For Immediate Release October 19, 2006
The nursing shortage
hitting now
Growth in number of nurses not enough, says nurses’ union
The growth in the number of Registered Nurses working in Alberta and Canada is a bit of good news, but in fact it remains far short of what our health system needs, says the United Nurses of Alberta.
“The shortage of nurses is having a serious impact on care right now,” says Bev Dick, UNA Vice President. “The backlogs in our Emergency departments occur primarily because there are not enough beds open in our hospitals. Health Regions are trying to open more beds but one of the big problems is the shortage of Registered nurses.”
The Alberta government was forced by public opinion to reinvest in health care after the cuts of the 1990s. There have not been enough Registered nurses available to fill all the positions needed for that catch-up growth.
The shortage is province-wide. Capital Health Region has 120 RN jobs posted on its website and are saying they need 300 more nurses in the short term. In Calgary, managers are offering nurses double-time pay to fill empty shifts. Even at that rate the shifts are staying empty.
In recent months ICUs and other units have been temporarily closed because of staff shortages. The hospital in Grande Prairie is desperately trying to recruit to fill vacancies and brought in a northern allowance earlier this year to help.
“Our nurses are reporting we have serious problems with understaffing in ERs, ICUs and many, many areas,” says Bev Dick. “When you have understaffing, the remaining nurses come under tremendous pressure and many nurses go part-time or casual to work less time.”
The national report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) showed that Alberta has one of the lowest rates of full-time nursing employment. The national average is 54% of nurses working full-time but in Alberta it is significantly lower at 38.2%.
There are about 3,400 more RNs working in Alberta than in 2001, but the number who are working full-time has actually dropped.
“We haven’t actually gained as much as the total numbers suggest,” points out Bev Dick.
She also points out that studies show that the best nursing care is delivered when about 70% of nurses are working full-time. “We’re far below what is optimal for continuity of care and quality outcomes.”
The report also shows that 9,824 of the province’s 26,355 RNs – over one third – are 50 years of age or older.
“The big retirement crunch that has been predicted for years will really be starting now,” Bev Dick says. “We can, and we must, encourage nurses to stay in the profession and also to encourage more nurses to work full-time. If we don’t, the shortage will be much worse and the effects on our system will be even more serious.”
Most Registered nurses retire at about age 55, which is lower than the average in the general workforce.
United Nurses of Alberta is the union for 23,000 Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and some allied health workers in the province. This includes almost all the nurses working for the Health Regions in the public health care system, as well as nurses in many of the province’s long-term care facilities.
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