More nurses are necessary to deal with current health-care woes, says the head of B.C.'s nurses union.
The B.C. government announced minimum nurse-to-patient ratios earlier this year, with one nurse to four patients for a majority of medical and surgical units and one-to-two for high-acuity. Adriane Gear, B.C. Nurses' Union president with over 30 years' registered nurse experience, told Black Press Media the ratios are something the union has been pushing for.
"That's something that certainly the evidence has supported for years," she said. "If we have enough nurses to take care of patients, it's a no-brainer that it improves patient outcomes, reduces mortality, fewer complications, reduces length of stay. That would be an example, as a union representing nurses, of really advocating and finding the evidence and making the case that this is what's best for B.C."
A national and international nursing shortage is the top concern for the union, Gear said. The shortage has led to the profession becoming hazardous at times. Physical aggression and violence that nurses face is on the rise, which is another concern.
"We understand that patients, residents, clients are extremely frustrated that there's delays and challenges accessing care," she said. "But what we're seeing is that nurses, not only are they trying to provide the best care possible, but they're really taking a lot of abuse sometimes from the public, because the public is so frustrated, and so that is definitely a concern."
The B.C. government declared the COVID-19 public health emergency over on July 26 and rescinded all related orders, and looking back, Gear said the pandemic was a taxing time for her union's membership.
Many people stayed home due to COVID-19, unlike nurses who worked every single day, she said, while often wondering who would care for them.
"Certainly through the pandemic, there was also a lot of appreciation for nurses, but what's really difficult is that things haven't gotten better," Gear said. "If anything, we have more severe staffing challenges, so it's not like we've come through the pandemic, and nurses have had an opportunity to catch their breath – they haven't."
Given the current health-care climate in B.C., a union is all the more vital for nurses, according to Gear.
"As a union, we can certainly amplify the voice of the front-line working nurse and as a union, not only are we speaking out about working conditions and patient safety conditions, but representing nurses," she said. "Nurses have lots of solutions that can make positive impact on the system."
The union president was also very complimentary of the members of the profession and all they have endured the past four years. While it's business as usual in some ways with the pandemic declared over, nurses continue to "not only go the extra mile, but go the extra 10 miles."
"Unfortunately, many members are burning out, and some are leaving the profession, and we know many more would like to and so we're at a time that's pretty critical…" she said. "There's obviously hope and optimism, especially around minimum nurse-patient ratios, but it is a time for the health authorities to get really serious about supporting nurses and other health-care workers and doing everything that they can to improve the conditions."
