Historical perspective

An important goal of the OCEA Professional Nurses’ Caucus is to acheive and maintain cooperation among the incumbents within the various nursing-related classifications in the County of Orange.  Due to unique staffing and retention challenges, some County nursing classes have maintained certain advantages in acheiving special market salary adjustments.  In the past, this has led to frustration among some other groups, who seek to develop and maintain a stronger sense of collaboration and cooperation among the various nursing classes within the County.  County of Orange Nurses are committed to the formation of a Professional Nurses’ Caucus to maximum cooperation and strengthen the leverage created by the shortage of nurses throughout the local, state and nationwide levels.

The ability of the Nurses of the County of Orange to advance their interests is strengthened by the continued current and projected shortage of nursing professionals, and other external factors such as demographic trends, high profile natural disasters and the growing threat of widespread epidemics.  The Nurses’ Caucus is challenged with the mobilization of its membership in order to advance and protect the interests of its members.