UPMC's Magee-Women's Hospital nurses call for evidence-based staffing ratios

Magee-Women's Hospital nurses are set to meet with UPMC leaders Tuesday to propose that the state's largest non-government employer adopt "evidence-based national staffing standards" at the Oakland healthcare facility. The nurses say Magee does not follow national staffing standards and pointed to the $643 million UPMC reported in 2025 profits — calling on the $30-billion healthcare system to adopt staffing ratios identified by national professional organizations like the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Nurses also plan to propose staffing standards for the hospital's ED, the adult ICU, medical-surgical unit, oncology unit, lactation consultants, and outpatient clinics. Magee nurses hope to model their contract on the national staffing standards adopted at nearby Allegheny Health Network's West Penn Hospital. UPMC meanwhile is resisting what they call one-size-fits-all staffing ratios, saying clinically driven, team‑based staffing allows nurses and leaders to optimize patient care.