Last week, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) released the results of its member survey, which found that persistent staffing shortages have left nurses bearing the crushing weight of overcapacity health care systems across the country.
Nurses are chronically working without sufficient resources, with seven in 10 nurses reporting workplaces that are regularly overcapacity.
“Day in and day out, nurses come face to face with what it means to not have enough staff or resources to ensure patients get the care they deserve,” said Linda Silas, CFNU President. “Staffing is a matter of safety. The extreme conditions nurses are working under are not safe for them, and it’s certainly not safe for their patients.”
Facing grueling working conditions and an uphill battle for appropriate staffing, one in two nurses has experienced a “near-miss” or a patient safety incident in the past six months. Most point to inadequate staffing as the cause.
The Canada-wide survey of 5,595 nurses was conducted by Viewpoints Research from January 16 to February 9, 2024. Please check out the survey report for more comprehensive details.
Additionally, the spring edition of CFNU Review is also available to members to read at their leisure. This Review provides an update on CFNU’s work since last fall.