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September 28, 1999
Nurses challenge Ottawa to address nursing shortage
Federal funds are needed immediately to open more college and university seats for nursing students, and to pay for senior nurses who must assist new graduates on the job. Union calls for immediate restoration of federal money that was cut five years ago for post-secondary education. Health employers offer support
In the wake of canceled surgeries and bed closures throughout the province, the BC Nurses' Union is challenging the federal government to take immediate steps to address Canada's growing shortage of nurses.
"It's time for Ottawa to begin helping cash-strapped provinces solve this crisis," says Cathy Ferguson, president of the BC Nurses' Union. "They can do that by targeting funds towards the creation of new nursing seats at universities and colleges in every region of Canada. They can find the money by putting back into the system the money they cut from post-secondary education five years ago."
In addition, Ferguson says Ottawa also must make money available so hospitals and other health care facilities can free up senior nurses to assist nursing students during their on-the-job placements. These senior nurses play a vital role as preceptors and mentors for the students as they complete their training through practical workplace experience. Without these preceptors being available, educational institutions have a difficult task increasing the number of nursing students they can educate. Currently, because of their workloads, senior nurses have a hard time making themselves available for the preceptorship role.
The union's call has the support of the Health Employers' Association of BC. HEABC chief executive officer Gary Moser says "Canada, and particularly British Columbia, has relied for decades on importing nurses from elsewhere and it is time for us to address our shortage by substantially increasing our training capacity and ensuring that nurse education becomes a high priority, affordable option".
Massive cuts to federal transfer payments in recent years have reduced the provinces' ability to fund health care and education. In 1998/99, for example, Ottawa slashed $47 million in transfer payments to post-secondary education in BC alone. In total, since 1995/96, the feds have cut $115 million in federal cash transfers to post-secondary education in BC. Other provinces have been forced to deal with similar reductions.
BCNU and HEABC are adding their voices to many others who have spoken out on the need for national resources and coordination. Earlier this month, the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions and other groups appealed to federal Health Minister Alan Rock during the meeting of federal/provincial/territorial health ministers' conference in Charlottetown. "We sent a letter asking that they deal urgently with the nursing shortage. On our list of immediate actions was to expand the number of seats in nursing programs," says Debra McPherson, secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions.
McPherson says a letter has come back in response and a meeting with Deputy Ministers of Health is being arranged to address the shortage. She says it can't happen soon enough. "Every week that we wait prolongs the agony of the nursing workforce and jeopardizes the future quality of patient care."
BCNU's Ferguson points out that while the nursing shortage in BC has forced hospitals to close beds and operating rooms, students applying to nursing schools are being turned away because of a lack of funding. Last year more than 2,600 applicants applied for 949 spaces in BC's nursing schools. In 1998, only 659 nursing school students graduated in BC, which means we must currently try to attract about 45 per cent of our nurses from other provinces and countries. "The nursing shortage is international in scope," says Ferguson, "so becoming self-sufficient in terms of educating nurses is the only way to go."
The situation will become more critical in coming years, says Ferguson, because four thousand of BC's practicing nurses can take early retirement now because they have reached 55 years of age.
"That's why, besides addressing the recruitment of new nurses," says Ferguson, "we must also look at ways of retaining our present workforce. We can do that by reducing workloads, addressing compensation issues and allowing nurses to do what they do best - provide nursing care to the people of BC, while freeing RNs from the responsibilities of non-nursing duties by hiring more support staff to do these tasks."
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