President’s Report: It’s Time for Nurses to Embrace Their Collective Power
BCNU President Adriane Gear opened the union’s 42nd annual convention on Tuesday morning by thanking Knowledge Sharer Carla George of the Squamish Nation for an inspiring Indigenous welcome. She also expressed gratitude to BCNU’s elected regional council members for their continued commitment and leadership.
In her first address as union president, Gear outlined an impressive list of strategic objectives and priorities that included a commitment to truth and reconciliation, cultural safety, diversity, equity and inclusivity, and the creation of the BCNU Ethics Office, established to assist in the revision of Council’s Code of Conduct, provide education, advice, information and a formal complaint resolution and reporting process. She also highlighted BCNU’s work in support of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, it’s renewed relationship with the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and exciting changes ahead for a reimagined BCNU.
“Our health-care system has never been under so much pressure and the need for BCNU to advocate for nurses has never been greater,” she said. “Our members continue to experience unprecedented working conditions amidst a severe staffing shortage and we are committed to making the union the best it can be.”
Gear provided an in-depth report on the efforts of union’s leadership and staff to establish minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. Since the agreement was officially announced in April 2023, BCNU has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and provincial health employers to effectively implement the new staffing solution in all health-care settings – making BC the first jurisdiction in Canada to do so.
Gear also took time to promote the union’s newly launched “Ratios Save Lives” campaign aimed at educating the public about the benefits ratios will have on patient care.
“Ratios have never been established anywhere else in Canada and we are trailblazers,” she said, noting the evidence from places like Australia and Oregon, where minimum nurse-to-patient ratios have improved patient care outcomes, giving nurses more time to care for their patients and leading to increased job satisfaction.
Gear’s report also addressed the need for safer working conditions that are necessary to retain the nurses required to make ratios a reality. She took time to thank members who shared their personal accounts of occupational health and safety risks in a province-wide online survey that supported the union’s recent “Not Okay” campaign.
“It is the employers’ responsibility to keep nurses safe,” she said. “The conditions at work right now are unacceptable and the results of our survey are not okay. We are sending a strong message to health authorities to do their job.”
Gear ended her remarks with a nod to the reimagining of BCNU – a priority for Council moving forward as the union navigates the ever-changing challenges facing the health-care system and those who work in it.
“The health-care system has never been under so much pressure,” said Gear. “BCNU is evolving and it's time to embrace our collective power and reimagine the future for our union.”