Nurses schedule extended to the new year

A nursing schedule that ensured there were enough nurses available at local emergency departments throughout the summer has been extended until at least the new year.

Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) announced Friday that its summer nursing schedule at emergency departments in Glace Bay, New Waterford, North Sydney and Sydney would be extended.

“We’ve looked at the ongoing vacancies and pending hires and there is still a challenge covering shifts at the regional ED,” said Brett MacDougall, director for emergency program of care in NSHA’s Eastern Zone. “Because the Regional Hospital is the main referral and trauma centre for the area, its ED needs to stay open 24/7. We are fortunate and thankful to have the reassigned RNs, travel nurses and experienced emergency RNs who remain at our community hospitals all working hard to ensure the people in our communities continue to receive emergency care.”

In June, the summer schedule was put in place to temporarily reassign registered nurses (RNs) with emergency experience from the community hospitals and mobile care team (MCT) in New Waterford to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital emergency department (ED) in Sydney.

The reassignment was due to a shortage of emergency RNs to cover shifts at the regional ED. Some travel nurses also covered shifts in the regional ED and they will continue to be part of the nursing schedule.

NSHA is working on further RN recruitment, staffing solutions and orientation of RNs for work in local emergency departments.

If you have an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest open emergency department. For non-emergency health needs, call 811 or visit a primary health care provider. The provincial Mental Health Crisis Line operates 24/7 at 1-888-429-8167.