Toronto Star Reports Nursing Crisis Worse Than Ever

June 14, 2008

The June 14, 2008 issue of the Toronto Star reports that nurses continue to experience a high degree of burnout and are fleeing the profession. It reports that poor working conditions scare off young nurses, and mid-career nurses are leaving just as more and more staff are needed to deal with an aging population. 

The article says that Canadian nurses worked 18 million hours of overtime, the equivalent of about 10,000 full time jobs. The article cites poor working conditions as the biggest problem and one that has had the least attention. The article quotes Victor Magdalena, the author of a recent report on nursing as saying that no one would expect an airline pilot to work double shifts, to forego vacation time, or to only go home for four hours between shifts.

These comments are often expressed by nurses who have decided to work for Carecor, rather than a more traditional employer. Carol Farkas, Carecor's Director of Clinical Healthcare Services, says that nurses have chosen to work with Carecor since they are able to put some balance back into their lives, and to take control of their schedule. They feel they still have a lot to offer to the nursing profession and don't want to abandon it. Yet, they feel that as professionals, they need the flexibility and choice in order to maintain a sense of equilibrium.

It is sometimes unfortunate that these negative articles appear about the nursing profession. In Carecor's view, the "glass is more than half full". Let's celebrate what nurses do, while recognizing that the healthcare system will always need some degree of fine-tuning to get our supply and demand of staff just right.