AHS - replacing nurses with HCA's?

World Canada

Published

http://www.una.ab.ca/190/elimination-of-frontline-nurses-in-edmonton-adds-to-provincial-total

"UNA representatives were told that Alberta Health Services plans to eliminate twenty-three Registered Nurse positions and four Licensed Practical Nurse positions in 4 medical and surgical units at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.The 27 eliminated positions will be replaced by two 'collaborative practice leaders' working in management and 16 health care aides."

I'm really not sure how they think that HCA's can replace RNs and LPNs.

Terrifying.

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Yikes!!!!

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I work at one of the facilities that this "Care Transformation' is going to be started on Sept 9. At our hospital it is going to be demoed on one acute medicine unit and one acute surgical unit. The surgical unit it is being initiated on it typically sent the most acute post op patients that do not go to icu/step down. These are not transitional units at all and it's really alarming. On the surgical unit the RN and LPN complement was cut by almost 40%.

I seriously don't even understand how they can do this... So the NA's are going to be the "nurse"? How many patients will each nurse be assigned?? You will have to let us know how it goes.

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I'm working as a health care aide in home care right now. My coworkers and I were talking about it, and they agreed that there is no way they would feel comfortable working on those units.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

One of the key issues is this: AHS and all these other health authorities can replace nurses with aides all they like. However, either an RN or an LPN will be responsible for patient care because they hold the license.

That's fine, except on some of these acute units where they continue to cut both aides and licensed staff, patients will ultimately suffer and some will die. You're going to see people refusing to work certain units.

What a disaster.

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Specializes in General Internal Medicine, ICU.

I work at one of the hospitals that is piloting the new model. The unit piloting it just laid off a bunch of LPNs and some RNs to fit lines into the new model. Everybody that I've talked to seem to think that the new model won't work and I agree. As an RN I fail to see how you can provide quality care with reduced staff; especially at night. 2 RNs caring for 28-31 patients is a recipe for disaster. NAs are useful but they cannot replace nurses. But AHS seem to think that they can so we will see how the pilot goes...people may have to die before AHS gets the point.

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And I've met one of the HCAs who will be on the pilot unit. She's not impressed either. Added responsibility is not what she wants.

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Fiona, did she say what her increased responsibilities will be? Did she say how AHS seems to think this will work?

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Specializes in General Internal Medicine, ICU.
And I've met one of the HCAs who will be on the pilot unit. She's not impressed either. Added responsibility is not what she wants.

But with the propaganda that AHS is putting out, everyone ought to be happy at being able to work to their fullest scope! Never mind patient safety!!

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Fiona, did she say what her increased responsibilities will be? Did she say how AHS seems to think this will work?

She said it was all kind of vague. Vitals, emptying foley bags, emptying ostomy bags, repositioning. Nothing that they shouldn't have been doing (apart from the vitals) all along. But she said, the magic words "other related duties" were going to be added.

Considering some of the NAs I've worked with had very limited English and wouldn't empty any type of bags, I don't see this working out.

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