Survey shows nursing shortage hurting health care in Alberta
Nurses say the shortage of staff – particularly Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses – is causing the quality of health care to deteriorate in Alberta. A recent survey of 1,500 of its members conducted by United Nurses of Alberta shows understaffing and overtime continue to be problems.
“Our survey reinforces, once again, that the nursing shortage is a major problem facing health care,” says UNA President Heather Smith.
The union has some specific suggestions, a “Nursing Care Plan for Nursing in Alberta” which it is going to give to the government on Monday.
UNA is holding a special Noon hour rally and celebration of Nursing Week at the Legislative Assembly on Monday, May 12th, which is Florence Nightingale’s birthday and is marked as International Nurses’ Day.
“Nursing Week is a time to recognize the wonderful contribution nurses make to the well-being of our patients, residents, clients and all Albertans who benefit from our health care,” says Heather Smith.
“This year, however, we also want to highlight the problems facing nursing. We need action from the government now on the nursing shortage.”
In the UNA survey, 45% of nurses say the quality of health care in their workplace has deteriorated over the past few years.
“Nurses identify the shortage of nurses and other staff as the major factor in their concerns about quality of care,” Heather Smith says.
The poll also shows that the nurses are coming in to work early, staying late and working through their breaks to try to keep up. But 58% report they usually have “too much to do on my shift to do everything well.”
The problem is not only nursing vacancies that employers are unable to fill. Nearly 70% of nurses say their workplace is understaffed normally, every day. And, for a vast majority of shifts, nurses who are off ill or on vacation are not replaced. The remaining nurses have to pick up the extra work.
The survey shows nearly 9,000 nurses pick up one or more extra shifts in the average week, with many working two or more extra shifts on top of their normal schedule. That’s equivalent to 2,000 additional full-time nursing jobs that are being stretched over the nurses we already have.
The survey asked if nurses are willing to increase their work even more. Only 20% of part-time nurses said that if conditions were improved they would consider working more. The vast majority said they would not.
The survey also showed nearly 25% of nurses plan to leave nursing within the next five years. That’s nearly 6,000 nurses out of a total workforce of about 24,000.
“The good news is nearly half the nurses nearing retirement say they will consider postponing it, if conditions are right,” says Heather Smith. “We can’t afford to lose one quarter of our nurses, we do not have replacements ready to take their places. As a union, we’ve been creating innovative and flexible work arrangements that can keep our most experienced nurses working with us for at least a few more years.”
“Our survey makes it clear to us that we need to move as soon as possible to improve conditions or the nursing shortage is going to get even worse,” says Heather Smith. “We can’t wait four years for more new nurses to graduate, we need to act now.”
United Nurses of Alberta will be delivering its “Nursing Care Plan” with recommendations on how to deal with the shortage to the Alberta government, following the rally at the Legislative Assembly on Monday, May 12th.
“We’re inviting nurses, and all our friends and families to come celebrate Nurses’ Day at the Legislature,” says Heather Smith.
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Backgrounder attached: UNA is releasing 18 selected questions from its poll. If it is not attached to this release please contact us.
For more information contact UNA Communications Officer Keith Wiley at 780 425-1025.
VIEWPOINTS RESEARCH (N = 1503)
VIEWPOINTS RESEARCH
Survey of 1,503 UNA members. April 2008.
The survey at 1503 N is accurate +– 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
Selected Questions Released.
Q1What do you
feel is the single most important issue facing nurses today?
Heavy workload / long hours / burnout......................................... 14.8%
Shortage of nurses......................................................................... 68.7%
Quality of patient care.................................................................... 1.8%
Safe work environment / working conditions / stress...................... 4.0%
Low wages / contract issues............................................................ 0.6%
Job security / stability..................................................................... 0.3%
Too many nurses retiring ............................................................... 0.3%
Not enough nurses in training/recruitment...................................... 1.4%
Not enough full time/too much part time........................................ 0.4%
Education / length of program to become nurse.............................. 0.3%
Lack of respect for the job nurses perform..................................... 0.9%
Retention of nurses......................................................................... 1.6%
Forced to move around/not working in same unit/facility............... 0.1%
Lack of work ethic/professionalism/quality from new nurses........ 0.6%
Lacking of funding/resources........................................................... 0.4%
Poor management............................................................................ 0.5%
Other (specify below)..................................................................... 2.7%
Don't know / Refused...................................................................... 0.6%
Q2Over
the past few years would you say that the quality of health care available in
your site or program hasÉ?
