Bronchitis is no fun

I’ve been feeling under the weather with a barky cough, sore chest and the feeling that someone has rubbed my airways with sandpaper so I managed to wheedle my way into a Dr. appointment to see if he agreed with my diagnosis of bronchitis (he did) and so now I have an inhaler and the promise I’ll feel better in a week. I’m too busy to feel like this.

We had a session about Nursing Standards from our College of Registered Nurses at work and it was quite intense, especially as regards to accountability. In keeping with the healthcare topic, first a letter by union leaders in the newspaper:

Longer waits ahead for patients

Wed. May 7 - 6:29 AM

The provincial government estimates 1,300 nurses and 860 health care workers can retire by 2010.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CiHi) reports that the RN workforce in Nova Scotia increased by just 292 nurses from 2003 to 2006. Nova Scotia educates only 318 registered nurses per year with about 20 per cent of those leaving for other provinces or the United States upon graduation.

Many other nurses and health care workers burn out from overwork and simply leave their profession.

In short, we don’t have enough nurses and health care workers right now and the need will grow dramatically in the very near future.

The provincial government responded to this growing problem in its recent budget by creating just 16 training seats. Sixteen new seats will generate less than one per cent of the new nurses and health care workers who could retire by the year 2010. Government also added $416,000 to a recruitment and retention strategy for allied health professionals.

These initiatives won’t find the 1,300 nurses and 860 health care workers we are going to need.

We cannot understand why the provincial government is neglecting this growing problem and why it is refusing to address a shortage when that refusal means longer wait times for patients in Nova Scotia.

The provincial budget is a clear admission that the current government is not up to the job. The premier has repeatedly said recruitment and retention is a national problem, which means there’s little he can do about it. And his government has endorsed all recommendations of the Corpus Sanchez report which, among other things, says we should reduce services in rural Nova Scotia, including laboratory and emergency room services.

Instead of focusing on recruitment and retention, the premier has chosen to focus on reducing services.

Solving the recruitment and retention problem is challenging, but it can be done. A solution requires a firm commitment from government.

Here are just a few examples of where the government needs to focus its attention.

Nova Scotia needs a government that is committed to eliminating workplace violence and other occupational health and safety concerns. Many of our nursing home and acute care staff suffer abuse on the job. Another recent CiHi study showed almost half of all nursing home patients display behavioural problems.

We have operating staff, such as nurses and perfusionists, who work for up to 20 hours, sometimes longer, and then are required to report back to work within six hours. In many parts of the province, lab and diagnostic imaging staff face the same problem. Often that means just three or four hours of sleep before they are required to assist in another surgery or conduct tests.

We need to increase training seats and work-based upgrading opportunities. Seven hundred people applied to the Dalhousie nursing program last year, but there are only about 150 seats available. The interest is there, but the opportunity is not. The same problem exists for many health care professions, such as diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine to name just a couple.

We need to develop new, mid- and late-career enhancement programs for nurses and health care workers.

We need to provide relief for staff who are required to work excessive and forced overtime. Nurses and health care staff are worked to the breaking point.

We need to establish concrete recruitment and retention targets similar to those proposed in other provinces.

We need to fast-track approvals for specialty nurse practitioners. Right now the province announces which communities will be approved for a new nurse practitioner only once each year. Communities and nurse practitioners wait all year to find out if they are approved.

We need to improve work-life balance for nurses and health care workers through such measures as expanded use of weekend nurse positions and by creating weekend health care positions. These positions essentially pay a slightly higher rate for people who choose to work weekends, thus allowing other staff to spend more weekends with their families.

We need to encourage more men to enter health care professions. Right now only 25 per cent of our health care workers and just 3.5 per cent of our nurses are male, which is well below the national average.

And we need a government that will engage the unions and our members in meaningful discussions about the work environment and how it can be improved. This should include an evaluation of the physical workspace, as Nova Scotia has number of old and environmentally questionable buildings in need of repair or replacement.

Unfortunately, the provincial government’s budget neglects our growing nurse and health care shortage. That will mean Nova Scotians can expect longer waits in the emergency room and for surgeries, diagnostic tests and other procedures.

Submitted by Danny Cavanagh, president of CUPE Nova Scotia; Joan Jessome, president of NSGEU; Janet Hazelton, president of NSNU; Susan Burrows, national representative for CAW; and Cindy Wamback, president of SEIU Local 902.

Then an article on the front page speaking of the nursing shortage, need for retention etc:

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/

I’ve been following along with the post cyclone situation in Myanmar and there was a news blurb about a non-profit based out of Toronto called GlobalMedic, which sounded like they really had the global relief situation figured out:

http://www.dmgf.org/

I’m thinking if I were able to head overseas they would be a good outfit to deal with
Mind you, I’d be wise to check out the listing of world’s dangerous places when I’m tossing off the “overseas” ideas:

http://ca.pfinance.yahoo.com/ca_finance_general/507/worlds-most-dangerous-destinations/

And for those of you who like to travel in a more upscale style:

http://ca.pfinance.yahoo.com/ca_finance_general/653/the-worlds-most-stylish-cities/


The Calgarian daughter has been updating the job search situation out west and has had a few interesting encounters (not unusual for her as she attracts the unusual) as she was trying to send a resume to one of the temp agencies for a posting and her Chinese roommate had generously offered her the use of his computer but…. the Word program was in Mandarin and no way to download English so that required some explanation. Then she attempted to contact someone originally from here and that resulted in an invitation to use the computer so a cross-city transit ride, search for the apt. and fruitless calling until giving up and heading home. Apparently the Calgary library system charges a $12 annual fee but at least allow use of a flash stick so that dilemma was solved this a.m. This p.m. she tells me that she’s been reinvited and so is meeting the son of a friend who she hadn’t seen for a few years who describes himself as “tall, with a bad haircut and wearing black” hmmm some things don’t change. As I said, attracting the unusual is usual.

And in closing, for those of you not looking for anything more exotic than a good book to read:

www.juicespot.ca