BCNU Update Magazine July-August 2018

UPDATE JULY/AUGUST 2018

M A G A Z I N E

CONVENTION 2018

STANDING STRONG BC’s nurses come together for safe workplaces and safe patient care

PTSD PRESUMPTION A PRIORITY FOR NURSES | IT’S #THATBAD CAMPAIGN CONNECTS WITH PUBLIC | NORTHERN NURSE STAFFING CRISIS HIGHLIGHTED IN AUDITOR GENERAL’S REPORT

VANCOUVER PRIDE PARADE AUGUST 5, 2018

Walk with the BCNU campaign bus and/or volunteer at the BCNU pride booth at Sunset Beach where we will be doing community outreach, health promotion and trivia games.

Come on out, have fun and show your BCNU pride!

MORE INFORMATION Frances Beswick f.m.beswick@gmail.com FACEBOOK EVENT BCNU Marches With Pride 2018

CONTENTS

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VOL 37 NO2

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• JULY/AUGUST 2018 12

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DEPARTMENTS

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

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BOOK REVIEW

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YOUR PENSION

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HUMAN RIGHTS & EQUITY

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COUNCIL PROFILE

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OFF DUTY

BCNU POSITION STATEMENT ON SENIORS’ HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PULL-OUT p. 11

UPFRONT

5 CHECK IN News and current events from around the province.

12 FIGHTING IN HER MEMORY New contract at Ayre Manor reflects the spirit of deceased member.

14 HERE’S THE DEAL

25 CHARTING A PATH

Framework agreement clears the table for provincial bargaining.

BCNU is supporting internationally educated nurses.

18 CLAIM DENIED

42 RURAL AND REMOTE STAFFING CRISIS

Changes are needed in the way WorkSafeBC compensates nurses with psychological injuries.

Report puts spotlight on Northern Health’s failure to recruit and retain nurses.

FEATURE

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STANDING STRONG

Convention 2018 saw BC’s nurses come together for safe workplaces and safe patient care.

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MOVING? NEW EMAIL?

UPDATE M A G A Z I N E

MISSION STATEMENT The British Columbia Nurses’ Union protects and advances the health, social and economic well-being of our members, our profession and our communities.

BCNU UPDATE is published by the BC Nurses’ Union, an independent Canadian union governed by a council elected by our 47,000 members. Signed articles do not necessarily represent official BCNU policies.

EDITOR Lew MacDonald CONTRIBUTORS Juliet Chang, Laura Comuzzi, Sharon Costello, David Cubberley, Arman Gill, Shawn Leclair, Courtney McGillion, Ava Moezinia, Umar Sheikh, Shaheen Shivji, Christine Sorensen, Dan Tatroff PHOTOS David Cubberley, Caroline Flink, Kellan Higgins, Shawn Leclair, Lew MacDonald, Doug Payette, Shaheen Shivji

STAY CONNECTED

When you move, please let BCNU know your new address so we can keep sending you Update Magazine, election information and other vital union material.

Send us your home email address and we’ll send you BCNU’s member eNews.

CONTACT US BCNU Communications Department 4060 Regent Street Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5 PHONE 604.433.2268 TOLL FREE 1.800.663.9991 FAX 604.433.7945 TOLL FREE FAX 1.888.284.2222 BCNU WEBSITE www.bcnu.org EMAIL EDITOR lmacdonald@bcnu.org MOVING? Please send change of address to membership@bcnu.org

Please contact the membership department by email at membership@bcnu.org or by phone at 604-433-2268 or 1-800-663-9991

Publications Mail Agreement 40834030 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to BCNU 4060 Regent Street Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5

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JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

PRESIDENT’S REPORT RECONNECTING WITH OUR VALUES

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PHOTO: PETER HOLST

CHRISTINE SORENSEN

UMMER IS HERE. IT’S A TIME for families and friends to take advantage of longer days and sunny weekends to reconnect and rejuvenate. It’s also a time for communities to come together at summer events and celebrate the things that are important to them.

This month I had the opportunity to reconnect with members of BCNU’s provincial leadership at a two-day strategic planning session that saw your Council come together to review our priorities and reconnect with our values.

Our organizational priority going forward will be to continue to strengthen the union through sound governance and strong member advocacy. As well, we remain committed to successfully bargaining a new provincial collective agreement.

BCNU’s dedication to good governance is reflected in the efforts of our union’s Constitution and Bylaw Renewal Working Group. It has been responsible for engaging with members and conducting a governance review, with the goal of presenting a modern, cohesive, revised governing document to our 2019 annual convention for approval.

The governance renewal process is now in its second phase. I encourage you to review draft bylaw revisions that are based on input received at the beginning of the process and attend a feedback session. You can also review the proposed revisions that are on the member portal and provide your input electronically.

Our ongoing focus on strong member advocacy is best reflected in our most recent agreement with health employers that now resolves outstanding contract disputes related to the Nurses’ Bargaining Association 2014–2019 provincial collective agreement. This was a major achievement to wrap up so many outstanding pieces of contract language.

The last two rounds of bargaining produced some of the most groundbreaking and complex staffing language ever negotiated. And it’s taken diligence and determination on the part of our stewards and other members to make sure that health employers honour their end of the bargain. Every grievance made a difference.

We accomplished so much this year to address these outstanding bargaining items and I am pleased with the terms of the agreement.

We listened to our nurses and we heard from our activists who told us what they needed, such as improved union-leave language that allows them to work on behalf of members.

We also listened to our LPNs and community nurses who had been asking for parity – and we responded. Safe staffing language has now been extended to LPNs working in acute and long-term care, and all nurses working in the community. Please take the time to read about the details of the agreement on page 14 of this issue of Update Magazine and see how the agreement benefits you.

It was important for these issues to be resolved and the slate cleaned in order for us to effectively negotiate a new collective agreement in 2019. In the meantime, it’s important for us to celebrate those achievements so that we can come back refreshed and ready to tackle the priorities that will improve the lives of our members and strengthen our union.

I want to thank all those members who will be taking some time this season to reconnect with their communities outside the walls of their hospital or health unit. The ever-popular BCNU bus will be on hand at many summer events across the province. Drop by if you see us and help us connect with others in your community on the health-care issues that are important to you. You are the face of BCNU, and I’m proud to know that you will be there, standing strong and speaking out for safe patient care. •

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CHECK IN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE

GOVERNANCE REVIEW

MEMBERS ADD THEIR VOICES TO THE MIX

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HE GOVERNANCE renewal process that was initiated by the union’s Constitution and Bylaw Renewal Working Group (CBRWG) last fall has entered its next phase, with the group inviting all members to participate in feedback sessions at the BCNU provincial office and online via web conference.

“We can never have too many cooks in this kitchen,” says BCNU manager of special projects Lorne Burkart.

“The union encourages

all members to attend a feedback session or review the proposed revisions that are on the member portal and provide their input electronically.”

Since last fall, BCNU has been actively consulting with members about how to improve the rules that govern our organization. Members across the province have provided input on a range of bylaw articles that deal with the power and duties of council, officers of the union, BCNU regions, dues and levies, and

other areas.

“The feedback sessions allow members to review draft bylaw revisions based on the input we have received to date,” says Burkart. “This next phase of the process helps ensure we’re getting our recipe for success right.”

The CBRWG was struck last year to conduct a governance review with the goal of presenting a modern, cohesive, revised governing document to the union’s 2019 annual convention for approval. •

TESTING THE RECIPE Members of BCNU’s Coastal Mountain region participate in a June 7 governance renewal process member feedback session led by BCNU manager of special projects Lorne Burkart.

The union’s governance renewal process is now in its second phase, and all members are encouraged to review the bylaw revisions that are based on input received at the beginning of the process.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017 saw BCNU members drawing on our resilience, our integrity and our commitment to better health care. It saw us rebuilding, refreshing and stabilizing our union so we can stay focused on the members we serve. And more than ever, it saw us standing up and speaking out for what we believe in. Read the stories of the year in our 2017 Annual Report, available at annualreport.bcnu.org

HAPPY DAY BCNU President Christine Sorensen presents Vancouver General Hospital nurse and BCNU Day quiz contestant Nominbayar Perenlei with an iPad tablet.

ROYAL COLUMBIAN HOSPITAL

PARTNERS IN

VIOLENCE PREVENTION LOCAL INITIATIVE BCNU and Fraser Health employer reps organize a successful violence-prevention summit at Royal Columbian Hospital on June 7. From left: Fraser Health Violence Prevention Program Client Partner Sheile MercadoMallari, RCH Coordinator, General Operations Rosemary Magonya, BCNU Simon Fraser region OH&S rep Jereme Bennett, RCH Manager of Clinical Operations, Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Surgery/ Trauma Jeffrey Chan, RCH Manager of Clinical Operations, Dialysis Edna Kwadzovia and RCH Director of Clinical Operations Barb Sutherland.

POLICY LEADERS

BCNU Central Vancouver region co-chair Marlene Goertzen (left) and BCNU South Islands region co-chair Lynnda Smith attended the Gerontological Nurses Association of BC Provincial Conference and Annual General Meeting from April 12-14, 2018 in Nanaimo. Both had the opportunity to speak with dozens of nurses who care for older adults.

