About 2,800 temporary replacement nurses have been lined up to work at 14 Twin Cities hospitals on Thursday in the event of a strike, hospital officials said Tuesday.

While that's only a fraction of the 12,000 nurses threatening a one-day walkout, the hospitals said there will be enough staff on hand to provide "the safest, highest quality care."

Hospitals say they're also mobilizing nonunion staffers, including extra doctors, nurse practitioners and management nurses, to provide care if the Minnesota Nurses Association begins its walkout as scheduled at 7 a.m. Thursday.

At a press briefing Tuesday morning, the top doctors at the six hospital groups sought to reassure patients that patient care won't suffer.

"All of our hospitals have prepared well for the strike," said Dr. Penny Wheeler, chief clinical officer at Allina Hospitals and Clinics.

Emergency rooms and labor-and-delivery will all be fully staffed, she said, adding that "there's a lot of physicians who will be on site giving extra support."

At a press conference Tuesday morning, they said they're training replacements and mobilizing nonunion staffers, including doctors, nurse practitioners and management nurses, to provide care if the union members walk out, as scheduled, at 7 am Thursday.

"We're going to have enough people around," said Dr. Kevin Croston, chief medical officer at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. "We'll be overstaffed for a period of time, to assure a smooth transition."

He added that replacement nurses are being trained at "off-site" in hospital procedures.

Some hospitals have postponed elective procedures that were scheduled that day, while others - such as Fairview Hosptials - say they've made no changes. The two Children's Hospitals have postponed some procedures, while others will be moved "to our Minnetonka site," said Dr. Clark Smith II, the chief of pediatrics.

The nurses union says its members will strike for 24 hours, but hospitals have said that, having hired some replacements and wound down operations, they might not call all striking nurses back on Friday.

Maura Lerner • 612-673-7384