Expand the supply of specialty and regular nurses to put an end to working short
Where vacancies are high and nurses are exhausted, BCNU is hearing that some managers have harassed BCNU members over legitimate use of sick time. This must stop immediately.
Nurses are entitled to call in sick when they are unwell or too worn out to safely care for their patients. And that happens when units are routinely run short staffed and nurses become exhausted and burned out.
BCNU will not tolerate intimidation of nurses regarding their use of duly negotiated sick time.
Today throughout the province, units are struggling due to a severe shortage of specialty nurses and because pre-booking casual staff does not always occur.
As a result the units are short staffed on many occasions. But working short is something our settlement agreement says will no longer happen, because absences must be replaced!
Many health authorities have done little to ensure the continuing flow of specialty nurses that replacing absences depends on. In the end it comes down to creating enough education spaces to ensure a steady, reliable supply is available. This is something we are currently working on with health authorities and the Ministry of Health as a result of our settlement agreement.
But until we see the results, BCNU will not let managers blame nurses when the root cause has been not forecasting needs and putting in place plans to meet them.
Overwork in the stressful environment caused by such shortages leaves nurses exhausted, worn out and demoralized.
The employer has also put up road blocks to replacement of absent nurses or adding extra staff when acuity and demand suggest they are needed. This is certainly not Safe Patient Care.
BCNU is here to protect nurses' right to replacement and to take sick leave when it would be unsafe for their patients if they reported to work.
The solution to short staffing issues across the province is to develop a steady stream of specialty nurses to meet critical demands, and to educate and hire enough nurses to ensure that absences are replaced as our contract and the settlement agreement specifies.