BCNU DAY QUIZ

AND THE WINNER IS…

Vancouver General Hospital’s Nominbayar Perenlei was the lucky winner of this year’s BCNU Day quiz. Perenlei was among 1,300 members who participated in this year’s contest, which focused on BCNU’s governance renewal process. BCNU held its founding convention on June 11, 1981 at the Empress Hotel in Victoria and celebrates its 37th anniversary this year.

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CNU SIMON Fraser region OH&S rep Jereme Bennett is all too aware of the risks that he and his co-workers face on the job.

“WorkSafeBC’s 2015 stats say that nurses account for 31 percent of all injuries in health care from acts of workplace violence – and that’s just the reported ones,” he says.

Bennett reported that a nurse with 30 years of experience who worked at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH) was punched in the face by a patient earlier this year.

“The nurse didn’t report it - she didn’t want the hassle, being one month away from retirement,” he says.

Unfortunately, it’s a story that is far from unique. But it became the catalyst for health-care stakeholders at RCH to organize a one-day violence-prevention summit on June 7. Bennett was part of a six-person committee that brought together an agenda that included presentations from BCNU, CRNBC, Fraser Health and Integrated Prevention Services.

The purpose of the summit was to support a safe and healthy workplace

environment. Presentations and booths were designed to educate nurses and promote resources that assist employees to be better prepared, and reduce the risk of violence in the workplace.

“I think a successful outcome from this event would be that if more nurses became aware of the resources the employer and union have to help them manage the risk of violence in their workplace,” says Bennett. “This event demonstrated that the union, the employer and various partners can work together to effect positive change.” •

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CHECK IN NEWS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE

PROFESSIONAL INSPIRATION National Nursing Week contest winners grateful for unique learning opportunity

CONTEST WINNERS Sarah-Zoé Pichette and Tanja Bergen were selected to attend the American Nurses Association (ANA) Quality and Innovation Conference this past spring in Orlando, Florida.

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T WAS EASY TO TELL that Sarah-Zoé Pichette was excited after being selected to attend the American Nurses Association (ANA) Quality and Innovation Conference this past spring in Orlando, Florida.

“Once I heard ‘congratulations’ I threw the phone on my couch and did a very bad rendition of a victory dance,” she says.

“I called my sister, my brother, my best friend, my grandfather in Quebec, my Granny. I won, and I’m just so happy!”

Pichette works at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital. The LPN was one of two BCNU members chosen from over 100

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who submitted expressions of interest to BCNU’s professional practice and advocacy department, which promotes the contest annually in celebration of National Nursing Week, from May 7–13. The week draws attention to the nursing profession and increases awareness for the public, policy-makers and governments about the many contributions nurses make to the well-being of Canadians.

Pichette prepared for the conference by reviewing abstracts and reading up on the planned concurrent sessions. But she says it was a last-minute decision to go

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to the alarm fatigue session. “It was so interesting because in critical care, you tend to have so many alarms.

They spoke about the red alarms, meaning there’s something that really needs to be done right now, as opposed to a yellow alarm, meaning it’s slightly out of what they consider the norm,” she explains.

“Just by changing the parameters on a lot of these alarms they were able to demonstrate through their research that it had actually decreased nurses’ stress levels in the critical care areas.”

Pichette attended several sessions on the subject of staffing in hopes of bringing some fresh ideas back to BC. “I’m concerned about why we have an antiquated staffing system that we can’t access from home – there are other ways of doing it better,” she says. “There was a lot of discussion about the importance of nurses being able to access a staffing system online, as opposed to having to

apply on paper and then faxing it from work to the staffing office,” she reports.

Tanja Bergen works in medical, surgical and emergency nursing at Port McNeill and District Hospital on northern Vancouver Island. She was the second recipient selected to attend the ANA conference. She found out about the conference through the BCNU eNews. “I love learning new things and it seemed like a great opportunity to connect with nurses who are passionate and motivated,” says the RN when asked why she submitted an expression of interest.

“When I found out that I had been selected to attend, I went back to the ANA website to make sure I had a good list of conference workshops that I wanted to go to,” she says.

“I wanted to attend sessions that would support my work with BCNU’s Young Nurses’ Network. And as a former addictions nurse, I wanted to go to pain management sessions.”

Bergen was inspired by several of the conference’s poster sessions. “There was amazing research out of the University of Kentucky indicating that having a nurse in every high school increases graduation rates and decreases incarceration,” she says, noting research suggesting that in school systems there is potential for nursing to play a role in everything from education to pain management to addressing the opioid crisis. “It’s amazing to see how this research makes a difference across different lifestyles, especially for vulnerable populations.”

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Both nurses intend to share their new knowledge with colleagues. “I am sharing conference highlights through my role as the [Providence Healthcare] nursing practice council co-chair and through the different staff engagement meetings that we have at work,” says Pichette.

Both nurses report that the biggest challenge of the conference was deciding which of the many educational opportunities to take advantage of. “They had so many different topics that apply to us in this province,” says Pichette.

Pichette encourages other members to take advantage of future BCNU funded professional development opportunities. “Just throw your hat in the ring, you never know,” she says.

Bergen agrees. “I would encourage my colleagues to apply for any professional development opportunities that come up. You get to meet fantastic nurses, you are exposed to brand new ideas and it’s just a really rewarding experience that brings richness and inspiration to the job.”

In 1971, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) designated May 12, the birthday of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, as International Nurses Day. In 1985, Canadian Nursing Association members passed a resolution to begin negotiations with the federal government to have the week containing May 12 proclaimed as National Nursing Week annually. Soon after, the federal minister of health proclaimed the second week of May as National Nursing Week. •

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CELEBRATING NURSES BCNU members across the province took time out of their busy schedules on National Nursing Week from, May 7 –13 to acknowledge the incredible work they do in their communities.

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THE PEOPLE 1. BCNU Pacific Rim region members and Nanaimo Health Unit worksite stewards Graham Olds and Will Chambers fire up the barbecue. 2. South Islands region members Leslie Zinger, Patti Pettipiece, Joel Williamson, Belinda Anderson, Jayne Yearwood, Michelle Sauk and Eleanor Elston celebrate at Victoria General Hospital. 3. BCNU RIVA region chair Sara Mattu (far right) joins Richmond General Hospital members in front of the BCNU bus. 4. BCNU North East region members Nicole Smith, Amanda Johnson and Eva Obeng celebrate at Fort St. James’s Stuart Lake Hospital. 5. BCNU North East region members Jessica Madrid, Nicole Ray, Sonja Wall and Kinga Sikline Hompot celebrate at Fraser Lake’s Community Health Care Centre. 6. BCNU Coastal Mountain region members Dan Desmarais and David Kang reach out to co-workers at Lions Gate Hospital. 7. BCNU West Kootenay region chair Ron Poland (right) celebrates in Trail with Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital members Caroline Fulton, Jeanie Todd, Peter Herd and retired nurse Pam Moro. 8. BCNU Simon Fraser region co-chair Wendy Gibbs (left) joins stewards Feruza Abdjalieva and Ron Morley, along with region co-chair Lynn Lagace and mental health rep Sue Ellen Larsen.

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CHECK IN NEWS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE

RICHMOND HOSPITAL

NEW TOWER FOR

SAFER CARE

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URSES working at Richmond Hospital have been warning for years about the aging facility’s limitations, and they have been supporting the Richmond Hospital Foundation’s push for a new acute care tower that would better serve their community.

So there was no shortage of relief when the provincial government announced recently that the replacement for the tower was moving ahead.

The existing tower was built in 1960. It has outdated and obsolete patient-care delivery areas, and assessments of the structure indicate it is at risk of widespread damage in the event of a major earthquake.

RIVA region chair Sara Mattu was on hand for the March 29 announcement.

She says the announcement couldn’t have come soon enough. “There are nursing stations that are too small for all health-care disciplines to work together, and

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY April 11 marked the International Day of Pink – a day where communities around the world come together to “celebrate diversity and raise awareness to stop homophobia, transphobia, transmisogyny and all forms of bullying.” BCNU leadership and staff at the union office took the opportunity to celebrate the day and acknowledge these important values that the union shares.

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IT’S OFFICIAL BCNU members were on hand for the government’s announcement of a new acute care tower at Richmond Hospital on March 29. From left: Richmond Hospital’s head of medical imaging Dr. Ian Wong, BCNU RIVA region OH&S rep Michael Young, Health Minister Adrian Dix and BCNU RIVA region chair Sara Mattu.

this results in back-ups as health-care providers wait for access to computers and patient charts.

“A new acute care tower will help nurses avoid delays in patient care delivery and the risks of daily occupational health and safety

concerns,” says Mattu.

The announcement confirmed the approval of the concept plan. The business-plan phase, which considers scope of the new facility and budget, is expected to take 12 to 18 months. •

WELCOMING NEW NURSES A group of graduating LPN students from Vancouver Community College visited the BCNU office on May 22 as part of the union’s student outreach program. BCNU Simon Fraser region communications secretary was on hand to tell the group about the Nurses’ Bargaining Association collective agreement, basic workplace rights, how to locate their stewards, the role of BCNU equity caucuses and other aspects of union membership. From left: Kayla Chambers, Irish Agdinaoay, Yalda Cahaus, Michelle Pasasodoba, Tristan Newby, Mel Andrew Delos Reyes and Eddie May Sumagui.

