Nova Scotia nurses to join national day of action on staffing shortage

The ‘Done Asking’ rally is scheduled to take place at the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union office on Garland Avenue at 11 a.m. Friday

HALIFAXtoday\ Meghan Groff

Local nurses and union leaders will be joining a national day of action to draw attention to what they say is a critical nursing shortage.

The “Done Asking” rally is scheduled to take place at the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union (NSNU) office on Garland Avenue at 11 a.m. Friday.

The union’s president, Janet Hazelton, has said hundreds of positions need to be filled in our province.

“Currently we have 23 vacant nurse practitioner positions, 231 LPN (licensed practical nurse) positions, and over 1,100 registered nurse vacancies,” she told NEWS 95.7’s The Todd Veinotte Show last week.

The situation has already had an impact on Nova Scotia’s health care system.

Earlier this week, Nova Scotia Health said it would be postponing many elective surgeries and same-day procedures in the Northern and Central zones — which includes the Halifax area — because of “considerable staffing challenges, including nursing vacancies.”

“This situation has required some facilities to close surgical beds, reduce or change OR schedules, delay some surgeries requiring hospital admissions and postpone some non-urgent procedures,” it said in a news release, as it also warned of longer-than-normal wait times in emergency departments.

Hazelton said the pandemic has played a big role in the staffing shortage.

“Nurses were on the front line through COVID, and now that it seems to be ramping down a bit, they’re tired, they’re exhausted and they’re saying, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this for the rest of my life.'”

She added many of the retired nurses who returned to duty to help alleviate some of the pressure feel the same way.

“So we don’t get them as casuals to help us with our shortages,” she explained. “The system is very fragile right now.”

According to Hazelton, there’s also been a noticeable increase in verbal abuse and even physical violence against healthcare workers.

“People need to understand nurses and everyone in the system are there to help,” she said. “It’s not appropriate or acceptable for anyone to verbally abuse or physically abuse the people who are there trying to help their loved ones.”

Hazelton said this nursing shortage is not just a Nova Scotia problem, it’s a global issue, but she’s optimistic the new provincial government will prioritize the situation.

“We need to have a comprehensive strategy on how we’re going to fill those vacancies,” she stated.

“All the unions are willing to do whatever we can to fix this issue, and we’ll work with government to help solve the problem, not just talk about it.”