nursecrazy

Sorry, that was actually 66.7 nurses to 10,000 people in BC!! That's even worse!

I completely agree with what you are saying. Nurses are becoming this ridiculous image of "super nurses". Patients in the hospital and in long term care deserve to have adequate treatment, however that's not possible right now because of the lack of nurses. I researched this topic on the website http://www.nurses.ab.ca which is an Albertan website and I found an article that states "it is important to consider how the modern health care industry fails to foster or recognize fundamental values at the core of nursing" i.e: caring. I thought this was a great way to depict the lack of caring that our government has for nurses, yet we as health care professionals are expected to continuously pour our hearts and souls into our work. The major issue I want to point out is burnout. We've been trained as nurses to care and provide the best treatment we can. However, it's just not possible anymore and I believe nurses are feeling the pressure to always compassionate while at the same time trying to survive. Patient's then continue to feel the shortage. They receive poor quality of care. Nurses become snappy and rushed leaving a dangerous margin for errors. Did you know that there are 74.3 nurses for every 10, 000 people in B.C?? (http://www.rnabc.bc.ca) What I find most ironic is that cutbacks are the main reason for inadequate nursing staff. However, if we keep pressuring our nurses to work in stressful environments then we actually increase the cost of health care: our nurses then become ill. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be recognized. It is inhumane to expect nurses to give so much, yet receive so little. I have researched this topic on http://www.bcnu.org as well and found great articles seeking solutions to these problems. I also went to http://www.rnabc.bc.ca and found more information on causes of the shortage and the impact it will have on health care staff and the public. I appreciate any input on this subject! Thanks!

Actually, I am seeking people who are willing to give me personal input regarding this subject. I would like to hear what other people have to say about the nursing shortage and how they've seen or felt it in practice :) Also, I wouldn't mind hearing how other people feel about my views on this issue (am I wrong or right)

I am a second year nursing student who is currently obtaining my education in beatiful BC! I would like to discuss the issue of the well known nursing shortage with everyone. The nursing shortage that is occurring not only Canada but nation wide is becoming a well recognized, well publicized issue that impacts everyone invovled in a health care system. Nurses are facing the greatest impact from this epidemic. Nurses are becoming overwhelmed with greater patient case loads while facing health care cutbacks that leave them with little security. By this I mean nurses (especially here in BC) are becoming "casualized". Our government is providing nurses not only with terrible work environments, but with no medical or dental coverage as well. I find it disgusting that nurses can be treated so terribly, yet no movement has been made to improve the situation. Nurses also face the inevitable burn out; becoming overworked, underpaid, and questioning why they remain in the nursing field. Patients also suffer from the shortage. They receive poor quality of care and are at risk of being recipients of various nursing errors. This is frustrating as a student, and I am beginning to see why young graduates are leaving the country to seek more enjoyable work environments (which still then contributes to the shortage!) So if you have thoughts on how to improve this situation then PLEASE respond. Also share with me your feelings toward this situation or clarify and information I have posted incorrectly. Thanks! Nursecrazy PS- This is for school, so please oh please respond to me

I am a second year nursing student who is currently obtaining my education in beatiful BC! I would like to discuss the issue of the well known nursing shortage with everyone. The nursing shortage that is occurring not only Canada but nation wide is becoming a well recognized, well publicized issue that impacts everyone invovled in a health care system. Nurses are facing the greatest impact from this epidemic. Nurses are becoming overwhelmed with greater patient case loads while facing health care cutbacks that leave them with little security. By this I mean nurses (especially here in BC) are becoming "casualized". Our government is providing nurses not only with terrible work environments, but with no medical or dental coverage as well. I find it disgusting that nurses can be treated so terribly, yet no movement has been made to improve the situation. Nurses also face the inevitable burn out; becoming overworked, underpaid, and questioning why they remain in the nursing field. Patients also suffer from the shortage. They receive poor quality of care and are at risk of being recipients of various nursing errors. This is frustrating as a student, and I am beginning to see why young graduates are leaving the country to seek more enjoyable work environments (which still then contributes to the shortage!) So if you have thoughts on how to improve this situation then PLEASE respond. Also share with me your feelings toward this situation or clarify and information I have posted incorrectly. Thanks! Nursecrazy PS- This is for school, so please oh please respond to me

I am a second year nursing student who is currently obtaining my education in beatiful BC! I would like to discuss the issue of the well known nursing shortage with everyone. The nursing shortage that is occurring not only Canada but nation wide is becoming a well recognized, well publicized issue that impacts everyone invovled in a health care system. Nurses are facing the greatest impact from this epidemic. Nurses are becoming overwhelmed with greater patient case loads while facing health care cutbacks that leave them with little security. By this I mean nurses (especially here in BC) are becoming "casualized". Our government is providing nurses not only with terrible work environments, but with no medical or dental coverage as well. I find it disgusting that nurses can be treated so terribly, yet no movement has been made to improve the situation. Nurses also face the inevitable burn out; becoming overworked, underpaid, and questioning why they remain in the nursing field. Patients also suffer from the shortage. They receive poor quality of care and are at risk of being recipients of various nursing errors. This is frustrating as a student, and I am beginning to see why young graduates are leaving the country to seek more enjoyable work environments (which still then contributes to the shortage!) So if you have thoughts on how to improve this situation then PLEASE respond. Also share with me your feelings toward this situation or clarify and information I have posted incorrectly. Thanks! Nursecrazy :roll PS- This is for school, so please oh please respond to me :)

What I meant by public is a publicly accessed health system. In other words, a system where the government is the one responsible to paying provinical medical costs not the patient. A publicly accessible health care system also means that any person whether you be young or old rich or poor can access any medical resources available. However, it also means longer waitlists and less "aggressive" care. A private health care system is (to me) one that is run by a private company. This means it is NOT accessible to all people except those who can afford it. As I said before, the area I live in is looking to go from PUBLIC to PRIVATE. My biggest concern is how this impacts the nurses... their pay rate will be all over the scale! Not too mention changes in quality work environments (whether good or bad). I'm looking for nurses or anybody who shares any kind of opinion towards privatizing health care. I strongly feel it will has an impact on nurses but I'm wondering what kind of impact it actually has (pros and cons)

I am a nursing student working in a public health care system. This means that the general public (including those who have no income) can access any resources available to them in the health care areas. In the province that I live, the government is looking a privatizing our system. What do other nurses out there think about a privatized system versus a public system?

I agree that there is nursing shortage in Canada and it will indeed lead to an issue in quality of care for our patients. I also think that the nursing shortage will only get worse because of the media involvement with the nursing shortage. By this I mean that the media is emphasizing the shortage and the terrible working conditions canadian nurses work in. This will detract from potential nursing students from entering the program. Who would want to work in an overworked-underpayed environment? This may also lead to more nurses leaving canada to head to other places in the world where nurse to patient ratios are much more manageable.