IS IT BAD? IT’S #THATBAD STARK PORTRAYAL Province-wide ad campaign connects with public and primes union for bargaining in the year ahead

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CNU HAS LAUNCHED a series of new advertisements asking for the public’s support in addressing the impossible situations nurses find themselves in while trying to provide safe patient care.

Two TV and social media spots ran through May and June and have been seen by thousands of British Columbians. “These hard-hitting visual stories portray the challenging working conditions many nurses endure in an ER setting and in residential care,” says BCNU President Christine Sorensen. “From overcapacity to the threat of violence, BCNU wants the public to understand the daily realities that nurses face, and the consequences that understaffing will have on the care that they and their loved ones receive.”

Sorensen says it’s important for the public to be aware that the understaffing and overcapacity that is endemic in BC’s health-care facilities are directly

associated with increased medical errors, poorer patient outcomes and increased risk of violence.

“We’re telling people that nurses in BC are routinely working short-staffed.

They’re being faced with impossible situations while trying to provide safe patient care.”

“We want the public to understand the daily realities nurses face.”

CHRISTINE SORENSEN

The ad campaign is also designed to ensure that nurses have the public and their patients on their side ahead of negotiations for a new Nurses’

HARD HITTING BCNU’s latest series of advertisements brings home the reality of what it’s like to work in many of BC’s health-care facilities today. Two spring TV spots depict nurses working in acute and residential care facilities. A third spot depicting conditions in community care settings is scheduled for the fall.

Bargaining Association collective agreement.

Sorensen notes that the Ministry of Health’s 2017 Action Plan states that it will take an additional 165 RNs and an additional 300 LPNs just to provide BC’s seniors with the minimum standard of care. “In the meantime, nurses working in the long-term care setting are left to manage staggering patient loads with inadequate support,” she says.

“There’s no question that understaffing and violence in health care puts nurses and patients at risk,” says Sorensen. “We’ll be making sure the government and health employers understand that the public is fully aware of the care conditions nurses endure before we sit down to bargain our next collective agreement.” • To read more about the campaign, visit www.bcnu.org/supportnurses.

Use the hashtag #thatbad to show your support and stay connected to the campaign.

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PHOTO: JOHN YANYSHYN

INDEPENDENT BARGAINING

FIGHTING IN HER MEMORY Ayre Manor members ratify new contract that includes eagerly anticipated long-term disability benefits

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HENEVER THE four members of Ayre Manor’s bargaining team felt a little discouraged about the state of contract negotiations, they’d ask themselves: “What would Anna do now?”

“We thought about Anna a lot during our negotiations,” says Ayre Manor bargaining rep Lorraine Lajeunesse, who has worked as a housekeeper at the busy Sooke complex-care facility on Vancouver Island for about a decade.

There are approximately 32 residents who require 24-hour care, as well as two beds at a recently opened on-site hospice.

“We did a good job during bargaining and got our members a good deal.”

LORRAINE LAJEUNESSE

“Anna Campbell was a housekeeper who started here before me,” says Lajeunesse. “About five years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she eventually beat and was able to return to work. Unfortunately, the cancer came back in 2017 and she was forced to quit her job.”

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“Anna couldn’t work, couldn’t eat, required expensive special medical equipment, drugs, and procedures, such as an urgently-required MRI.” “Unfortunately,” explains Lajeunesse, “we did not have long-term disability benefits to rely on and Anna quickly used up all eight days of her sick time, vacation time and medical employment insurance benefits.”

Campbell’s co-workers repeatedly came to her assistance, even launching a series of bottle drives to raise funds for Campbell and her partner. BCNU’s Evelyn Hood Benevolence Fund also provided assistance. And two Ayre Manor board members paid about $3,500 out of their own pockets to help their former employee. Sadly, Campbell passed away, surrounded by friends and family, in late January 2018 – just a few short months before the new contract was ratified by members on May 16.

It was the first collective agreement to include long-term disability benefits.

“We wanted to make sure that not one of our other members has to suffer through what Anna experienced,” says Ayre Manor bargaining team member and LPN Eva Wiercinski. “That’s why getting LTD benefits for everyone who works there was such an important part of this round of bargaining.”

“Anna’s need for LTD was a huge part of why we were just not going to back down on the issue,” adds Lajeunesse.

“It became a real sticking point during negotiations. We were not going to leave until we got the LTD benefits for all our

TIGHT-KNIT GROUP BCNU stewards and bargaining committee members Lorraine Lajeunesse, Crystol Cole and Eva Wiercinski are proud of the gains they were able to make for themselves and their co-workers at Sooke’s Ayre Manor care facility.

members at Ayre Manor. Whenever anyone waffled during bargaining, we would just say, ‘What would Anna think?’

“I believe that Anna would be pleased that we succeeded in getting LTD written into our collective agreement, and making sure that none of our members will ever have to go through what she experienced at the end of her life.”

But securing LTD benefits wasn’t the only issue on the table for Ayre Manor members. Their other demands included higher wages and benefits, more vacation time, improved sick leave language and higher life insurance payouts.

INSPIRATION The BCNU Ayre Manor bargaining committee fought for the inclusion of long-term disability benefits in their latest contract – benefits their recently deceased co-worker Anna Campbell was never able to enjoy.

Campbell, shown here, was a British ex-service person.

Ayre Manor is a wall-to-wall cert, which means the BC Nurses’ Union represents all its approximately 100 workers, including cooks, housekeepers, care aides, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, recreation/ activity workers, prep cooks, servers and casual staff.

Until 2013, most Ayre Manor employees, excluding the RNs, had been represented by the Hospital Employees’ Union. The RNs were not in a union at that time. Then, after the RNs voted to join BCNU, the rest of the staff also voted to become BCNU members.

Anna Campbell was on the bargaining team that negotiated the previous 2014-2017 contract. It included a number of big gains, including a memorandum of understanding that called for discussions on getting members LTD benefits. Unfortunately, those talks did

not occur until the latest round of bargaining, which began late last year.

The current bargaining team includes Crystol Cole, Janice Leask, Eva Wiercinski and Lorraine Lajeunesse.

With the exception of Leask, none had previously ever sat across the negotiating table from their employer.

“But,” says Wiercinski, “it was a wonderfully positive experience for me. It was a real eye opener. I learned so much. Before I joined the team, bargaining was a mystery to me. I didn’t know how contracts work and what bargaining actually entails. And I also didn’t really understand how LTD works, what it costs, who pays and all the other repercussions.”

“We wanted to make sure that not one of our other members has to suffer through what Anna experienced.”

EVA WIERCINSKI

“I now know how important it is for members to know what they want to win during bargaining, and how to best achieve those goals. I’m still learning, and trying to soak it all in,” she adds.

“Our BCNU labour relations officer, Laura Anderson, was so helpful.

She was endlessly patient and always guided us in the right direction. I really enjoyed working with her. And we really appreciated having (BCNU president) Christine Sorensen visit our facility and take time out of her busy schedule to offer us her support and knowledge.”

The recently-ratified contract, which runs from July 1, 2017 until June 30, 2020, makes progress in a number of areas. For

example, improvements have been made to on-call, call-back and call-in language, there are better orientation and training programs, and a doubling of the life insurance policy to $50,000. Members now also have access to an employee family assistance program.

One of the biggest gains in the new contract concerns sick days. Employees can now accumulate the sick days they have not used at the end of each year. Previously, Ayre Manor staff lost any sick days they hadn’t used by year-end. Now they can accumulate up to a maximum of 30 days.

Also, night shift premiums increase by 15 cents per hour and weekend premiums increase by 10 cents per hour. After ratifying the new contract, members received a two percent wage increase; they’ll receive another one percent on July 1, 2018, and an additional two percent on July 1, 2019.

Prep cooks, servers and housekeepers will now be paid a market adjustment of 50 cents per hour.

Until now, the facility hasn’t had an on-site steward, says Lajeunesse. That’s why she, Wiercinski and care aide Crystol Cole agreed to step up and represent their hard-working colleagues as BCNU stewards.

“I haven’t taken the training yet,” Lajeunesse says, “but I’m looking forward to it. We did a good job during bargaining and got our members a good deal. Now we want to work on our other concerns.”

“It’s so important to have stewards at every worksite,” adds Wiercinski. “Because so much of our lives are spent at work, we really need to have friendly, positive workplaces. And stewards can help make sure everyone’s concerns are being heard.”

Wiercinski says Ayre Manor and its residents are worth fighting for. “It’s a wonderful place to work. I’ve really grown to love the residents. It’s a small community, like a family. Most of them are happy and we want to make sure we keep that going.”

It’s how Anna would have wanted it. •

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HERE’S THE DEAL COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REACHED

NBA BARGAINING

OUTSTANDING DISPUTES RESOLVED Latest agreement sees more nurses added to the system and further improvements for LPN members

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CNU MEMBERS WILL soon see the results of a collaborative set of negotiations that took place between the union and the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) earlier this year. The deal resolves a number of outstanding disputes related to the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) provincial contract.

