From front Docs say hos Al - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 28, 1999 “You can have a lot of casuals, but that docsn’t mean they’re always available,’’ Leisinger said. “It’s easy to criticize that it should have been foreseen but I don’t think that that criticism is fair or warranted, Aud it ignores the real issue that this country and province is In a serious nursing shortage.” Doctors say the hospital needs to hire more full-time and par-lime nurses, not just casuals which are next to im- passible to recruit since most people aren’t prepared to move up north without permanent employment. But Leisinger said there area’t any permanent position to advertise, “We have a certain number of staff for each department and if you fill more than that you’ve got more people than are necessary and we don’t have the budget to handle pital at fault that,”’ Ideally, the hospital is staffed for 30 patients in its gener- al medical ward when the nursery is closed and 25 if the nursery is open. The hospital is advertising for more casual nurses, which Leisinger admitted is difficult because other facilities are on the search for full time people. The nurse shortage at is expected to keep the hospital closed to further routine or elective patient admissions un- til September when the holidays end. Other areas such as psychiatry, labour/delivery and emergency aren't affected, “*We’re still bere and we stand ready, able and willing to render necessary care to [people in emergency},’’ Leisinger said. Nurses lack time for their job NURSES DON’T have the time to do what they're sup- posed to, says a senior member of their union in the northwest. Budget cuts and bed closures mean that only the sickest of the sick requiring a high tevel of care are now being admitted, says Smithers nurse Leeanne Malthus who represents the norihwest on the BC. Nuises Union executive. **The bettom line is you only have two hands so the least sick of the patients get skimmed over,”’ said Malthus. “We just can’t care for people at the level they deserve,”’ Along declining morale, nursing isn’t the attractive profession it once was to young womea who have tra- ditionally been the greatest source of recruits, Malthus added. “Years ago nursing, teaching and secretarial work were the three fields but now many others have opened up,” she said, “Nursing is seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It’s not as attraclive now. And the monelary component just isn’t there anymore.” Budget cuts which have seen hospilals rely less on staff nurses in favour of on- call casual nurses make the Profession even Jess entic- ing. “With casual work, there are no benefits’? Malthus added, She’s disturbed that Mills Memorial Hospital is restricting admissions be- cause it is regarded as a regional hospital because of the high number of specialists in Terrace and because of the services they offer. Malthus works at Bulkicy Valley District Hospital in Smithers which so far has been fortunate in avoiding nursing shortages. Terrace has now joined the Hazelions, Prince Rupert and the Queen Charlotte Is- lands where shortages are affecting health care, “This is just a small part of a larger picture,’ said Malthus, Even if hospitals that are short of staff nurses then hire casuals io fill those vacancies, the casual list will suffer and the problem still exists, she said. “What we need is for the government to address the issues of morale, pay and quality of life,’ the nurse added. B.C. nurses conducted rotating strikes earlier this year for more pay and to urge the provincial govern- ment to hire more nurses. Although they did reach a deal with the province and part of that was to establish a committee with the health Rupert has problems, too A NEIGBHOURING hospital which would be called upon to take patients Mills can’t admit because of a nursing shortage itself has the same problem. Prince Rupert’s hospital several months aga also limited admissions for a time, says its health services director. “We know of Terrace’s problem. We have beds, for now, but that could change,’” Mary McGovern said last week. It’s managing to make do by cutting back on the number of beds available over the summer. “We haven’t resolved the issue. We're coping,”’ sald MecGovem. ‘“We have reduced the number of beds for the summer and we may have to reduce more.” A long term solution involves opening up more training Spots at post secondary institutions, McGovern said. In the short term, Prince Rupert is concentrating on keep- ing the nurses it does have and on recruiting more. 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