At a time when there are already staffing shortages at hospitals, some nurses are threatening to leave their jobs if they’re forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine.A survey by the Ohio Nurses Association of UC Medical Center union nurses showed 30 percent of those who took the survey are willing to leave their position over vaccine mandates.“I think we would have a staffing catastrophe on our hands at that time,” said ONA representative Dominic Mendiola. “It would make the nurses that remain jobs exceptionally difficult and it could compromise patient care long term.”Mendiola said there are between 1,500 and 1,700 union registered nurses at UC and 456 of them answered the survey. Of that number, 30 percent said they were willing to leave over the mandate.UC Health sent out a response to the survey that said in part, “These survey results do not reflect the views of the majority of our 10,000 employees, including our 2,600 nurses across the UC Health system.”“We’re encouraging folks to get vaccinated unless they have a bonified medical or personal exemption,” Mendiola said. “Our position is these policies, especially vaccine policies, need to be bargained with employees instead of forced on employees.”The survey also showed 70 percent of the respondents were already vaccinated.The union is scheduled to talk with the hospital about the issue Sept. 13.
CINCINNATI —
At a time when there are already staffing shortages at hospitals, some nurses are threatening to leave their jobs if they’re forced to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
A survey by the Ohio Nurses Association of UC Medical Center union nurses showed 30 percent of those who took the survey are willing to leave their position over vaccine mandates.
“I think we would have a staffing catastrophe on our hands at that time,” said ONA representative Dominic Mendiola. “It would make the nurses that remain jobs exceptionally difficult and it could compromise patient care long term.”
Mendiola said there are between 1,500 and 1,700 union registered nurses at UC and 456 of them answered the survey. Of that number, 30 percent said they were willing to leave over the mandate.
UC Health sent out a response to the survey that said in part, “These survey results do not reflect the views of the majority of our 10,000 employees, including our 2,600 nurses across the UC Health system.”
“We’re encouraging folks to get vaccinated unless they have a bonified medical or personal exemption,” Mendiola said. “Our position is these policies, especially vaccine policies, need to be bargained with employees instead of forced on employees.”
The survey also showed 70 percent of the respondents were already vaccinated.
The union is scheduled to talk with the hospital about the issue Sept. 13.