Members will see a number of improvements to their current working conditions following HEABC’s commitment to add an additional 1,026 full-time equivalent (FTE) RN and RPN positions and 226 FTE positions for LPN members by December 31, 2019. These positions come on top of previous hiring agreements, and will bring the total number of nurses hired into the system to more than 3,200 since 2012.

BCNU President Christine Sorensen is pleased with the agreement. “It was important for outstanding contract issues to be resolved in order to have the slate cleaned for us to effectively negotiate a new collective agreement,” she says.

The last two rounds of NBA talks produced groundbreaking agreements that were some of the most complex ever negotiated. But success at the bargaining table does not automatically translate into results in the workplace, and members’

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diligence has been required to ensure that employers hold up their end of the bargain.

Major staffing grievance settlements were also reached in 2015 following a province-wide grievance campaign that focused on employers’ repeated failures to implement language designed to foster safer staffing. Highlights include the creation of a two-step grievance process and accountability measures to ensure employer compliance, as well as employer commitments to fill all outstanding new nurse positions.

The latest deal addresses employers’ current contract obligations and remedies a number of concerns raised by BCNU since the contract was ratified in May 2016.

In addition to the new nurse positions, lieu time will be granted to all NBA members performing union business on their days off and more union reps will be hired to better support nurses. “Increased union representation in the workplace is critical to relieving the workload of our stewards,” says Sorensen. “Stewards are the backbone of our organization. This investment will help ensure that they have more resources to help them be even more successful in their roles as leaders in the workplace.”

BCNU negotiators anticipate sitting down again with HEABC in the fall.

The current NBA agreement expires March 31, 2019. •

A collaborative and results-focused set of negotiations between BCNU and the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) has resulted in a deal that concludes a number of outstanding disputes related to the 2014–2019 Nurses’ Bargaining Association provincial contract. The agreement, which clears the table for the next round of bargaining, means nurses will finally see the implementation of a number of tangible improvements that were negotiated as far back as 2012.

JOB SECURITY FOR LPNs AND CASUALS LPNs • LPNs working in acute care, community and long-term care facilities managed by the health authority will not be involuntarily laid off as a result of contracting out.

• LPNs working in long-term care that are managed by contract service providers are guaranteed no loss of salary, employment, benefits service and seniority in the event of an involuntary layoff. In fact, they will be assisted in a transition to another comparable nursing position.

Casuals • If a nurse working as “casual” is terminated due to contracting out, the health authority/Providence Health Care will make all reasonable efforts to add the nurse to a casual list for comparable positions throughout the health authority, provided they have the qualifications.

RESTORED UNION LEAVE

EXTENDED SAFE STAFFING LANGUAGE

LIEU TIME WILL APPLY TO ALL NBA MEMBERS PERFORMING UNION BUSINESS ON SCHEDULED TIME OFF

LPNs WORKING IN ACUTE AND LONG-TERM CARE, AND ALL COMMUNITY NURSES NOW COVERED

• The time must be taken within two months at an agreed-to time, or be paid out.

• When a nurse, who is in a non-designated union role, performs approved union business the employer will make all reasonable efforts to backfill the position, short of calling in at overtime.

• Only one member is to be off on union leave at one time in a unit that has been referred to the Nurse Staffing Secretariat (other than those in a designated union role).

Long-term Replacement (Appendix OO) • LPNs working in acute and long-term care and all nurses working in the community who are on a long-term leave such as LTD or maternity leave will also be replaced.

• By January 2019, the vacation relief formula will also apply to LPNs. Short-term Absence (Appendix PP) • In acute and long-term care, LPN members will also be replaced on short-term absences.

NEW UNION REPRESENTATIVES • 16 new full-time steward-atlarge positions* (details to be finalized).

• Six more enhanced disability management program (EDMP) representatives*. * Subject to review and renewal agreement by March 31, 2019.

Additional Patient Demand (Appendix QQ) • For LPNs, the right to call in additional nurses will also apply to them.

• For all nurses working in the community, the process is to be developed by December 31, 2018.

Regularization of Hours (Appendix TT) • The process of determining whether hours worked consistently as overtime or as casual-status shifts can be converted into regular positions will apply to hours worked by LPNs as well.

For nurses working in the community, this process will also apply, pending an agreement on data.

NEW NURSE POSITIONS

BY DECEMBER 31, 2019 • 1,026 new FTE positions for RNs and RPNs will be created in addition to the 2,125 that were negotiated in the 2012–2014 agreement.

• 226 new FTE positions for LPNs will be created.

• Together, this is a combined increase of an additional 2,440, 854 straight-time nursing hours into the system.

• 80% of all new nurse positions will be regular status.

UPDATE MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2018

15

SETTING THE AGENDA BCNU members who attended this spring’s provincial bargaining strategy conference reviewed results from the union’s nurse bargaining survey and learned that unpaid work is a growing concern among members.

NBA BARGAINING

RUNNING ON OVERTIME Unpaid work emerges as a top priority

F

OR NURSES, LONG SHIFTS and extended workweeks have become an almost permanent part of what it means to work within BC’s health-care system. There simply are not enough nurses to go around, and there is no question that the resulting workloads are bad for patient care and harmful to caregivers.

Unfortunately, it would seem that health employers are more than happy to run the system using overtime in order to keep hospital wards staffed. It’s an approach that’s short-sighted and costly. BC’s two largest health authorities paid out a total of $73.7-million in nurse overtime in 2014 – a massive outlay driven by a severe shortage of both regular and specialty-educated nurse positions, such as ER and OR nurses.

“You are giving up 15 to 20 minutes of your time on either end of the shift, each shift.”

Josh Gardiner

16

But the financial cost is not borne by employers alone. Many BCNU members who attended last fall’s regional bargaining strategy conferences reported that one of the most common and frustrating experiences they face today is the expectation that they do unpaid work before and after their shifts. And it’s an issue they’d be willing to engage in job action to fix.

BCNU is listening. “We are all striving for an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable health-care system that meets the needs of patients and their families,” says union President Christine Sorensen.

“One of the best ways to achieve this would be to provide safe levels of nurse staffing that would reduce the health system’s reliance on both paid and unpaid overtime.”

Fahrin Jiwani and Shalini Sudhakar work in the surgical unit at BC Children’s Hospital. Both care for patients with complex needs.

“We need to take the [extra] time, because often the patients have a lot going on,” says Jiwani. “The time we spend is never paid.”

Sudhakar says it feels necessary to do unpaid work in order to feel confident in the care she provides on-shift.

“I come 10 minutes before my shift and stay usually 15 to 20 minutes to do

JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

handover – every shift. Otherwise, I don’t know what’s going on with my patients.”

David Kang and Josh Gardiner also work in surgical settings at North Vancouver’s Lions Gate Hospital – Kang in orthopedics and Gardiner in general surgery.

“Unfortunately, I work for free,” admits Kang. “I come to work early and don’t leave until my tasks are done.”

Gardiner reckons that he and all of his colleagues do unpaid work.

“We don’t have a critical care work environment – it’s considered basic general surgery – and as a consequence of that we are expected to show up early or stay late and we don’t get paid for it,” he explains. “So no matter which way it’s going, whether the outgoing nurse stays late or the incoming nurse comes early, you are giving up 15 to 20 minutes of your time on either end of the shift, each shift.”

Nurses working at Abbotsford Regional Hospital report similar working conditions.

“I’m expected to stay 10 to 15 minutes a shift for handover which we do voluntarily. I often eat through meetings or eat at my desk and not take my actual break – that’s how I work for free,” says ER nurse Remy Dhillon. “This happens at least once a week, sometimes more, and many of my colleagues do the same.”

Parveen Gill works with Dhillon at ARH, and she says it’s very common for nurses to skip breaks when they’re on shift.

“You get used to it and think as long as you get to eat and sit for a little bit, you’ll be okay,” she explains. “However, that takes a toll on you through the shift and through the week and, at the end of the shift, you also have to give a report and make sure the handover is done properly – it’s not the kind of job where you just leave at the end of the day without following up.”

Stories of unpaid work are not unique to acute care settings. Port Alberni’s

“It comes down to staffing and patient needs, all of the time. How do you leave the floor when we're short?”

Lynette Amos

Marianne Pitt works in mental health and substance use.

“I worked on a case management team of four nurses and three support workers, and within a year, management got rid of one of the nurses and a care aide,” she recalls. “There was no backfill, and management’s attitude was, ‘You guys are basically over-staffed anyway, so you don’t get any more replacements.’

And so for the next two years we were short-staffed.”

It’s not surprising to hear that working conditions suffered.

“We did so much work beyond normal working hours, hardly ever got breaks and worked above and beyond,” says Pitt.

“I think it [unpaid work] should definitely be part of the bargaining agenda.”

Lynette Amos works in residential care in the Comox Valley. She says that clinical practice concerns also force nurses to do unpaid work.

“We sometimes have an LPN take an RN’s shift, and I feel I can’t just walk out and leave them with clinical issues they’re not experienced with, so I stay an hour and a half doing staffing for them while they’re starting their shift,” she reports. “I feel strongly that I have to make sure the shift starts smoothly for them.”

