The new president of the American Samoa Nurses Association, Toaga Atuatasi Seumalo, says the top priority of the association at this time is to reintroduce the Nurse Practice Act legislation.
She says the remaining months of this year will be devoted to preparing the legislation for resubmission to the Fono in 2024.
“NPA will be the law that regulates the nursing profession and will cover nursing education, licensure requirements and the practice eof nursing in American Samoa,” said Seumalo.
The legislation was introduced in 2017 and was passed by the House, but did not progress beyond first reading in the Senate.
Sharing her views of the current status of the nursing profession in the territory, Seumalo, who is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Officer at LBJ, said the hospital was facing dangerous levels of shortages as nurses leave due to “all kinds of reasons that we have already known before the COVID-19 pandemic.”
She believes the pandemic was the straw that broke the nurses’ backs.
“I believe it was evident in the years when I was away from nursing and when ASNA was not really active that there was lack of nursing leadership at the table, where key decisions were being made that impact the nursing profession and practice. Therefore, others made patient care and nursing decisions for us,” she shared.
But she’s optimistic that with a new slate of officers, ASNA’s advocacy efforts will strengthen the voices of nurses and work toward bridging the gap between nurses’ everyday work and concerns, and the higher level policy decisions about nursing in AS.
“I am optimistic that we can establish a truly representative nursing presence in health policy through our work,” Seumalo told KHJ News.
Asked what she thought about LBJ bringing in nurses from off island the ASNA president said, “I think LBJ management did what they had to do as a short-term solution. The media has reported recruitment of Foreign Graduate Nurses (Fiji Nurses) and the concerns surrounding this recruitment especially the cost and licensure requirements. The nurses from Thailand and the Philippines are National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) certified, so they meet the territorial licensure requirement. I think this is a blessing in disguise.”
Seumalo said, “We have talked about “grow our own” nurses perhaps now is the time to really focus the attention to support the Nursing Program at ASCC in terms of faculty shortage and resources needed. This will ensure that we have a local pool in the pipeline to meet staffing needs once the off-island nurses come to the end of their contracts and decide not to renew. I believe that nursing shortage in AS is not only a problem specific LBJ, DOH and ASCC; is it everyone’s problem.”
About her election to head the ASNA, said she‘s deeply honored and humbled to be elected as President of the American Samoa Nurses Association (ASNA) for the next two years.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to have ASNA be at the forefront of nursing challenges, and issues in the territory. ASNA is the professional voice of nursing in the territory. It has never been more important than today for us to unite our voices and join together to push and advance nursing practice forward in AS – by representing nursing and advocating for nurses. There is so much work to be done.”
She acknowledges the contribution and leadership of Mrs. Tofiga Tufele (retired nurse), who has been the ASNA President for many many years, and the out-going officers: VP – Josie Lam Yuen, Sec. Vasati Agae, Treasurer Simamao Tuatoo.
“They are still with us and looking forward to working with them.”
