Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) at Bluewater Health -- and across the province -- are feeling burnt out and are hoping to make others aware of how many are willing to leave the health care sector altogether.
SEIU Healthcare, a national union representing 60,000 frontline workers, recently released findings of a Nanos Research poll that said 60 per cent of RPNs in Ontario are considering quitting.
The poll also highlighted the reasons behind why one may want to leave the profession, ranging from burnout to suppressed wage increases.
The Ford government passed Bill 124 in 2019. The bill caps wage increases for public sector employees at one per cent on an annual basis for three years.
To draw attention to the severity of the potential impending situation, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and SEIU Healthcare held a media conference outside of Bluewater Health on Wednesday.
"It's very tough coming into work, knowing you are going to be short-staffed," said Bluewater Health RPN Tim Allen, who works in the operating room department. He said there's a constant concern that same-day admitted patients may have their procedures or surgeries cancelled.
"The truth is, it's not a shortage of beds that's the problem, there are plenty of beds. So when the government says there are not enough beds, it really means there's not enough staff," Allen said.
Local RPNs Catherine Mcanally and Tim Allen. April 26, 2023. (Photo by Natalia Vega)
Fellow RPN Catherine Mcanally said there's sometimes a ratio of five patients to one nurse on the acute floor and a seven-to-one ratio at night on the medicine floor.
"We don't have the staff to be able to call in, our vacations are being denied because sometimes we don't have the people who can replace us," said Mcanally. "Keeping up with the demand of surgeries and the amount of people and patients that come into our floors are exceeding our limits, and it's not good."
The Nanos poll said 82 per cent of respondents experienced high levels of stress, 64 per cent have trouble sleeping, 64 per cent dread going to work, and 42 per cent suffer from depression.
Aside from a lack of support by having additional staff to lean on, Allen also said the cap on wage increases affects morale.
"You hear other sectors in the province, their wages are going up … and we're capped at one per cent so the morale in the hospital is like, 'well, what about us?'" Allen also said some nurses are at the point of willing to take a pay cut and work in a different field.
"Despite what the government says, they call us heroes but they don't treat us like heroes. They treat us like zeros," Allen said.
Mcanally and Allen both said it's a tough situation to be in as most RPNs enjoy the job itself and love working with patients.
"We didn't get into health care for the money, we got into it for the people but we also need to be paid the proper wage," Mcanally said.
"We're not getting paid the amount of money that we should if we're going to have to do more things that should be an RN (Registered Nurses) role and we have a 'Drive to 35' [campaign] because we should be paid a minimum of $35 an hour to do the job that we're doing, not including anything that the CNO (College Of Nurses Of Ontario) wants to increase our scope with. That's what we're here for, the 'Drive to 35' and to make sure that we don't get burnout. We're burnt out from all of this!"
Mcanally and Allen both said "yes" that the threat was very real for Ontario to lose many of its RPNs.
In an email to Sarnia News Today, Bluewater Health VP of Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive Shannon Landry said Bluewater Health and the OHA do not support Bill 124.
"We acknowledge the challenge that Bill 124 imposed on negotiations with union partners," said Landry. "While there is no one single contributor or solution that will fundamentally address the deep-rooted and multi-faceted health human resource challenges facing Ontario’s health care system, we know that collective bargaining is an important part of a larger, comprehensive strategy to address these challenges. Bluewater Health continues to meet with union partners to discuss local adjustments to wage rates. We also recognize that our point of care employees are tired and experiencing fatigue and distress – to help mitigate this, we are focusing on comprehensive recruitment and retention strategies, as well as doing everything we can to invest in wellness and resilience supports for our frontline staff.”
Wednesday's event comes about one week ahead of Nursing Week, which begins on May 8.