Nurses’ experiences clearly show that unpaid work and short-staffing go hand in hand.

“Literally there’s always somebody that’s not taking their breaks. It comes down to staffing and patient needs, all of the time. How do you leave the floor

when we’re short?” asks Amos.

Unpaid work is an issue the union has flagged for some time.

“We always encourage nurses to take their breaks,” says Sorensen. “If they don’t get a break they should file for overtime, and if their request is rejected they should file a grievance.”

BCNU estimates that an RN with nine years of service who works 30 minutes of unpaid overtime per week is giving their employer over $1,400 a year in free labour.

A report released last June by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions shows that nurses’ unpaid overtime has continued to take a toll on the health and well-being of the country’s nurses and on patient care. It found that in 2016 aggregated unpaid overtime of public sector health-care RNs and nurse supervisors totaled 4,940,000 hours – the equivalent of 2,700 full-time nursing positions.

The report, prepared by Jacobson Consulting Inc., broke down this figure by province and found that unpaid overtime in BC averaged 11,300 hours per week in 2016 at an annual value of $21.3 million.

The report is an urgent call for provinces to ensure they have effective health human resources plans that support safe nurse staffing levels.

In 2012 BCNU negotiated groundbreaking workload and staffing contract language covering staff replacement, regularization of hours, additional patient demand and vacation replacement to help address the unfair and unsafe demands on nurses’ time.

Sorensen reminds members that these new tools for safe patient care are an opportunity for BC nurses to secure the working conditions they deserve – but only if nurses use them.

“We understand that it’s not always easy for nurses to hold a manager to the letter of the contract,” she says. “But we cannot allow the normalization of unpaid work – it’s a growing problem that threatens the health and safety of our members and the patients in their care.” •

OVERTIME BY THE NUMBERS A recent national survey commissioned by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions shows that BC nurses are not alone when it comes to the overtime that continues to take a toll on their health and well-being.

282,300

number of public sector registered nurses in Canada

20.1 MILLION

hours of overtime worked by nurses in 2016

11,100

full-time jobs equivalent

27.1%

percentage working overtime in 2016

12.2%

nurses that worked unpaid OT

17.5%

nurses that worked paid OT each week

7.1

average number of extra hours worked per week

$788 MILLION cost of paid OT

3.3

average number of extra unpaid hours worked per week

$180 MILLION value of unpaid OT

Source: Trends in Own Illness- or DisabilityRelated Absenteeism and Overtime among Publicly-Employed Registered Nurses: Quick Facts 2017. Prepared for the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions by Jacobson Consulting Inc. 17

CLAIM DENIED Nurses suffering from psychological injuries find themselves isolated and unable to access support

PHOTO: DEREK FRANKOWSKI

M

IKE BASHAM remembers the day in November 2017 like it was yesterday:

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JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

BREAKING POINT Events following Mike Basham’s traumatic experiences with back-to-back Code White failures highlight the need for changes in the way WorkSafeBC investigates incidents and compensates nurses with psychological injuries.

He and another psychiatric nurse along with a security guard working at Trail’s Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital are escorting a young psychiatric patient with a history of violence back to a seclusion room after a shower, when suddenly, the patient grabs

Basham from behind and begins shoving his pelvis into his backside.

The security guard grabs the patient’s arm while Basham extricates himself from the hold and immediately hits his panic button to call for a Code White. The team of only three then wrestles with the aggressive patient to bring him back under control.

Hitting a panic button should result in help being immediately sent. But on this day the Code White signal is not acted on, and no one comes. Rather than calling the Code White, the reception desk calls the nursing station to confirm that there really is an emergency.

Hearing nothing back – because no one is at the station – they assume it is a false alarm and take no action.

Meanwhile, the team manages to wrestle the patient back into the seclusion room. They are barely able to keep him contained, but unable to secure him and exit safely.

There, they find themselves stuck, and facing down potentially more violence.

After an agonizingly long 20 minutes, a housekeeper happens to come onto the unit, hears the commotion, and goes to seek help, which arrives quickly. Now, with enough people on hand, the patient is safely contained with a seclusion room blanket.

“Three people isn’t an adequate

At every turn, I felt like I was alone.”

Mike Basham

number to get a patient secured,” says Basham of the incident. “A Code White team response was needed to do ground containment.”

The next day, Basham is back on the unit providing care to the same patient, who now appears compliant. As a precaution, however, he decides to call a standby Code White and assembles a full team, in order to ensure the safety of patient and staff before entering the seclusion room to get the patient’s vitals and provide oral medications.

Just as they set to work, the patient leaps up, grabs one of them and, as Basham describes it, “a dog’s breakfast of a wrestling match breaks out.” The team quickly realizes they are not capable of securing the patient in order to exit the seclusion room safely. This time the signal for an overhead Code White is sent via the security guard’s

UPDATE MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2018

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MENTAL DISORDER/PTSD PRESUMPTIVE LEGISLATION BY PROVINCE There is a growing recognition that workplaces can be a direct cause of mental disorders.

It is generally harder to prove that a mental disorder is a workplace injury, because there are so many factors involved. For example, a high-stress environment may contribute to an episode of mental disorder, but it’s not easy to demonstrate the connection.

Most provinces, however, have passed legislation that makes a direct link between mental disorders and workplace trauma. These laws enable workers diagnosed with a mental disorder to claim workers’ compensation benefits without having to prove that their illness was caused by their place of work. This kind of legislation presumes that the mental disorder is a workplace injury.

British Columbia BC passed presumptive legislation for all mental disorders in May 2018 that covers firefighters, police officers, emergency medical assistants, sheriffs and correctional officers. Nurses and other health-care workers are excluded.

Alberta In 2012, Alberta became the first province to pass a bill amending their Workers Compensation Act to allow presumptive legislation for post-traumatic stress disorder for certain workers.

The law applies to emergency medical technicians, firefighters, sheriffs, peace officers and police officers. In November 2017 the government introduced changes that extend presumptive PTSD legislation to emergency dispatchers.

Nurses and other health-care workers are excluded.

Saskatchewan In 2016, Saskatchewan updated its Workers’ Compensation Act to extend mental disorder presumptive legislation to all workers. This legislation is not limited to PTSD, but includes all mental disorders like BC’s legislation.

Manitoba Manitoba passed presumptive PTSD legislation in 2015 that applies to all workers, including nurses. Manitoba is the first province to provide presumptive coverage for all workers.

20

New Brunswick In 2016, New Brunswick passed presumptive PTSD legislation that includes firefighters, police officers and paramedics. Nurses and other health-care workers are excluded.

Nova Scotia In 2016 Nova Scotia amended its Workers’ Compensation Act to include presumptive coverage for nurses and other frontline or emergency response workers who are diagnosed with PTSD. Ontario Ontario passed presumptive PTSD legislation in 2016 that covers first responders including police officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency service dispatchers, correctional officers and others. In May 2018, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act was amended under Bill 31 to include nurses in its existing PTSD presumptive legislation.

Newfoundland and Labrador does not have PTSD presumptive legislation, but in November 2017, WorkplaceNL initiated a review of its mental stress policy.

The goal of the review is to “modernize the approach to work-related mental health issues, including PTSD.” Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon do not have presumptive PTSD legislation.

JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

radio. But for a second time no Code White is called and the team again finds itself pinned down containing the aggressive patient. Eventually, Basham’s co-nurse, who has been guarding the door to prevent exit, leaves to find the missing help. Finally, the overhead Code White is called and help arrives.

The good news, says Basham, is that no one was physically harmed to the point of needing medical attention. The bad news is that a fail-safe procedure that staff depend on for their security actually failed twice in a row.

Worse yet, the violent events would prove psychologically damaging to Basham, who would soon find himself unwell and without support from either his employer or WorkSafeBC. As it happened, Basham returned to work a day after the second incident to instruct a class in safety and violence prevention, a role he has played from early in his career. But on this day something had changed.

“I realized that when I was teaching the course the events of the previous two days had actually had quite a strong impact on me,” he says. “I ended up calling in sick, as I was unable to work for my next night shift.”

Basham says he took time off after the incidents to begin therapy. His family doctor said that, given the state he was in, he probably shouldn’t go back to work before the New Year.

“Working in acute psych has

resulted in me needing therapy just so I can go to work,” he says. “So I took it upon myself to care for myself and get the help I needed.”

W

hen someone suffers psychological injury that’s the result of exposure to excessive stress, early intervention is vital for restoring the balance needed to return to work. But Basham, like so many other nurses, was left to fend for himself after the incidents, without support from the agency whose job it is to ensure he is kept whole.

Psychological injury is frequently interpreted by WorkSafeBC as nothing more than the result of the “normal pressures and tensions of the job of nursing.” This language has been used when denying claims for time off work due to psychological injuries, as if the normalcy of excessive stress in nursing somehow means the resulting mental disorders aren’t worthy of care.

