an In The Media Appearance
" High pay for traveling nurses a symptom and cause of staff shortages " - Marketplace. 09/07/2021
Karen Lasater, Population Aging Research Center (PARC), was featured in Marketplace discussing the symptoms and causes of a shortage of well-funded positions for nurses including nurse-patient staffing ratios and high-paying traveling positions.
“And pay is not the only problem. Lasater said in most states, there are no strict rules about how many patients a floor nurse might be responsible for. So, especially in a pinch, some are watching eight or 10 at a time. ‘That’s unsustainable, Lasater said.”
Dr. Lasater leads a unique major initiative to rapidly produce evidence about the hospital nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and its association with patient outcomes – information needed to inform policy choices in states considering staffing legislation. This study brings rigorous, current, relevant evidence—collected prior to implementation—to policy discussions impacting the public’s health and healthcare. She has also received external funding to study the effects of nursing work environments on patient outcomes at the end of life. Dr. Lasater’s research examines the potential for hospital staff nurses to render patient and family-centered care at the end of life, given the right circumstances.