Foley, Thomas Discuss Shortage on 'Diane Rehm'

by Cindy Price

ANA President Mary Foley, MS, RN, and Deborah Thomas, RN, director-at-large, United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, the labor arm of the ANA, were among the invited guests on an April 16 National Public Radio (NPR) "Diane Rehm" show segment that focused on the nursing shortage. The show explored such issues as working conditions, pay, forced overtime, stress and the aging of America's nursing population. Foley discussed the staffing crisis and the confluence of factors leading up to a nursing shortage that she said will soon reach "epidemic proportions" unless steps are taken now to avert it. Thomas, a member of the District of Columbia Nurses Association, discussed several personal experiences on potential staffing solutions from her vantage point as a working hospital nurse and also offered her perspective on the increasing number of nurses who are joining unions and the growing number of nursing strikes across the nation.

Cindy Price is a senior public relations specialist with ANA.