“The traumatic event for me was being in a dangerous situation with the patient, calling for help, and having two of our main safety protocols fail in two days – that was the trauma for me.” As it turns out, those events weren’t traumatic enough for WorkSafeBC. “I was told my traumatic injuries did not meet the threshold for a claim, which was shocking to me,” Basham recalls.

Basham’s experience also highlights the ways that employer policies and WorkSafeBC reporting procedures are not designed to

I was told my traumatic injuries did not meet the threshold for a claim.”

Mike Basham

accommodate the circumstances surrounding psychological injury. He reckons the process of reporting the violent incidents was almost as traumatic as the events themselves.

“The whole reporting process is broken,” he argues. “Experiencing the incidents, then calling the workplace health call centre, having to re-live it and be re-traumatized by it, then being directed to WorkSafe and retelling it to them and being re-traumatized again, then going to my GP and re-living it yet again – it was re-traumatizing again and again and again.”

The lack of employer support also did little to promote any recovery process. “We did a debrief with some of the people involved and I wrote a report that I gave to my manager explaining what had happened, but it wasn’t a conversation,” says Basham.

“I think these kinds of psychological traumas, being quite different from a physical injury, the reporting system isn’t sensitive to that.”

Basham also began to believe that looking out for himself and getting the treatment he needed was actually working against his claim.

WorkSafeBC took two months to have Basham assessed by a registered psychologist. By then he had completed enough therapy to keep his anxiety under control, and was beginning to think about his return to work.

For a claim to be accepted, a worker must be formally diagnosed with a mental disorder and be able to prove the condition was triggered by exceptional stress at work. But the fact that Basham was on the mend two months after his two events enabled WorkSafeBC’s psychologist to declare that he had “an adjustment disorder anxiety that was in remission.”

“I felt like I was alone at every turn in the process and they were putting a brick wall in front of me,” says Basham. “It honestly felt like they were trying to string me along as long as possible until I financially couldn’t take it and was forced back to work.” He describes his entire experience as a bureaucratic nightmare. “I was calling and it seemed every time I spoke to somebody different,” he says. “But usually I wasn’t able to speak to anybody, so would end up leaving a message and waiting sometimes for a week or longer for someone to call back.”

In the end, WorkSafeBC denied Basham’s claim, just as it has for the majority of similar mental disorder claims made by nurses in the province. His claim is now under appeal

by BCNU. In the meantime, he has

UPDATE MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2018

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PTSD IN BC NURSES Workload impact study backs union’s call for inclusion of nurses in mental disorder presumptive legislation BCNU’s CALL FOR NURSES TO BE INCLUDED in new mental disorder presumptive for front-line emergency workers might come from the heart, but it’s first and foremost an evidence-based demand that’s backed by science.

In 2016, over 2,000 BC nurses working in acute, residential and community settings participated in a study conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, assessing nurses’ perceptions of their work environments. The purpose of the study was to look for connections between nurses’ workloads, and nurse and patient outcomes.

A subset of the survey questions focused specifically on symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, using the Primary Care PTSD Screen, a four-item screening tool with a high predictive value (or capacity to accurately identify individuals with PTSD). Using this tool, scores of 0-1 = no PTSD, scores of 2 or higher require further evaluation and total scores of 3-4 are positive for PTSD. As shown in the table below, nearly one in five nurses (19.6%) reported sufficient symptoms to screen positive for PTSD using this tool, significantly higher than the

estimated current rate of 2.4 percent among the Canadian general public .

These results are consistent with existing research in the literature on PTSD in nursing. The rate of PTSD among nurses in the United States has been estimated at 18 percent, similar to the figure of 19.6 percent found in nurses in British Columbia. Research shows the risk of developing PTSD increases with multiple exposures to traumatic events , and that nurses are exposed to a great deal of trauma through their work, both by witnessing the suffering of others, and through direct experiences of verbal and physical violence . As a result, nurses experience disproportionately high rates of mental distress, including PTSD. This repeated exposure to traumatic events affects nurses’ mental health, just as it affects emergency services workers. A systematic review of PTSD presentation shows no significant difference in the rates of PTSD among health-care workers and first responders. Although the kinds of trauma experienced by these two groups may differ, the effects are the same.

NURSES’ PTSD SCORES BY SECTOR SECTOR PTSD SCORE

ACUTE (N = 1,621)

COMMUNITY (N = 338)

RESIDENTIAL (N = 152)

TOTAL (N = 2,111)

0 OR 1 (NO PTSD)

64.7%

63.7%

66.4%

64.7%

2 (FURTHER FOLLOW-UP REQUIRED)

15.9%

16.1%

12.8%

15.7%

3 OR 4 (POSITIVE FOR PTSD)

19.4%

20.1%

20.8%

19.6%

ONE IN FIVE Recent research conducted by the University of British Columbia using the Primary Care PTSD Screen found that nearly 20 percent of BC nurses screened positive for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is a recognized mental disorder under the DSM-V.

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JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

been left footing the bills for time off work and for the hours of therapy taken after his benefits were cut off.

B

CNU President Christine Sorensen says Basham’s experience is sadly typical of how nurses with mental disorders are often treated by the board. She says many nurses in need of help discover that WorkSafeBC is essentially positioned as their adversary, and feel like the deck is stacked against them when making a claim. “They’re not focused on ensuring you get proper counselling after a violent incident, or whether the employer was negligent by not ensuring safety protocols were fully in place. They just want to avoid paying for your time off work and your therapeutic expenses, nothing more.”

Sorensen says the playing field isn’t level when it comes to psychological injury – especially for those dealing with the aftermath of violence at work. “Not only is psychological injury not treated promptly in the way physical injury is, it’s actually contested by WorkSafeBC. They assume that because exposure to trauma goes with care provision, the effects of sustained exposure are not a real illness.

“So where does that leave the nurse?” Sorensen asks.

“Essentially without insurance, and that’s outrageous.”

She says the current approach to psychological injury makes a mockery of the historic compromise behind the workers’ compensation process in Canada where, in return for giving up the

USED BY NURSE SOPHIA LAKE TO CHECK HEART RATE.

The playing field isn’t level when it comes to psychological injury.”

BCNU President Christine Sorensen

right to sue employers for negligence and injury, workers gain access to care and benefits under an employer-funded insurance plan.

BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear argues that the current situation is the result of a double standard that WorkSafeBC is applying when it comes to dealing with psychological injury claims. “It asks whether traumatic exposures are excessive in intensity and duration relative to the normal pressures and tensions of a nurse’s job, not whether you are injured because of them,” she explains.

“In our view, those questions are irrelevant because any traumatic event can trigger disorders. What matters is the actual state of mind of the nurse, and getting people proper care so they can mend and return to nursing,” she argues.

“Why is compensation for lost time and counselling denied simply because the events that triggered it are not uncommon in our line of work?”

Gear also believes the bar is set far too high at present for nurses to get the help and supports they need for mental disorders. “If you get

physically injured at work, you get care and support. Why is it different when the injury is psychological?” she asks.

There is no question that nurses routinely carry significant stress loads due to their exposure to suffering and trauma at work, including violence. This stress load, combined with systemic understaffing, leads to burnout, compassion fatigue and other mental disorders including but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In 2016 nurses accounted for nearly 12 percent of all mental disorder and PTSD claims with WorkSafeBC. A 2015 University of British Columbia study on BC nurses’ workloads put a representative sample of all nurses through a PTSD screening tool and found that over 35 percent of acute-care nurses should qualify for further evaluation of their symptoms.

Similar results were obtained for community and residential-care nurses.

It’s evidence like this, along with stories like Basham’s, that BCNU is using to take the provincial government to task for failing to include nurses in new legislation which presumes an emergency worker’s mental disorder is work-related.

Victoria passed the legislation in May, which is similar to laws already on the books in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia, but those provinces’ presumptive legislation includes nurses.

“The BC legislation discriminates against those nurses who are psychologically impacted from providing care in traumatic situations,” says Sorensen. “We are

USED ON NURSE SOPHIA LAKE TO STRANGLE HER.

HAVE YOU TOLD YOUR STORY ABOUT VIOLENCE? Provincial initiative underway encouraging members to tell their story about violence at work EVERY NURSE DESERVES A WORKPLACE free from violence and psychological trauma while caring for patients. If you’ve experienced a violent incident, witnessed one, or been involved in a near-miss situation that had potential for serious harm, we want to hear from you.

We are soliciting stories as part of the union’s inquiry into violence in health care. Nurses across BC now have an opportunity to share their experiences of violent-related incidents via the BCNU website. As part of the broader violence prevention campaign, the purpose of the inquiry is to gather as much information as possible to help BCNU negotiate better workplace protections for all nurses into the next collective agreement, which will create a safer workplace for all.

All personal information will be kept confidential, but stories will be used to strengthen the union’s case for change at the bargaining table. Help BCNU and support members by sharing your story using the online form on the BCNU website.

Contact your regional chair for more information.

UPDATE MAGAZINE • JULY/AUGUST 2018

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MEET YOUR REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES Raising awareness about effects of trauma and other mental health issues is an important priority for BCNU. All of the union’s regional executive committees now have a position dedicated to advance the union’s mental health strategy and advocating for better supports for members.

