Creating Positive Solutions at the Workplace Level

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Creating Positive Solutions at the Workplace
Level

• Linda Silas
• Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
• March 23, 2007

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Overview

• Introduction
• Background issues facing the Canadian nursing
  workforce
• Nurses unions research
• Taking research to action current future CFNU
  initiatives
• Workplace Skills Initiative New Skills for
  Nurses
• Regional applied research projects
• Conclusion

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Introduction

• A Call to Action!
• Worldwide shortage of health care providers
• Canadian experiences are no different
• Health human resource planning is necessary for
  all health stakeholders from the ministers of
  health to the front-line nurse

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Background

• The Canadian Nursing Workforce
• The full-time employment rate for nurses in
  Canada is 53.8
• Canada has 315,139 regulated nurses
• Canada is at risk of losing 28 of its nursing
  workforce
• Expected shortfall of 78,000 nurses in 2011 and
  113,000 RNs by 2016
• Retention could reduce projected losses by about
  53, or nearly 15,000 nurses per year

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The Health of Nurses

• Research in Canada has found
• Nurses worked an equivalent of 10,054 full-time
  jobs in overtime a 144 per cent increase since
  1987
• Nurses working full time had a rate of absence
  due to illness or injury that was 58 -- higher
  than the rate among the overall full-time
  employed labour force
• The cost of this vicious cycle of absenteeism and
  overtime in dollar terms was over 1 billion
  dollars
• Healthy nurses start with healthy workplaces!

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Research in Canada

• Evidence has consistently found that nurses are
  faced with
• Heavy workloads
• Excessive overtime
• High rates of injury and absenteeism
• Unpredictable and inflexible scheduling
• Inadequate support from management
• Mental health concerns relating to bullying,
  stress and burnout, and
• Few opportunities for leadership and professional
  development

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• Nurses are concerned with injuries, job
  satisfaction and absenteeism related to illness,
  stress and disability
• The Office of Nursing Policy (Health Canada)
  supports various initiatives, such as
• Healthy Workplace Initiative (HWI)
• Interprofessional Education for Collaborative
  Patient-Centred Practice (IECPCP)
• Funding for research on the current and future
  picture of nursing in Canada

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The Work of Many

• Many groups and organizations have focused on
  nurse staffing and patient safety.

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CFNU Research

• A look at different methods of creating
  healthier workplaces and improving patient care
  through the retention and recruitment of nurses

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Enhancement of Patient Safety through Formal
Nurse-Patient Ratios A Discussion Paper

• Prepared by
• Gail Tomblin Murphy, PhD

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Taking Steps Forward Retaining and Valuing
Experienced Nurses

• Prepared by Arlene Wortsman and Susanna Janowitz
  

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Lessons Learned

• Key issues facing Canadas nurses
• Work environment
• Respect in workplace
• Retention of experienced nurses
• Retention and recruitment of new grads

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Bringing Research to Action

• Little evidence of the practical implementation
  of retention and recruitment strategies, or
  building the required skills for nurses to
  continue in areas of shortage
• Also little evidence that front-line nurses are
  experiencing an improved working life, despite
  clear indications that this needs to be a
  priority

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• We need to cultivate more and stronger
  partnerships in support of innovation among
  employers and employees.
• There is a role for governments, unions,
  professional associations and all nursing
  stakeholders.

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Workplace Skills Initiative

• New Skills for Nurses
• Goals
• To provide opportunities for both new and
  experienced nurses in urban and rural settings to
  upgrade their skills and competencies while
  remaining in the workplace
• These pilot projects will assist in the workplace
  acquisition of both technical and soft skills
  needed by nurses to meet the demands of the
  health workplace and to work using a more
  collaborative approach.

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New Skills for Nurses

• Regina QuAppelle District Health mentoring
  program to improve the retention of both newer
  nurses entering the profession and those who may
  be considering retirement, building on a train
  the trainer approach
• Cape Breton District Health Authority
  workplace-based skills training for experienced
  nurses in an area of serious skills shortage
  acute/critical care

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Research to Action

• Innovation in the workplace
• - Pilot
• - Evaluate
• - Disseminate
• - Replicate

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Applied Research

• Mentoring programs
• Nurse-Patient Ratios in a Canadian context
• 80/20 staffing model concept
• New skills for nurses
• Its time to work together for positive workplace
  change!

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Building Blocks for Applied Research

• Employer consultations
• These consultations have provided an opportunity
  for employers to share information on current
  healthy workplace initiatives and practices.
• Evaluation tool
• Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy is developing a
  user-friendly evaluation tool to be used by
  participating employers and partners to measure
  the outcomes and success of the proposed pilot
  projects.
• Quality Worklife Quality Healthcare
  Collaborative
• Healthy Healthcare Leadership Charter
• The next step

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Courage, my friends 'tis not too late to build
a better world. Tommy Douglas
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Thank You
Merci
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