Officials with Cambridge Memorial Hospital have confirmed that 33 staff members received layoff notices on Tuesday.
All of the eliminated positions are nursing jobs. Nineteen nurses and 14 registered practical nurse positions will be cut.
The positions are in the medical, surgical and rehab units.
A hospital spokesperson said the organization hopes most of the positions will be vacated through early retirements and buyout packages, rather than outright layoffs.
The changes are part of implementing a new model of care, which will include the hiring of a number of personal support workers this summer.
Those PSWs will be tasked with bathing, feeding and moving patients, among other duties.
“By shifting this work to someone who is specifically trained to do this work … it will free up nurses to do things they are qualified and trained to do,” spokesperson Stephan Beckhoff said in an email, citing increased levels of patient education and post-discharge follow-up with patients as two examples.