READY TO LISTEN BCNU’s regional health reps meet with BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear at the union’s office this spring to talk about strategies and actions for creating safer workplaces and ensuring accessible mental health supports for members.

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES Vancouver Metro Arlie Gilhousen arliegilhousen@bcnu.org

East Kootenay Sara Jolie sarajolie@bcnu.org

North East Laura Baker laurabaker@bcnu.org

Coastal Mountain Paddy Treavor paddytreavor@bcnu.org

Simon Fraser Suellen E. Larsen suellenlarsen@bcnu.org

North West JoAnne Rachford joanneratchford@bcnu.org

South Fraser Valley Paula Stone paulastone@bcnu.org

Okanagan Similkameen Jane Mushta janemushta@bcnu.org

South Islands Stephanie Spinney stephaniespinney@bcnu.org

Fraser Valley Lisa Noel lisanoel@bcnu.org

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JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

Shaughnessy Heights Gurvir Sekhon gurvirsekhon@bcnu.org Pacific Rim Deidre Knudson deidreknudson@bcnu.org West Kootenay Karen Wasilenkoff karenwasilenkoff@bcnu.org Thompson North Okanagan Bette Jo Tunks bettejotunks@bcnu.org Central Vancouver vacant RIVA vacant

urging Labour Minister Harry Bains to amend this legislation to include nurses in the interests of fairness and to ensure that they also receive timely support and treatment.”

In the meantime, stories like Basham’s – from the ineffective Code White response, to the lack of support during WorkSafeBC’s long, adversarial claims process – remain all too common.

“The fact that a Code White failed two days running and was not effectively addressed by the employer in a timely manner is totally unacceptable,” says Sorensen. She notes ongoing problems at KBRH around the lack of effective and timely responses to serious incidents, which have led to the issuing of WorkSafeBC orders requiring the employer to comply with occupational safety regulations.

“Imagine how it affects nurses knowing they can’t rely on the emergency security of a Code White to deal with a violent incident.”

Basham will never forget how it feels. “Just with where I was at [psychologically] after the incidents, the ongoing safety issues, the lack of Code White coverage, and all that stuff, there’s certainly some anxiety about returning to the unit.” •

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE

CHARTING A PATH BCNU is helping internationally educated nurses on their professional journey

S

UKHPREET KAHLER has wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember. “I lived in an extended family and I always wanted to help old people or whoever was sick in my family,” she says. “I was always the one to step in to help, even when I was a little child.”

Staying true to her calling, Kahler studied nursing in her native India after leaving high school, and graduated from a four-year BScN program in 2012. She married soon after and, along with her new husband, applied for landed immigrant status in Canada and arrived in 2014.

Kahler was ready to begin her career upon arrival. She understood that she would need to be registered in order to work, but admits she had no idea how difficult and costly the journey to becoming an RN in BC would be compared to India. “Over there we don’t need to do any board exams to get our license,” she explains. “We just have to apply for it on the basis of our education and then we submit our papers and they send us our registration papers.”

Kahler, who lives in Surrey, had few professional connections upon arrival. She began by visiting local private nursing colleges to get some information. “They all discouraged me and said, ‘your degree has no value in Canada’ – that was really frustrating,”

she recalls. “All of them advised me to take their full-time LPN program. I was almost ready to do it just so I could have Canadian credentials.”

Fortunately, Kahler made contact through Facebook with a friend in Toronto who had come from India as an international student and was now STILL WAITING Internationally educated nurse Sukhpreet Kahler registered as an RN in says her ongoing struggle to be registered in BC has taken all of her courage and energy.

Ontario. She advised Kahler against taking out a loan to pay the $25,000 tuition fee to become an LPN, she passed the International English and suggested that she instead find Language Testing System (IELTS) test. work as a care aide while applying Kahler found the IELTS test to be to the National Nursing Assessment an unexpected hurdle. “It was really Service (NNAS) in order to have her hard. I took the exam five times at cost Indian credentials recognized. of $300 each, and was scoring well on Kahler took the advice. “Your nursing everything but the writing component,” school sends all of the documentation she says. “A score of seven is needed to requested in a sealed envelope and pass and I was scoring 6.5.”

NNAS matches all of your competenSeveral personal tutors and 10 twocies to a Canadian standard in order to hour classes later, Kahler passed IELTS see what you meet or if there are gaps. on her sixth attempt in December 2016.

It then makes an advisory report and She says the process felt arbitrary and sends that to the College of Registered unfair, given that all of her nursing Nurses of BC,” she says. education was in English, and reckUnfortunately, because she is a ons that even a Canadian-educated non-native English language speaker, university graduate, with the exception NNAS advised Kahler that it would of an English major, would fail the not process her application until IETS exam on their first try. “It’s a

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LENGTHY PROCESS STEPS AND APPROXIMATE COSTS FOR INTERNATIONALLY EDUCATED NURSES TO REGISTER IN BC APPLY TO NATIONAL NURSING ASSESSMENT SERVICE (NNAS) (Up to $1,390) • Application expires if all required documents are not received within 12 months.

• Language proficiency test results must be submitted no more than six months after the successful test date.

CREATE AN APPLICATION WITH REGULATORY COLLEGE ($250–$575)

NURSING COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT SERVICE (NCAS) ASSESSMENT* ($2,000)

SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION* (UP TO $26,000) • Additional courses or programs may be required by the regulatory college.

CERTIFICATION EXAM ($105–$660)

REGISTRATION WITH REGULATORY COLLEGE ($350–$575)

TOTAL COST: UP TO $31,000 NOTE: Costs are approximate and will differ for RNs, RPNs, and LPNs. *If required by the regulatory college.

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really high standard – they want top university level English.”

With her IELTS requirements complete, the NNAS processed Kahler’s application and sent its advisory report to CRNBC in January 2017. She then paid CRNBC $500 to process her application, but was told by the regulator that she would need to take a competency exam to demonstrate her skills.

They referred her to the Nursing Community Assessment Service (NCAS) conducted through Langara College.

The service uses a series of computer, simulation-lab and oral tests to determine if applicants can demonstrate the skills and competencies required for practice. With this step complete, CRNBC then advised Kahler in November 2017 that she would need to take a one-year bridging program called GNIE (Graduate Nurse Internationally Educated) – but starting in January 2019, as all of the spaces in the September 2018 term had been filled.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is the only school in BC that offers a GNIE program for internationally educated nurses (IENs) like Kahler who have not yet begun practising in their home countries. Upon applying for GNIE, Kahler learned that KPU had begun a new, prerequisite program called “Nurse Ready” that is three weeks long (nine classes) and costs $1,700. But before she faced this new hurdle, Kahler was informed that all of the spaces in the Nurse Ready program are full until July 2018, meaning that she would not be able to complete the course before the August application deadline for her January 2019 GNIE program. To make matters worse, KPU warned her that her IELTS credential was going to expire in December 2018, and if she did not enter

GNIE by January 2019 she would need to re-sit the exam.

“I can’t see any chance of getting into the January 2019 GNIE program. I could get into Nurse Ready program in August 2018, maybe,” says Kahler. “But then it would be too late.”

With the clock ticking, the young nurse has taken it upon herself to be as resourceful as possible. “I have applied to Memorial University in Newfoundland for its bridging program and I am meeting all of their requirements so far, but have not gotten a final decision,” she reports. “I will know in August for the September 2018 start date.”

Kahler says Memorial University is the only bridging program that provides distance education, although she will be required to move to Newfoundland for about two or three months to complete her practical hours.

Despite the delays and frustration she has faced, Kahler isn’t wasting any time getting ready to practice in BC. She is now preparing to take her NCLEX exam for the US, explaining that she will then not need to re-take the NCLEX in Canada once she finishes her bridging program. And CRNBC will then register her in BC. “I’ve had feelings of desperation and mood swings,” confesses Kahler, when asked how she has coped through the experience. She says that without the support of her partner she would not have succeeded this far, and suspects there are many other IENs like her who have given up. “Now they are nowhere – they are working as labourers.”

A COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT

On the evening of May 30, BCNU organized a dinner welcoming Kahler and

SHARING STORIES AND SUPPORT BCNU hosted a dinner for internationally educated nurses on May 30.

The evening saw participants sharing their personal experiences and talking about the challenges they face when it comes to registering in BC. BCNU director of professional practice Heather Straight (bottom) was on hand to listen and learn from the group.

some 50 other IENs from around Metro Vancouver. Elected union leaders and staff members were on hand to facilitate a discussion and hear first-hand about the experiences and challenges IENs face.

Participants talked about their frustration, stress, and anxiety. They noted the language barriers they face, the limited spaces in bridging programs, difficulties in getting work permits and the high cost of assessment and registration. Recently-employed IENs also shared their experiences with racism, bullying, violence and discrimination in the workplace, as well as the undervaluing of IEN experience and education.

The nurses participated in group exercises that allowed BCNU to gather important information on the supports that are lacking and the changes that IENs want to see, so that the union has a better understanding of the assistance these nurses need and the role the organization can play on their professional journey.

BCNU director of professional practice Heather Straight was on hand to listen and learn from the group.

