Oregon Health Authority
Public Health Division - Chapter 333
Division 510
PATIENT CARE AND NURSING SERVICES IN HOSPITALS
333-510-0105
Nurse Staffing Committee Requirement
(1) Each hospital shall establish and maintain a hospital nurse staffing committee. The staffing committee shall develop a written hospital-wide staffing plan for nursing services in accordance with ORS 441.155 and OAR chapter 333, division 510 rules. In developing the staffing plan, the staffing committee’s primary goal shall be to ensure that the hospital is adequately staffed to meet the health care needs of its patients.
(2) The staffing committee shall meet:
(a) At least once every three months; and
(b) At any time and place specified by either co-chair of the staffing committee.
(3) The hospital shall release a member of the staffing committee from his or her assignment to attend committee meetings and provide paid time for this purpose.
(4) The staffing committee shall be comprised of an equal number of hospital nurse managers and direct care staff. Direct care staff members shall be selected as follows:
(a) The staffing committee shall include at least one direct care registered nurse from each hospital nurse specialty or unit as the specialty or unit is defined by the hospital to represent that specialty or unit;
(b) In addition to the direct care registered nurses described in subsection (a) of this section there must be one position on the staffing committee that is filled by a direct care staff member who is not a registered nurse and whose services are covered by the staffing plan;
(c) If the direct care registered nurses working at the hospital are represented under a collective bargaining agreement, the bargaining unit shall coordinate voting to allow the direct care registered nurses who work at the hospital to select each direct care registered nurse on the staffing committee;
(d) If the direct care registered nurses working at the hospital are not represented under a collective bargaining agreement, the direct care registered nurses belonging to each hospital nurse specialty or unit shall select the direct care registered nurse to represent it on the staffing committee; and
(e) If the position that must be filled by a direct care staff member who is not a registered nurse and whose services are covered by the staffing plan is represented under a collective bargaining agreement, the bargaining unit shall coordinate voting to allow the direct care staff members who are not registered nurses to select the direct care staff member who is not a registered nurse to represent them on the staffing committee.
(f) If the position that must be filled by a direct care staff member who is not a registered nurse and whose services are covered by the staffing plan is not represented under a collective bargaining agreement, the direct care staff members who are not registered nurses shall select the direct care staff member who is not a registered nurse to represent them on the staffing committee.
(5) The staffing committee shall have two co-chairs. One co-chair must be a hospital nurse manager elected by a majority of the staffing committee members who are hospital nurse managers. The other co-chair must be a direct care registered nurse elected by a majority of the staffing committee members who are direct care staff.
(6) The staffing committee must develop a written charter that documents the policies and procedures of the staffing committee. At minimum, the charter must include:
(a) How meetings are scheduled;
(b) How members are notified of meetings;
(c) How agendas are determined;
(d) How input from hospital nurse specialty or unit staff is submitted;
(e) Who may participate in decision-making;
(f) How decisions are made; and
(g) How the staffing committee shall monitor, evaluate and modify the staffing plan over time.
(7) Staffing committee meetings must be conducted as follows:
(a) A meeting may not be conducted unless a quorum of staffing committee members is present;
(b) Except as set forth in subsection (c) of this section, a meeting must be open to all hospital nursing staff as observers and to any other individual as either observer or presenter by invitation of either co-chair of the staffing committee;
(c) Either co-chair of the staffing committee may temporarily exclude all non-members from a meeting during staffing committee deliberations and voting; and
(d) Each staffing committee decision must be made by majority vote; however, if a quorum consists of an unequal number of hospital nurse managers and direct care staff, only an equal number of hospital nurse managers and direct care staff may vote.
(8) The staffing committee must document meeting proceedings by keeping written meeting minutes that include, but are not limited to, the following information:
(a) The name and position of each staffing committee member in attendance;
(b) The name and position of each observer or presenter in attendance;
(c) Motions made;
(d) Outcomes of votes taken;
(e) A summary of staffing committee discussions; and
(f) Instances in which non-members have been excluded from staffing committee meetings.
(9) The staffing committee shall approve meeting minutes prior to or during the next staffing committee meeting.
(10) The staffing committee shall provide meeting minutes to hospital nursing staff and other hospital staff upon request no more than 30 calendar days after the meeting minutes are approved by the staffing committee.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 413.042, 441.151 & 441.154
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 441.154
History:
PH 59-2023, temporary suspend filed 12/21/2023, effective 01/01/2024 through 06/28/2024
PH 22-2016, f. & cert. ef. 7-1-16