A recent study has found that many medical professionals in Ontario are burned out and overworked.
More than two dozen healthcare professionals took part in the “Running on Empty” study conducted by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
From nurses to PSWs, housekeepers and office workers, officials said workers participating in the study felt unsupported, overworked and disrespected.
“A nurse getting off the elevator and starting work breaks down in tears because she is so upset about the day ahead and feels like she won’t be able to take care of herself properly to take care of people,” said occupational medicine researcher Dr. James Brophy.
“Or the palliative care nurse who, you know, is 15 years old, loves her job, always wanted to be a nurse and says now all she’s thinking about is retiring or even quitting.”
The findings complement a recent survey of nearly 800 union members that found 81 per cent of hospital workers in northern Ontario report high levels of stress and 90 per cent said there are not enough staff to provide quality care.
“What is really needed here is a significant investment to increase staffing levels,” said OCHU-CUPE President Michael Hurley.
More than two dozen healthcare professionals took part in the “Running on Empty” study conducted by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. (photo from video)
“And what’s also needed is, you know, what other provinces have done … where they’ve implemented a nurse-to-patient ratio.”
In May, NDP health critic France Gélinas introduced legislation to improve patient-to-nurse ratios in hospitals, but said the government voted against it.
“Nothing stops them from taking the exact same idea and pushing it forward,” Gélinas said.
“It’s something every nurse in every hospital wants, to know that you’re going to show up for your shift, and that’s the number of patients who have to travel such a long way to accommodate this ever-growing burden on theirs shoulders to bear.”
This is the third study the group has conducted since 2017 looking at working conditions in Ontario’s health care system.
Brophy said they didn’t believe the situation could get any worse, but said it did.
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