Improved a great deal........................................ 2.3%
Improved somewhat........................................ 17.4%
Stayed the same............................................... 30.6% Deteriorated somewhat................................... 38.5%
Deteriorated a great deal.................................... 6.7%
Don't know / Refused........................................ 4.4%
Q3Why do you
feel the quality of health care has improved?(n=297)
More staff...................................................................... 22.6%
Fewer patients.................................................................. 2.7%
Improved communication............................................... 10.8%
Adequate / more supplies................................................. 7.1%
Equipment available and /or improved equipment......... 21.2%
More / improved training............................................... 19.5%
Improved management / reorganization.......................... 19.9%
More programs/specialists/services/treatments............... 7.4%
More effort from staff...................................................... 4.0%
Better conditions for nurses/nurses are more satisfied/
higher wages..................................................................... 1.0%
Educate patients better..................................................... 1.0%
Other (specify below).................................................... 16.2%
Don't know / Refused....................................................... 3.0%
Q4Why do you
feel the quality of health care has deteriorated?(n=680)
Not enough staff................................................................ 76.3%
Too many / more patients ................................................ 30.6%
Poor communication............................................................ 3.1%
Not enough supplies........................................................... 6.3%
Not enough equipment / old equipment.............................. 6.2%
Not enough training............................................................. 7.4%
Poor management.............................................................. 11.9%
Lack of funding/cutbacks..................................................... 4.1%
Lack of retention of nurses/too much turnover................... 1.5%
Patients require more care/decreased quality of care/
rushed service...................................................................... 4.0%
Not enough resources/services/lack of pay......................... 2.4%
Poor work ethic/morale/appreciation.................................. 1.3%
Wait times too high............................................................. 3.7%
Other (specify below)....................................................... 10.6%
Don't know / Refused.......................................................... 0.4%
Q5If other
positions were made available to you, would you wantÉ.?
A full time position...................................................................... 8.8%
More hours in a part-time position or a larger FTE
(full time equivalent).................................................................... 9.2%
No more hours, IÕm comfortable with what I work now........... 64.1%
Reduced hours in a part-time position....................................... 10.6%
To work casual............................................................................. 5.4%
Don't know / Refused................................................................... 1.9%
Q6During the
past week how many extra shifts have you worked?
Q7Which one
of the following best describes the full regular staffing level (INCLUDING RNs AND RPNs BUT NOT LPNs) for
your unit or workplace The one where you work most often É
There are more than enough registered nurses............... 3.5%
There are an adequate number of
registered nurses.......................................................... 23.4%
One more full time registered nurse would make
an adequate number of nurses..................................... 24.8%
It would take more than one more registered nurse to make staffing levels adequate................................. 44.0% DO NOT READ
More than one / none.................................................... 1.6%
Don't know / Refused.................................................... 2.7%
Q8Approximately
how many times during your most recent 5 shifts was your unit or
workplace working with less than a full team of registered nurses? (NURSES AWAY AND NOT REPLACED)
I am now
going to read you a number of statements which some nurses have made about
their work life.For each one, please tell me whether
you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree that it applies to
you personally.If you neither
agree nor disagree just say so.
STR AGREE
AGREE
DIS- AGREE
STR DIS-AGREE
Neither agree nor disagree
DK/
REF
Q9
I often have to arrive early or
stay late to get my work done.
19.8%
39.9%
31.9%
2.9%
5.4%
0.1%
Q10
I often have to work through my
breaks to complete my work load.
19.0%
41.8%
32.1%
3.3%
3.5%
0.2%
Q11
It often seems like I have too much
work for one person to do.
20.1%
45.4%
25.5%
2.2%
6.5%
0.3%
Q12
I am usually given enough time to
do what is expected of me in my job.
4.5%
42.9%
37.5%
9.8%
4.8%
0.5%
Q13
I usually have too much to do on my
shift to do everything well.
18.6%
39.6%
34.0%
2.3%
4.8%
0.7%
Q14IF PART TIME OR CASUAL:Are you currently working the number of hours each week that you would
ideally like to work, or would you prefer to be working more or less
hours?(n=969)
Working ideal number of hours ...................... 70.2%
Would like more hours.................................... 12.4%
Would like less hours...................................... 15.7%
Don't know / Refused........................................ 1.8%
Q15IF PART TIME OR CASUAL:If the right conditions came up would you consider working a regular
full-time FTE?(n=969)
Q16How
many more years do you see yourself working as a nurse?
1 year................................................................. 3.5%
2 to 3 years........................................................ 9.3%
4 to 5 years........................................................ 9.8%
6 to 9 years........................................................ 9.4%
10 years or more.............................................. 64.2%
Don't know / Refused........................................ 3.7%
Q17What best describes
your workplace?
Hospital........................................................... 71.1%
Long-term care facility...................................... 5.3%
Home care.......................................................... 6.5%
Public Health..................................................... 8.8%
or More than one............................................... 4.7% Other................................................................. 3.6%
Don't know / Refused........................................ 0.1%
Q18What age category are
you in?
18 to 24............................................................. 5.0%
25 to 30........................................................... 15.5%
31 to 40........................................................... 20.8%
41 to 50........................................................... 27.1%
51 to 60........................................................... 24.4%
61 to 64............................................................. 4.8%
65 +................................................................... 2.1%
Don't know / Refused........................................ 0.3%
