In New York State, our rights and responsibilities as nurses are defined by the Nurse Practice Act (

Staffing-related laws, regulations, guidelines, and standards currently exist, but NYSNA believes these laws and guidelines are inadequate for safe staffing. NYSNA nurses support legislation that would establish minimum upwardly adjustable RN-to-patient ratios in all healthcare settings. Access the current staffing-related laws, regulations, guidelines, and standards for NY acute care and non-acute care settings here.

Before July 1, 2009, employers could and did force RNs to work excessive hours, which led to less safe conditions for delivering patient care. NYSNA fought for and won a law to ban mandatory overtime for many nurses.