New study reveals more stress on Ontario nurses
‘I have to say it was the most shocking research in 40 years that I’ve done, which was listening to the healthcare workers current situation’
Dr. James Brophy believes Tommy Douglas would roll in his grave if he could see the healthcare situation in Canada, specifically here in Ontario these days.
Dr. Brophy, a researcher affiliated with the University of Windsor, is behind a new study outlining the concerns of Ontario nurses.
Brophy along with Michael Hurley, the president of OCHU-CUPE, are travelling the north this week to share some of the results from the 26-page study based on interviews with CUPE hospital workers including nurses, personal support workers, and clerical staff.
Dr. Brophy says the qualitative study was complemented by a poll surveying 775 hospital workers, including those working in northern Ontario venues.
He notes this is the fourth study he has done looking at the working conditions and the emotional and physical well-being of Ontario hospital workers.
“Over the last seven years, we’ve been here reporting on that on numerous occasions,” noted Dr. Brophy.
“The first two studies were on violence in hospitals and violence and long-term care, both issues that I think are well known in North Bay, and then we wouldn’t have them, but I have to say it was the most shocking research in 40 years that I’ve done, which was listening to the healthcare workers current situation.
“Both this one and the ones on violence, which were kind of the genesis of all this research, because it’s a reflection of the working conditions and what the health and safety conditions are of healthcare workers, and it was something I didn’t know about. One of the reasons we didn’t know about it is because there’s so much reluctance on the part of healthcare workers to speak out, which is actually something in this study, that I think is so incredible, their voices are so clear and so penetrating.”
Dr. Brophy notes the threat of more privatization in the province will make things worse.
“Privatization is definitely a player in this whole process,” said Dr. Brophy.
“The nurses, for instance, were very upset about this, with the nursing agencies coming in and doing work often being paid substantially more than the nurses that were working there under much better conditions. What is going to happen is that so many nurses will reach the point where they no longer can tolerate these conditions.”
The Province says reinforcements are coming
Vic Fedeli, Nipissing’s MPP used numbers to come to the province’s defence.
He says Ontario has the largest nursing workforce in Canada with a total of 40 per cent more RNs providing direct care than the next highest province.
“Ontario also has the highest rate of full-time employment for RNs, six per cent higher than the national average. Our government is continuing to grow our healthcare workforce at unprecedented rates, now and in the years to come.
“Over the last two years, we have registered a record number of new nurses, adding 32,000 new nurses, with another 30,000 studying nursing at one of Ontario’s Colleges or Universities.”
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