UI Health has been putting nurses in the Hematology/Oncology Clinic in burnout conditions for years due to short-sighted scheduling and a refusal to address clinic issues. Nurses frequently stay hours past their scheduled shift—leading to exhaustion, burnout, and near-constant turnover in a clinic that treats some of the sickest and most vulnerable patients. Since 2023, twenty-three nurses have quit due to the impossible working conditions. 

In November 2025, eight clinical nurses in the department proposed a scheduling solution that would eliminate the problems and help them better care for patients. They circulated a petition in support of the schedule signed by 93 fellow staff members, including doctors, social workers, dietitians, medical assistants, front desk staff, and other nurses.  

But Management refused to listen, despite years of good faith efforts to problem-solve. Instead, they insisted nurses work the same problematic schedule that has pushed people past their breaking point.  

So starting March 3, the nurses decided to do just that: Clock out at the end of their scheduled shift. No overtime. No more band-aid solutions. No more covering up for the hospital’s failings.  

Management took notice. But instead of agreeing to the nurses’ reasonable scheduling proposal, they proposed an alternative schedule that would only exacerbate the issues by leaving the clinic short-staffed at opening and close—when some of the highest acuity patients get treatment.  

“It was a slap in the face,” said Kattie Czopkiewicz, a nurse navigator in the clinic and INA-UIH Executive Board Secretary. “[Management] cares more about having their control and power than actually doing the smart thing.” 

Throughout March and April, the nurses continued their refusal to take overtime, while also filing ADOs daily to document unsafe staffing practices in their clinic. Their actions finally forced Management to the bargaining table. Over the course of the next two months, UI Health agreed to hire extra staff for the clinic and let nurses decide on how to implement any new scheduling changes. 

The nurses’ fight isn’t over, though. Not until they can reach a staffing solution that is safe, reasonable, supportive, and fair for the staff and patients of the Hematology/Oncology Clinic. Their actions show, however, what is possible when coworkers stand together and say “enough is enough.”  

UIH-INA members recently voted to approve the Towards a Safely Staffed UIH campaign, which will fight for tangible staffing changes across the unit. If you would like to get involved, you can fill out the staffing survey at http://bit.ly/uihsafestaffing to report conditions on your unit/clinic and volunteer to join our campaign committee!