Burnout has reached critical point
Gruelling demands make it challenging to keep answering the call
The fact is, the nursing profession has never been as battered and bruised, and nurses have had enough. The women and men with hearts of gold and nerves of steel, who exude compassion and courage, are calling it quits.
For the second year in a row, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has chosen #Weanswerthecall as the theme for National Nursing Week (May 9-15).
After missing out on the muchlauded celebrations that 2020 — The Year of the Nurse — promised, the “answer the call” theme seemed appropriate for 2021. Nurses and other dedicated health-care professionals stepped up during what was perceived to be the peak of the pandemic.
Little did we know that 2022 would be as arduous and demoralizing for our beleaguered health-care system, and those who struggle to keep it afloat, as it was at the onset of the pandemic. That’s why the CNA repeated the #Weanswerthecall mantra again this year — not for lack of imagination or effort, but rather thoughtful consideration of the circumstances, circumstances that have only worsened this past year.
Despite vaccines, a broadened familiarity of personal protective equipment and a workable knowledge of epidemiology, COVID-19 evades our best efforts to stop it from spreading. With the widely anticipated loosening of restrictions, we’re witnessing an increase in cases and, tragically, deaths. This was not the outcome we had collectively hoped for.
SPEAKING UP
Over the course of my near 40-year nursing career and 20-plus years as a labour leader, I’ve maintained that, regardless of the state of health care and how taxing the system is on our valuable but dwindling nursing resources, I would remain reserved in my tone. I’ve been reticent to raise alarms that could cause the public to lose confidence in our system or be fearful to seek medical treatment. My position on publicly downplaying the gravity of the situation has reversed over the last 12 months.
It’s possible that during my 20-year tenure as the president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union you’ve seen me on TV or heard me on the radio speaking about the nursing shortage, excessive overtime, violence in the workplace, fair wages, occupational health and safety and much more. I’m a regular with media outlets, as evidenced by my calendar appointments and the number of people who recognize me at Costco.
Levity aside, a great friend and mentor once told me a good day in the nurse-union business is one where the organization is not on the supperhour newscast. She was right, and she was wrong. Right, because our goal is to attain a healthy health-care system — one that does not warrant news headlines. She was wrong simply because that goal is unattainable. There will always be room for improvement and, sadly, job security for someone like me.
Of late, like my counterparts across the country, I’ve been vocal about the urgent need for a pan-canadian health human resource strategy, one that will equip provinces and territories with the tools and information to fend off future staffing shortages and untenable conditions.
A recent survey conducted by the NSNU’S national affiliate, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), indicated that 80 per cent of nurses report insufficient staffing in their workplace, with two-thirds saying the quality of care has declined over the past year. Nurses also said burnout is up to 45 per cent from 29 per cent within the last two years. How is it possible that after tirelessly advocating for nurses, and talking about the decades-long nursing shortage and its impending fallout, we find ourselves in this situation?
LOSING GOOD PEOPLE
The fact is, the nursing profession has never been as battered and bruised, and nurses have had enough. The women and men with hearts of gold and nerves of steel, who exude compassion and courage, are calling it quits. They are leaving full-time positions for more manageable and stabilizing part-time or casual positions. They are leaving the public system for different options in the private sector, and some are hanging up their scrubs entirely. These are the headlines that are prevalent.
Nurses make up the largest segment of the health-care workforce. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that as nursing numbers decline, so does our ability to safely and effectively deliver care to Nova Scotians.
Despite the efforts of governments, past and present, to retain and recruit nurses, most measures fall short of making the workplace safer or more acceptable by basic labour standards. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, nurses had some of the most stressful and unsafe jobs. Holding your pee well beyond what’s normal, being spat on or physically struck, eating lunch closer to suppertime, or having your well-earned vacation denied for the third consecutive summer pale in comparison to watching your patient die, but all contribute to a career that is likely unsustainable, bordering on traumatic.
Some admonish nurses for reducing their work availability, claiming they are abandoning their duties and responsibilities at a time when they are needed most. I think it takes a brave person to admit that their esteemed career and calling is not good for their physical or mental state. I believe walking away or limiting exposure to that which harms you is a last-ditch attempt at self-preservation.
WE’RE NOT SUPERHEROES
People will say, “They knew what they signed up for when they entered the profession.” To be clear, women and men who pursue a career in nursing love science, are compassionate, resilient and thoughtful. They’re not afraid of long hours and the messiness of the human condition. And, at the end of their gruelling and punishing shift, they show up the next day to do it all over again.
So, why are nurses now struggling to answer the call — the call that they have answered time and time again? Because health-care workers are not warriors or superheroes. They have limits, too.
I commend the Houston government for its commitment to making health care a priority, but the Action to Health roadmap to better access to care in a timely manner is short on details and dates. Nova Scotians echoed that opinion in recent public polls. While a sooner-than-later approach is desired, admittedly it’s hard to undo years of neglect and resolve complex problems. I urge this government and all stakeholders to set targets and continue to make health care a priority.
As another National Nursing Week unfolds, there are some positives on the horizon. In spite of the aspersions, nursing is among the fastest-growing professions, with more students applying to nursing programs across Canada than ever before. That speaks volumes about the profession and the intrinsic rewards it extends. And nurses themselves are speaking up, not just in defiance of a broken system, but in opposition of the treatment they’re being dealt and the short- and long-term consequences for patients, residents and clients.
We’re at the precipice of change as governments, unions, nurses, educational institutions, employers, regulators, the electorate and other stakeholders share the common goal of making work life better and safer for nurses and others. However, effective and lasting change will not happen overnight. We must be patient and persistent.
This week, and every week, be thankful for our nursing community, and show nurses the respect they so deserve.
On behalf of the NSNU, I thank nurses for showing up, speaking out and always being part of the solution.
Janet Hazelton is president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, representing 8,000 nurses (licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners), across all sectors of care throughout the province — long-term care, acute care and community care. She writes from Dartmouth, N.S.