Speaking Up and Speaking Out for Nurses
WE DON'T NEED MORE HEROES New ad portrays the stress and anxiety BCNU members endure while provide safe patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Province-wide ad campaign builds public awareness and support ahead of provincial bargaining
This fall BCNU launched a new public advertisement that brings attention to the critical state of nursing in BC and the strain that nurses face as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on.
The ads appeared on television, streaming services and social media platforms across the province.
"The ad campaign portrays the stress and anxiety our members endure every day while trying to provide safe patient care," says BCNU President Aman Grewal. "It's important for the public to understand how difficult working conditions have become for nurses over the last couple of years, and the fact that mental injury is no less serious than the physical injuries that many nurses are suffering on the job."
The degraded working conditions, says Grewal, are only compounded by other challenges confronting the health-care system.
"In addition to COVID, BC is grappling with an opioid crisis and the devastating consequences of extreme weather events. Our members are strong, and they are resilient, but their current workloads are unsustainable and unsafe for them and the patients they care for," she explains.
Grewal says the ad campaign also sets the stage for Nurses' Bargaining Association contract negotiations that begin next year.
"Strong public support is a vital ingredient for ensuring success in bargaining," Grewal explains, "and this campaign allows all British Columbians to send a message to the government on our members' behalf."
The BCNU ad calls on viewers to take action by visiting the union's website to send a personalized email to their local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) describing how the nursing shortage has impacted them and their loved ones. Since the campaign began, members of the public have sent hundreds of emails calling on MLAs to speak up and speak out for change in support of BC's nurses. These emails come in addition to more than 3,500 sent by BCNU members.
"It's important for the public to understand how difficult working conditions have become."
Grewal says she wants the public to know that BC's frontline workers heard their 7 p.m. cheers at the start of the pandemic and thanks them for their support. She knows nurses will need to draw on this kind of support in the year ahead.
"We continue to seek the public's support as we pressure the government to address the systemic challenges in our health-care system – especially as we head into bargaining. "In the meantime, urgent and immediate government action is needed to support our nurses and the British Columbians who rely on their care."
Member input and participation is also critical for the success of the provincial bargaining process. BCNU is hosting regional bargaining strategy conferences with members to hear their concerns first-hand. The feedback from these events will build on the input BCNU has received from a member-wide bargaining survey conducted earlier this year.
Grewal's message to members? "Your leaders are listening, and your participation and voice will help shape the union's bargaining priorities and negotiations with government and health employers."
Following the regional bargaining conferences, the union will be hosting a provincial strategy conference in March 2022 to evaluate the bargaining survey results, elect the members to the BCNU provincial bargaining committee and job action committee, and provide leadership with a mandate to bargain in the year ahead.
"Your leaders are listening, and your participation and voice will help shape the union's bargaining priorities."
"We know that the shortage of nurses is the number one issue of concern for our members. It must be addressed, and we will continue to raise awareness about it and the other harsh realities our members face," says Grewal.
She points to BCNU's latest research report as evidence of the difficult working conditions members face.
The Future of Nursing: Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Nursing Shortage in British Columbia, was released in late November. Of the nearly 3,500 members surveyed, a staggering 82 percent report that their mental health had worsened since the pandemic began. Some 65 percent say their physical health has declined and 76 percent have seen an increase in workload. Many respondents also indicate that pandemic experience has led them to consider leaving the nursing profession altogether.
"It is critical for the government to pay attention to these latest findings and implement both short- and long-term recruitment and retainment strategies," says Grewal. "Otherwise, health care in this province will continue to deteriorate, at the expense of both patients and nurses."
UPDATE (Winter 2021)