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Senate committee continues its probe into LBJ’s nursing shortage

Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua shaking hands with a senator
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Senate Hospital/ Public Health Committee has requested a copy of the nurses pay scale for both LBJ Medical Center and Health Department for review, as the hospital continues to face a nursing shortage — a long standing problem for the only medical center in the territory.

Sen. Togiola T.A. Tulafono initiated the request during the committee hearing on Monday this week, a continuation of the first hearing held more than a week ago, to hear more details on the cause of the nursing shortage at the hospital and other health care issues.

The witness that senators wanted most to question further following the first hearing, is LBJ’s chief executive officer, Moefa’auo Bill Emmsley, but senators learned he was off island working to bring new nurses from the Philippines for LBJ and was to return Monday night.

While the hearing went on as scheduled, the committee plans to call another one in the near future to hear directly from Moefa’auo pertaining to their questions and concerns.

Togiola, a former governor, queried on the difference in nurses’ pay between the hospital and DoH, to which LBJ board chairman, Dr. Malouamaua Tuiolosega responded that in the past the pay scale for DoH nurses had been higher then LBJ’s.

However, the board re-structured the pay scale due to the many responsibilities and duties of LBJ nurses and the hospital nurses’ pay is now higher than that their counterparts at DoH, said Dr. Tuiolosega who was accompanied to the hearing by Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua, and LBJ chief financial officer, Fala Sualevai.

As previously reported in Samoa News, the hospital announced that effective Dec. 6, 2022, LBJ nurses received an increase in their pay after the board of directors gave the green light.

The new pay scale for entry level calls for $18.42 per hour or $38,314 annually for Registered Nurse (RN1). (See Samoa News edition Dec. 13, 2022 for details.)

During the committee hearing Togiola requested a copy of the pay-scales and positions — without any personnel names — for nurses in DoH and LBJ for the committee’s review.

Togiola believes the pay difference has been a challenge in the past year,  with the competition of pay scale between the two government entities — prompting LBJ nurses to leave for DoH, as has happened in the past as well. And it was resolved with using the same pay-level for nurses at LBJ and DoH.

With LBJ recruiting nurses from the Philippines, Sen. Soliai Tuipine Fuimaono noted his concern that these nurses have to continue their medical education to attain US certification.

However, Sualevai responded that testing to get RN credentials in the Philippines is similar to U.S. RN certification.

Motusa — responding to a committee question — confirmed that DoH nurses are helping out with the shortage of nurses at LBJ. However, he noted that DoH doesn’t have sufficient nurses and physicians to meet its public health mandate, but the department remains steady on its commitment to help out when needed.

Besides the pay scale, the committee also requested a copy of LBJ’s organizational chart for review, after Tuiolosega informed senators at the outset of the one-hour hearing the changes regarding to nurses reflected changes to the organizational chart.

According to the board chairman, nurses had previously come under the leadership of the Chief of Nursing, and this has been the protocol for a long time.

However, the LBJ board sought to place nurses in a capacity where they have a voice on the organizational chart and LBJ overall, and now they do.

He said the “key” of this whole matter is not the nurses’ pay scale but the leadership of the nursing personnel, following a survey of nurses by the board.

And nurses have spoken up, he said, noting that the board has learned much more under the new protocol from nurses, as they have been given a voice.

Tuiolosega said the board is working on correcting and updating the organizational chart — which he calls a “living document” — prompting the committee to seek a final copy of that document.

Asked by the committee about plans for recruitment to cut short this ongoing problem of nursing shortage in the territory, Motusa suggested that leaders of DoH, LBJ and its board, the American Samoa Community College, along with the local Education Department director put together a program — which begins at home and at school, focusing on students doing well in biology, chemistry and math.

He said these are students that American Samoa should “capitalize” on, that when they graduate from ASCC after two-years, these students are prepared and ready to moving on to the nursing program.

“First hire them and then send them off island for further education and return them home to work here,” he said and suggested that such a program be implemented and enacted into law. 

Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean, led the call with other senators for DoH and LBJ to first approach the governor with such a plan for the program.

At the same time, the committee also wants to see that health officials provide a draft of the plan for review, as soon as it’s completed.

With the Fono going into a five-week mid-session recess, starting at the close of business on Feb. 6, the committee is not expected to call another hearing until after lawmakers reconvene on Mar. 13.

BACKGROUND

Samoa News should point out that the ASCC nursing program does have access to the U.S. certification examination that when passed, allows a person to be a Registered Nurse (RN). Online courses to meet requirements is part of such a program and has been successfully used by many students.

Whether such a nursing program still exists is unknown, and Samoa News mentions it as possiblity instead of ‘sending’ a graduate of the ASCC 2-year program off-island.