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Bryce Boynton, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, said the number of nurses willing to leave their field due to burnout and poor working conditions is “shocking.”
A recent survey conducted by the union indicated that more than half of Saskatchewan’s nurses are thinking of leaving the profession for another line of work.
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Almost all of the 1,800 respondents to the survey said they are seeing long wait times for surgeries or treatments, and about 82 per cent said they have seen patients put at risk because of staffing issues within the health system over the past year.
“We’re hearing about short staffing from literally every corner of this province, every single place, everywhere, regardless of what department you’re in,” Boynton said.
Boynton said he received an email on Thursday from the Regina General Hospital’s operating rooms department, stating that lack of available staff has led to nurses being “almost forced” or “coerced” into excessive overtime — to the point of working for 24 hours straight, in some cases.
“Do you want people who are working 24 hours straight providing surgical care to your loved ones?” Boynton asked.
“It scares nurses that they have to be put in that position to provide care after that long of a shift, or the patient just doesn’t get the care they need.”
He pointed to the maternal ward at the same hospital, where he said patients are waiting hours to be cared for, delivering babies in triage beds and having Cesarean sections delayed or cancelled and being denied epidurals due to a lack of staff.
Boynton said in Tisdale, nurses were short staffed for almost an entire month.
The union president said he wants to see a task force created, so nurses can sit at the table with decision makers to help find solutions for the health-care system.
“I would encourage them to work very closely with front-line nurses and those that work with them to make those changes,” Boynton said.
Boynton said he wants to see the province have more recruitment measures and retention efforts to keep current nurses from burning out.
“There is an excessive amount of overtime, an excessive amount of travel nurse use, to the point where we can literally hire hundreds of new full time positions,” he said.
While it might be concerning to the public to hear that nurses are ready to check out, he said they still want the best for patients.
“Despite the short staffing, despite the lack of resources from the employer, at times, they’re still showing up and trying their best and doing their best for you, because they believe in the care that they provide,” Boynton said.
Health minister optimistic nurses, patients will get a fair deal
On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the province is getting into “the heat of bargaining” with the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and other health-care unions.
“I’m optimistic that we’re going to get to a place that’s a fair deal for health-care workers, but also a fair deal for patients.”
While he acknowledged there is still work to be done, he said he is confident an agreement can be made.
When asked about the survey, Cockrill said he thought only about 14 per cent of the workforce actually responded.
According to the nursing union’s website, the union represents more than 10,000 registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners in the province.
“That being said, any time there’s a concern from anybody who works in the health-care workforce, we need to take those concerns seriously,” Cockrill added.
Boynton said for an organization of the size of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, the number of participants was an “amazing sample size.”
“I think it’s great that (Cockrill) says he’s taking these concerns seriously, but to say that only 1,800 nurses responded, I think, is a bad way to look at it,” Boynton said, noting he’s heard concerns about staffing issues from nurses across Saskatchewan.
