Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Nurses have received a boost in their salaries. This was confirmed in a press statement issued by the LBJ hospital over the weekend.

The salary boost went into effect on December 6, 2022.

The statement says the last comprehensive, organizational-wide, and concurrent pay adjustment as well as position re-classification occurred about eight years ago.

The increase in salaries was approved by the LBJ Board of Directors after outcries from the nurses, according to Chairman of the Board Dr. Malouamaua Tuiolosega.

Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Moefaauo Bill Emmsley said with the prevalence in shortage-of-nurses as a global phenomenal, which has reached crisis level at LBJ, also the rising cost of living and the expanded working hours stipulated by pandemics prompted the necessary move.

“The unappreciated fact that LBJ is a 24/ 7 acute care hospital with an emergency room that opens day and night, it is only reasonably and fair to revisit nursing compensation as a matter strategic sense— "not as a means to an end but, only as a small token of appreciation and effective recruiting and retention instrument to ensure patient safety and quality of healthcare at LBJ is upheld and perpetual, respectively," said Moefa'auo.

He added that the LBJ nurse wages are now relatively "competitive" (20% increase at the entry levels ranking even above some of the most industrialized and larger countries in the region but still below US, on average, by as much as 30%.

According to the press statement Certified Nurses are now making $9.88 per hour an increase from $7.86 before; License Practical Nurses will be getting $13.22 per hour from $10.22 previously and for Registered Nurses they will be making $18.42 from $15.06.

The salary boost is partially funded by the ARPA grant.  LBJ Board of Directors and management profoundly appreciated Governor Lemanu P. S Mauga for making healthcare a "centerpiece" of his administration's top priorities, said board chair Dr. Tuiolosega.

"LBJ will continue to actively engage in raising ‘standards of excellence’ in performances as well as quality of its operational areas namely, infrastructural and facilities renovations and expansions, compensations for physicians, nurses, and technologists, state of the art medical equipment, training for healthcare providers are among the top list of particulars constantly in the CEO's strategic thought,” said the chairman.

However, as a cautionary note, LBJ is facing a daunting task given its limited resources from its annual fiscal budget, sluggish incoming revenues, to inefficient operations.

 “Compounding the challenge, is the reality that LBJ must accomplish all these vital services [for] our people while improving its business performance to such an extent as achieving self-reliance. Indeed, an uphill battle only the Good Lord can perform miracles and win simultaneously,” lamented the CEO.

LBJ's Chief of Nursing Mamao Tauto’o welcomed the salary boost.

“It is a welcome and sorely needed boost to our LBJ nurses especially, with the shortage numbers we are going through right now.

“Nursing is a calling and not just a job”, added the nursing chief.

“I want to thank the CEO, Board of Directors and senior leadership for making this happen, because it's been a long time coming.  

“All these things combined will make a great impact upon our current staff, as well as our service to our patients, and we are all very thankful for it,” she said.

The hospital CEO concluded that while this occasion is one to celebrate undoubtedly it is however, not a permanent solution, but a temporary fix for a problem that has been lingering for a long time.

“Thus, LBJ management inclines to view this experiment as an inoculation process for a pestering virus”, said Moefa'auo.