I Dare You to Drink the Vinegar

I attended a union meeting the other day. It was filled with talk of problems that nurses in British Columbia (and across the country) have been facing for many years. The problems that were discussed in the meeting were the same as those discussed when I attended my first union meeting more than a decade ago. Issues like the shortage of nursing are new to nurses who are entering the profession today. But these issues are not new to the profession of nursing. In a 1967 issue of Macleans magazine Alan Edmonds wrote about the shortages in nursing . Again, in 1980 Ian Pearson wrote an article about the shortage of nurses in Canada . In 1997 Sharon Doyle Driedger wrote about the issue of nurses burning out by the increasing stressors of the Canadian healthcare system . And again in 2008 Kate Lanau wrote about nursing shortages leading to patient safety issues like medication errors . The shortage of nurses in Canada has been an ongoing issue since World War II. In the early part of the 20...

I have been a Registered Nurse for more than a decade (since 2008 to be precise). One of the ongoing challenges that I have experienced is the nursing shortage. What does this mean? In supply and demand terminology it means that the supply of Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses (in provinces that have them), and Licensed Practical Nurses (or Registered Practical Nurses if you live in Ontario) is less than the number of positions that are needed. In practical terms, this means there are not enough nurses to provide the care needed for all people in Canada utilizing the healthcare system. Only recently have I learned that the nursing shortage is not unique to the 21st century, and it is a global issue. This is clearly a huge issue. Let's take a little journey to think through this issue with a focus on Registered Nurses in Canada.   A Short Exercise in Thinking Through the Issue Background and Overview  There is a critical shortage of many health care prof...

I am not sure if it is the influence of movies and television (I'm looking at you Grey's Anatomy ) or if this is something that is modeled in the workplace but I have been noticing more and more the tendency for some nurses to have conversations of a personal nature in front of their patient(s) as care is being done. My observations are multi-instance: in the Care Team Station, in patient's rooms, in the common dining area. As such, my conclusion is that this is not a serious of isolated incidents (is that an oxymoron) but a rapidly changing trend.  There is a fine balance, especially in mental health nursing, of trying to role model pro-social behaviours, and maintain a therapeutic atmosphere amid the rule and structure of the inpatient setting in order to create a safe and comfortable space for the patient. I think that nurses cross a line when the content of one's conversations begins to include anecdotes about personal life that have nothing to do with patient care....