KAWARTHA LAKES-If you are a nurse looking for a job, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay is looking for you.
The hospital currently has approximately 50 vacant nursing positions on its website. The majority of them are part-time with only approximately 10 full time positions advertised.
“RMH employs full-time and part-time nurses who are all important to the daily operation of the hospital.” Ryan Young Communications Manager, Ross Memorial told Kawartha 411 News. “Part-time nurses provide the hospital with flexibility to ensure each unit has proper coverage and is staffed accordingly 24/7. Without them, it would be challenging to provide coverage due to vacations, leaves of absences, sick calls, etc. Part-time roles can be attractive to some employees, such as people with daycare needs.”
Young says despite the number of unfilled positions, the hospital continues to operate safely because over 50 per cent of current nursing vacancies are due to internal staff transfers.
“Some nurses transfer to different areas of the hospital to further develop their nursing skills, whereas other nurses transfer into full-time positions. Many new staff come into the hospital working part time, where we always have more open vacancies, then look for full-time work depending on their personal circumstances.”
The hospital has a mandatory vaccination policy for all staff and told Kawartha 411 News that less than 1% of its staff were let go due to the policy. Young says bringing back unvaccinated staff would have little to no impact on the shortage.
“Ross Memorial Hospital is not considering bringing back staff who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19. Health-care professionals and patients deserve to have the safest environment possible when providing or receiving care. Health-care professionals working in Ontario’s hospitals are already required to show evidence of immunity for certain communicable diseases such as measles, rubella, varicella, tuberculosis, etc. Ross Memorial Hospital feels strongly that the COVID-19 vaccine should be treated the same.” said Young
Ross Memorial is not alone, hospitals across the province are struggling to find nursing staff. Clinton Public Hospital in Central Huron had to temporarily closed its ER department recently due to staffing shortages. In July Perth Hospital announced the closure of its emergency department for three weeks because of staff shortages made worse by a COVID-19 outbreak. Over the last few months, hospitals in Listowel, Mount Forest, Seaforth, Wingham and others have also temporarily closed their emergency departments or cut hours of operation because of staff shortages.
The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is calling for an immediate increase in the Canada Health Transfer from the Federal Government.
“With health-care costs increasing rapidly, driven largely by inflation and a growing and aging population, the federal share of total spending on health care will be down to just 20 per cent by 2030,” says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun. “The federal government must urgently increase its share of health-care spending to 35 per cent, with the condition that provinces and territories address the severe nursing crisis — as the only way to strengthen timely access to health services across the health continuum, nationwide.”
Grinspun says that “health care was always meant to be a shared responsibility in our country. However, the steady decline in federal contributions to health-care funding has left the provinces paying more than 75 per cent of the bill today.” She adds that “federal stewardship is required to maintain and enhance a public health-care system oriented to health and wellbeing – and to silence the voices of those benefiting from a crisis and calling for privatization and for-profit gain in health care.”
“Without the investment in health care, Canadians will continue to face long wait times in our health system, closures of emergency rooms, delays in accessing procedures and surgeries, and compromised long-term care and home care,” says RNAO President Dr. Claudette Holloway. “In addition, more nurses will reach their breaking point and will continue to leave the profession. This is why RNAO calls on the Council of the Federation to engage urgent action by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure we retain and recruit nurses – especially RNs who are moving south of the border – and deal with the deepening nursing crisis facing Canada.”
Meanwhile Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) President Cathryn Hoy, RN, says the provincial government needs to take urgent action to protect access to healthcare for Ontarians.
“Right across this province, we are seeing the results of this government’s failures regarding access to healthcare and what the shortage of nurses and health-care professionals means for our communities: Emergency Departments reducing hours or closing altogether, a long list of ICUs and other hospital units cutting back or closing service, and Ontarians struggling to get the care they need and deserve,” says Hoy. “The crisis is anything but temporary, and the government must wake up to that fact and listen to the solutions we have been telling them exist.”
In a written statement to CTV News, Stephen Warner, a spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones outlined steps he says the government has taken so far.
“The provincial government has added more than 3,500 new critical care, acute and post-acute hospital beds and more than 10,700 health care workers, including nurses and personal support workers, as well as 762 internationally educated nurses deployed to hospitals across Ontario,” Warner said.
Ross Memorial recently asked patients with less urgent conditions to consider alternate options for care such as a primary healthcare provider, pharmacist, after hours clinic or virutal care, noting they are experiencing longer than ususal wait times in the Emergency Department.
Young says the hospital is creating innovative staffing models to address pressures so they continue to operate safely.
“It’s a multi-pronged approach including, but not limited to, shared lines between units, extended tours, increased wages for picking up weekend shifts, and new grads being assigned a consistent mentor nurse.” explains Young.
Click here for a full listing of all jobs available at Ross Memorial Hospital:Â https://rmh.njoyn.com/CL3/xweb/Xweb.asp?tbtoken=ZllfRh9ZDVB1a3MCMFQhHU9MBmcoaVVdcFVMIS0KBnlQLUUbLURodmt9A0cYGhBRT3NkF3U%3D&chk=ZVpaShM%3D&page=joblisting&CLID=53630