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Prince Rupert medical staff persistently face challenges

The BC Nurses' Union experience rising concerns in the work place
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Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.

Despite a decline in recent ER closures, Prince Rupert continues to grapple with difficulties faced by nurses and growing healthcare staff shortages.

As of July 2024, 30 physicians are practicing in the city according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia's registry. This number is one less than the number who were working during the eight emergency room closures in March this year.

“In the case of Prince Rupert Regional Hospital, all emergency department service interruptions (diversions) to date have been the result of gaps in physician coverage,” said Eryn Collins, a spokesperson for Northern Health.

In May 2024, more than six million Canadians said they do not have regular access to primary care physicians, as per Our Care National Survey Findings. 

The BC Nurses Union (BCNU) in late 2023 reported a shortage of over 5,000 nurses making it very difficult for them to meet people’s healthcare needs. 

“All nurses are experiencing a fair bit of violence in the workplace and a lack of staff, which means we're not getting as many breaks,” said Teri Forster, regional council member, North West Region BC Nurses’ union.  

She said they’re seeing external agency nurses or travel nurses take up a growing number of positions in their communities, which is getting frustrating for local nurses.

“Because on one hand, we have the health authority saying that there isn't extra money for paying for lunches or extra things. And yet these external agency nurses are getting meal vouchers and hotels and things like that. So it can lead to people feeling a little bit undervalued.”

She added these nurses earn two to three times more than the local nurses.

A May 2024 BCNU survey found that in the hospitals that fall under the Northern Health region, at least once a month 85 per cent of nurses experienced verbal or emotional abuse and 94 per cent are working short-staffed.

“Most commonly it's verbal altercations, where people are frustrated at the lack of ability to see a doctor as quickly as they would like. And they take it out on the nurses and other health care staff,” said Forster.

The survey also found that on a monthly basis, 50 per cent were exposed to weapons, 72 per cent were exposed to illicit substances, 54 per cent experienced physical violence, and 34 per cent were seriously considering leaving nursing or are already planning to do so.

“We all live in a community. So any time our ERs close due to a lack of staffing, it causes moral distress. Now, keeping an ER open when we don't have sufficiently trained staff is also distressing. So really, Northern Health needs to put a fair bit of effort into ensuring that they are hiring and retaining, the biggest keyword being retaining the staff that are trained to work in an emergency," said Forster.

She also informed The Northern View that the nurse-to-patient ratio the provincial government announced on March 1 has not been implemented yet, but they are still figuring out how to make it work.

The BCNU is currently working with the health authority and the government to bring in paid time off and paid trips for nurses to get time outside the community, so they can rest and recuperate to return to their jobs. Teri suggests that simple things like local hockey tickets can encourage and help retain nurses, but they have to talk to local nurses and value their suggestions.

“The key is to encourage the public to remember that nurses have chosen to come in and support the community…taking our frustration out on them, in person or on social media is not helping people choose to stay in our community,” said Forster.

Collins said they have been working hard to address the challenges faced by medical staff, especially in rural health centres such as Prince Rupert.

They have deployed various incentives to make Prince Rupert Regional Hospital more attractive to professionals, including signing bonuses and income guarantees.

 



About the Author: Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative

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