Join The Fix For Health Care
The time to speak up is now. We need to raise our voices for our health care workers, patients, and everyone around us.
You can be part of the solution. We all have a part to play in the fight for better health care. Individual actions add up, and policy makers can’t help but listen if we all pitch in.
#RaiseYourVoiceNL
Who are you speaking up for? Record a short video that says “I’m raising my voice for…” and share it on your social media channels using the hashtags #BeyondBrokenNL & #RaiseYourVoiceNL
Spread The Word
There are many ways to show your support – e-mail policy makers to demand change today, share the campaign on social media, and more!
We All Deserve More From Health Care
Talk to anyone these days about health care, and you’ll hear the same thing:
“The system is broken.”
Hospitals are regularly over capacity – the public is even being told not to visit emergency rooms unless they’re seriously ill. Long term care beds sit empty because there are no staff. Patients go without critical care in the community and the backlog of surgeries and procedures continues to build.
The truth is, our health care system is beyond broken.
For years, Registered Nurses (RNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) have raised the alarm. Now, our health care system is losing some of our most highly skilled and educated professionals at an alarming rate. With skyrocketing rates of burnout, these highly trusted professionals are walking away from full time jobs with pensions and benefits. Some are leaving for different career fields, while others are making the switch to privatized health care options.
But there is something you can do about it.
Raise your voice and show your support. Tell government that you care about the ones who take care of us in our most vulnerable times.
Help end the nursing crisis and protect patient care.
Stories From The Frontline
Hear first-hand accounts of daily life for RNs and NPs across our province.
#BeyondBrokenNL #RaiseYourVoiceNL
A recent poll was conducted to hear from RNs & NPs about the state of nursing across Newfoundland & Labrador:
believe understaffing has resulted in unsafe conditions for residents, patients and clients.
feel their current workload increases their risk of burnout and fatigue.
RNs Are Feeling ‘Forced Out’
%
plan to leave our health care system if working conditions don’t improve.
%
have experienced violence at work in the last month
RNs retired early, left full-time jobs or left nursing altogether in 2022.
Retain, Return, Recruit
Nobody has all the answers on how to fix the health care system, but one thing is for sure – the solution starts with taking better care of our RNs and NPs.
Government can solve the nursing crisis and protect patient care. Our plan for better health care revolves around 3 central points:
1. Retain
Keeping experienced Registered Nurses & Nurse Practitioners who are currently working in Newfoundland & Labrador is our top priority. RNs and NPs are highly educated, skilled professionals who provide “round-the-clock” patient care. They assess, educate, and advocate for their patients in ways others cannot. They are vital to providing safe patient care. But with unimaginable and unsafe working conditions, the lowest compensation in the country, and opportunities to make more money as private agency nurses, why would they choose to keep going? We’re fighting for:
- A salary that’s fair and competitive.
- Better retention benefits to keep the RNs & NPs we still have.
- Safer, supportive, and healthy work environments.
2. Return
Mandatory overtime, 24-hour shifts, high levels of violence, and no access to leave. Years of understaffing and inadequate planning got us here. And patients are paying the price. Public health is not a business, and RNU is committed to finding short and long-term solutions that improve working conditions and:
- Return RNs back to the profession.
- Return casual RNs back to full-time positions.
- Return retired RNs to the workforce.
- Return RNs and NPs back to the public system from private nursing agencies.
3. Recruit
With 650 vacant RN positions throughout Newfoundland & Labrador, nurse-to-patient ratios are already critically low in hospitals and medical centres across the province. In two years, that number will have grown to 1500. It’s time to turn this ship around and create healthier workplace. We must recruit and train as many RNs and NPs as possible. We’re fighting for:
- Better recruitment incentives to hire & retain permanent positions.
- Incentives for new graduates to go into full-time positions.
- Safer working conditions.
News
Keep reading to see the latest news articles covering the nursing crisis.
New data shows 752 vacant registered nurses’ positions in N.L.
Nursing vacancies in the province rose 22% in a six-month period, based on new government data. As NTV’s Beth Penney…
Number of Nursing Vacancies in Province Increases to 750
Some startling new numbers show that the province’s nursing vacancy rate is growing and the Registered Nurses Union wants to…
Filling empty long-term care beds could nearly eliminate the waitlist in Eastern Health
The number of vacant beds in long-term care in Eastern Health almost exactly matches the number of people on the…
#BeyondBrokenNL
#RaiseYourVoiceNL
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are raising their voices for change – keep up with the conversation for better health care on social media!
How You Can Help
Health care is beyond broken – but it isn’t beyond repair.
Our momentum is building. One by one, we all have the power to make a difference and help rebuild health care.
#RaiseYourVoiceNL
Who are you speaking up for? Record a short video that says “I’m raising my voice for…” and share it on your social media channels using the hashtags #BeyondBrokenNL & #RaiseYourVoiceNL
Email Your MHA
Just tell us your riding and click ‘send’. Because there’s power in numbers, and our policy makers are supposed to do be doing what’s best for public health.
Spread The Word
It’s easy to help spread the word. We’ve got multiple ways to #RaiseYourVoiceNL across multiple social media channels and platforms.