The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the emotional and physical health of nurses, with many now more likely to leave the field, according to a new survey by the British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU).
The report, The Future of Nursing in BC, compiled responses from BCNU members across the province during the height of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers a glimpse into the “harsh reality from the frontlines and future impacts on nurse staffing levels,” the BCNU said.
More than 80 per cent of those surveyed say their mental health has worsened during the pandemic. Sixty-five per cent said their physical health has worsened.
When it comes to intent to leave, the experience of the pandemic and the toll its taken has 35 per cent of all nurses say they’re more likely to leave nursing in the next two years. For Emergency and ICU nurses, the number of those more likely to leave rises to more than half at 51 per cent.
“This is heartbreaking,” said BCNU Interim vice president Danette Thomsen. “These nurses have been dedicated to their patients since before the pandemic, but the fragility of the health-care system and the lack of investments in their profession is bringing them to the point where they don’t know how much longer they can continue.”
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It’s critical the government pays attention to these latest survey findings, added Thomsen.
“We are seeing these statistics play out in our health-care settings as staffing levels reach lows that are forcing some nurses, including those who have only just started their careers, to question how much longer they can commit to this fight,” said Thomsen.
“Without immediate investments and swift action by the government, we are truly concerned that access to quality, safe health care will continue to deteriorate at the cost of patient care and our nurses.”
The survey includes responses from nearly 3,500 BCNU members over a two-week period during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jasmine Bala
