nurse carries the day in Eagle Tribune article

Regina Martino, an RN at Lawrence General Hospital, provided powerful commentary to a reporter from the Sunday Eagle Tribune for an August 7 article about the “staffing war” that’s heating up between the MNA and MHA.
Martino was quoted as saying, “I work with a bunch of really dedicated, caring nurses. We don't always have enough manpower, so sometimes patients are left waiting; sometimes not everything can be done in your eight-hour shift that you planned to do.

“If I have too many patients, safety is definitely compromised. People have fallen out of bed. Medications are given later than scheduled because you're tied up with another patient. If there is a man my grandfather's age who slips and falls, I am just sickened. Families do a lot of blaming of the nurse. You end up leaving thinking you are a terrible person, but you did the best you could.”

Marino’s comments rang true with MNA members and supporters, and the article has since been circulated and used as a tool at information sessions, in educational materials and in the halls of the State House.