Understaffed, overworked and at risk of violence - the conditions faced by our province鈥檚 nurses are reaching critical levels.
鈥淭here are significant challenges in the current healthcare system which prevent nurses from providing the care that they have the knowledge, skills, desire and compassion to do,鈥� explains Christine Sorensen, president of the B.C. Nurses鈥� Union (BCNU). 鈥淧atient demands are increasing, the patient population is increasing and the risk of violence is ever present for nurses, and what we鈥檙e trying to do is peel back the assumption that the healthcare system in BC is functioning well. Because it isn鈥檛.鈥�
That鈥檚 why the organization has launched the 鈥渋ts #thatbad鈥� campaign, to highlight the plight faced by nurses in BC and the role that the government and the public can play in helping them to heal the healthcare sector.聽聽
CRASHING HARD
Nursing is a demanding profession. Its members are on the front lines of BC鈥檚 health sector, day in and day out, often working long hours with no time to break or even go to the bathroom. But it鈥檚 not the just the physical stresses that are taking their toll on nurses either, they must also deal with the moral and psychological strain that their jobs entail too.聽
From life-threatening illness to crime, abuse, and addictions, nurses are faced with the extremes of human suffering. They also experience firsthand the feelings of grief, shock and trauma that people under their care, alongside their loved ones, go through.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e episodically exposed to human suffering as nurses are,鈥� says Adriane Gear, Acting Vice President of BCNU. 鈥淚t can very easily lead to psychological injury or illness as people burn out and breakdown.鈥�
As a result of the nature of their roles, nurses are at greater risk of mental health issues such as anxiety, depressions and in some cases post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other professions.聽
According to data collected by WorkSafeBC in 2016, nurses accounted for nearly 12% of all mental disorder claims and over 10% of all claims registered for PTSD. However, unlike first responders, nurses haven鈥檛 benefited from government legislation designed to give them faster access to the resources and help they deserve, despite facing the same trauma as part of their day-to-day jobs.聽
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the unique thing about nurses,鈥� explains Sorensen. 鈥淣urses cope the best they can for as long as they can, but when they can no longer cope they crash hard and that鈥檚 unfortunate because nurses become victims and patients in their own healthcare system. What we鈥檙e seeing is nurses stretched too thin and suffering the consequences as a result.鈥澛�
THE CONSTANT THREAT OF VIOLENCE
Beyond the emotional and psychological strains that are associated with the profession, the BCNU is also working to draw the public鈥檚 attention to the growing threat of violence that BC鈥檚 nurses currently face.
鈥淲e all have the right to return to our families at the end of the day free from psychological and physical harm,鈥� explains Gear. 鈥淎nd it shouldn鈥檛 be any different for a nurse.鈥�
According to a recent survey by the University College of the Cariboo (now part of Thompson Rivers University), nearly half (46%) of nurses in BC and Alberta have experienced one or more types of violence during the last five shifts that they鈥檝e worked. What鈥檚 more, these findings could be just the tip of the iceberg with 70% of nurses in the same survey admitting that they had not reported violence that they have experienced.聽
鈥淭he figures are staggering, but the reality is that there simply isn鈥檛 the support in place to keep nurses safe,鈥� Gear adds. 鈥淚 know there are a lot of demands on the healthcare system and on its budgets, but we can鈥檛 continue to just limp along and expect nurses to work in some cases in very dangerous situations.鈥澛�
As a result, BCNU is calling on the provincial government to implement measures to reduce violence in healthcare. That includes public education and awareness, changes to federal legislation and putting protective mechanisms in place in facilities to ensure that nurses are working in an environment where they can safely provide care.聽
TIME FOR ACTION聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e investing in the buildings and technologies that we need to provide acute care which we鈥檙e very supportive of,鈥� says Sorensen. 鈥淏ut without nurses, who will fill those buildings and who will provide those services?鈥�
It鈥檚 a statement that cuts right to the heart of the issue. After all, nurses are the backbone of BC鈥檚 healthcare system. They are the people on the frontlines, those who are relied upon day in and day out to deliver the very best patient care to our province.
So why aren鈥檛 they being listened to?聽
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we initiated the 鈥渋t鈥檚 #thatbad鈥� campaign,鈥� says Sorensen. 鈥淣urses are incredibly compassionate, hardworking individuals. They鈥檙e here to help patients and they know exactly what needs to be done to enable them to do that to the best of their abilities. But they need their voice to be heard in order for it to make a difference.鈥澛�
That starts by addressing issues such as staffing, recruitment and retention, and the ongoing threat of violence that BC鈥檚 nurses face. It鈥檚 also a process that must involve the nurses themselves.聽
For too long BC鈥檚 decision-makers have failed to provide the province鈥檚 nurses with the support and responsibility they need to provide the best quality of care possible to patients. But by giving them the tools they need to perform their roles in a safe and secure environment they can not only help to improve the lives of nurses, but of BC as a whole.