She acknowledged IENs’ frustration. “When you look at the skills that are around this room, the diversity, the different ways of knowing and the richness that you add to our healthcare system – it’s truly unbelievable,” she remarked. “So we will definitely commit to helping you.”

Straight also talked about the resource challenges within the healthcare system as a whole that impact IENs. “Employers can’t find enough preceptors to host the students from our own local schools, so you are in competition just for those placements,” she explained.

“It’s a complex issue that’s about more than just creating more seats,” she said. “Conversations need to occur with a lot of partners and a lot of stakeholders in order address the issue.”

BCNU Provincial Treasurer Sharon Sponton is chair of our union’s IEN working group. She says BCNU’s renewed commitment to IENs is based on the organization’s core values of social justice, solidarity and collectivity, and on the recognition that IENs are ready and willing to fill the vacant lines and short-staffed units that exist around the province.

“We recognize that IENs’ concerns are our concerns, and together we will be able to make some much needed changes to the way IENs are treated,” she says.

Sponton notes that BCNU is one organization in a complex system that includes other stakeholders, like the government and regulatory colleges, which have a prominent role in the experiences and challenges facing IENs. “But BCNU will continue to raise concerns about the lengthy and often unfair processes that IENs have to navigate in order to purse their professional dreams.”

Meanwhile, thousands of IENs like Kahler continue their struggle to practise in BC. “Stay strong because you will suffer more than you think,” is her advice to other IENs. “I was ready for this but it took all my courage and energy,” she says. “You need to stay focused and practise for everything. Do a lot of research – as much as you can, and find a job in the health-care system while you are waiting.” •

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CONVENTION 2018

STANDING STRONG BC’s nurses come together for safe workplaces and safe patient care

hen over 500 BCNU members gathered in Vancouver this May for our union’s 37th annual convention, they were welcomed by newly-acclaimed president Christine Sorensen. Her message?

Despite the difficulties the organization has faced – both past and present – BC’s nurses continue to stand strong in their commitment to safe patient care.

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HITTING THE STREETS Nurses march through downtown Vancouver on May 3 and call for action to prevent violence in the health-care workplace.

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Sorensen reflected on the strides that BCNU has taken to get the organization where it is today. She noted the struggles nurses faced during strike action in 1989 and the health care cuts of the 1990s, and reflected on how these nurses’ advocacy informed her own path.

“Through those challenges I saw an organization built on resiliency and incredible success,” she said, noting that BCNU has since gone on to secure some of the largest contract gains of any union in the province. Sorensen thanked many of the retired activists in attendance for their work in helping to secure the gains their working colleagues now enjoy. “Without your vision and strength we would not be where we are today,” she said.

Sorensen also acknowledged that the past year has not been without its challenges. “Our election process came under scrutiny when the words ‘BCNU Cancels Democracy’ were published in the media,’” she said, and noted the two lengthy investigations that caused concern, disruption and feelings of mistrust. “Those outside the BCNU were

Our members have spoken and we will not back down!”

OPENING REMARKS BCNU President Christine Sorensen welcomes delegates to Vancouver.

BCNU President Christine Sorensen

looking for us to fail and to collapse, but we didn’t. We are here and we are standing strong - all 47,000 of us,” she said, telling delegates that BCNU’s response to the challenges of 2017 have proved yet again that the union is an organization of integrity and strength.

“We have had challenges in the past and I know there will be challenges in the future, but we can and we will overcome them,” she said.

Sorensen informed delegates about

the union’s renewed vision and mandate to advance BCNU’s professional advocacy and rebuild relationships with external stakeholders.

“Last year, the delegates at convention asked us to end the raiding and focus on rebuilding relationships.

Council heard you and we agreed with you”, she said. “It was time to stop fighting, collaborate with other stakeholders, rebuild our image and ensure our voice was heard and respected at

MAKING RECONCILIATION REAL

INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP CIRCLE members gather on day one of convention. From left: BCNU staff person Glynis Wilson, Sarah Christiansen, Erin Roulette, Sherry Ridsdale, June Shackley, Lisa Noel, ILC chair Diane Lingren, BCNU executive councillor and Indigenous Leadership Circle council liaison Rhonda Croft, Wanda Veer and Celine Smith.

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BCNU’s Indigenous Leadership Circle met over lunch on convention’s opening day to discuss a proposed emergency resolution expressing support for a Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) lawsuit alleging the federal government mishandled the Kinder Morgan pipeline approval process. The TWN court case, which was heard in the Federal Court of Appeal and is now being deliberated, alleges the Trudeau government acted in bad faith by appearing to consult First Nations after already deciding it would approve the pipeline application. New evidence and media reports suggest civil servants were instructed to develop a legally-plausible case for approval while government was engaged in consulting First Nations. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which the Trudeau government endorses, requires meaningful consultation with First Nations as part of the reconciliation process.

I’m optimistic we will achieve the protection all nurses deserve.”

DETERMINED ADVOCATE BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear delivered a detailed report on the union’s efforts to prevent workplace violence.

all policy and decision-making tables.”

Sorensen said the union’s new three-year strategic plan that was set in place by the outgoing Council last June is a reflection of the organization’s renewed commitment to sound governance and strong professional advocacy, and reported that the union’s leadership has been working hard to strengthen the ties between BCNU, the Ministry of Health and the Nursing Policy Secretariat. “I am optimistic that a nursing council will soon be established to provide a venue for dialogue and collaboration on nursing concerns at the provincial level,” she said.

Sorensen also reported on the work the union has done in reaching out to the ministers of finance, advanced education and labour to advance issues of importance to nurses, such as fair compensation, expanded specialty education, the inclusion of nurses in presumptive legislation for post-traumatic stress disorder, WorkSafeBC’s

BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear

role in helping injured members, and improving workplace safety.

Sorensen said nurses are compassionate, professional caregivers committed to providing the best quality of care, but they must be able to do this in a safe environment where they can go to work and go home at the end of their shift uninjured.

She reminded delegates that last year over 15,000 people signed BCNU postcards demanding that government take action to protect the nurses of BC. And since then, she said BCNU’s inquiry on violence in the health-care workplace has revealed shocking stories of nurses who have been sexually assaulted, threatened and physically beaten by patients and the public during the course of their duties.

Sorensen also reminded members of the numerous WorkSafeBC claims for injuries related to severe violence that nurses claim.

“It’s time!” she proclaimed.

“We cannot wait for another nurse to be injured – it is time for us to stand strong and demand that this government protect nurses and extend legislation to those suffering from PTSD and mental illness.”

Sorensen told delegates she has also scheduled regular meetings with provincial health employers to talk about overcapacity issues, staffing needs, safety concerns and toxic workplace culture – and that these meetings are paying off.

Ensuring that employers properly address bullying and harassment in the workplace is being given special attention, Sorensen said, noting that the union is committed to the full implementation of the national standard for psychologically healthy workplaces. “This is a time of reckoning for BCNU – we will help our members speak up when they are bullied or intimidated and give them the courage to say enough is enough.”

Sorensen also informed the members in attendance that BCNU continues to reach out to other nursing unions and organizations in BC and across Canada with the goal of finding common ground on areas of concern such as violence prevention, support for public health care and the push for a national pharmacare plan. “In all of these meetings with our external stakeholders, we have advocated for our members where we feel the voices of nurses are not being respected and listened to,” she said.

Sorensen reminded delegates that she would be sitting down at the bargaining table this

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year in negotiations for a new provincial contract, and called on all of the activists in the room to stay united and committed to nurses’ bargaining priorities in order to achieve gains that will improve their work life and practice conditions.

“Last fall, I had the pleasure of touring the province with our CEO Umar Sheikh and members of the provincial executive to hear from nurses about their concerns as we move towards negotiating a new collective agreement,” she reported. “Over 1,200 nurses talked about workload, overcapacity, excessive overtime, understaffing, recruitment and retention, scope of practice, vehicles, housing, wages and benefits and a host of other concerns.

“We know this next round of bargaining will be a challenge, and we will need to stay united and committed to our bargaining priorities if we are to

EQUITY CHAIRS The union’s Human Rights and Equity Committee met on the first day of convention to plan BCNU’s equity agenda in the year ahead. The committee is made up of the chairs of each of the union’s equity seeking caucuses, and the committee itself is chaired by BCNU executive councillor Rhonda Croft. Pictured from left: Workers with Disabilities caucus chair Kelly Woywitka, LGBTQ caucus chair Hanna Embree, Indigenous Leadership Circle chair Diane Lingren, Mosaic of Colour caucus chair Harwinder Sandhu, Men in Nursing caucus chair Lee Frederick and Young Nurses’ Network chair Sarra Fedick.

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achieve gains that will improve our work life and ensure that we can provide safe patient care in all areas,” she said. “But we are the BCNU and we are always up for a challenge! Our members have spoken and we will not back down!”

ACTING VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Convention’s opening day also saw BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear take to the podium to deliver a detailed report on the union’s efforts to prevent workplace violence and better support those nurses who have suffered from its effects.

“Too often nurses are victims of violence while delivering care, and nowhere near enough is being done to protect them at work,” said Gear. “But we remain committed to changing that, no matter how much resistance we encounter.”

Gear told convention del-

egates that BCNU’s spring Inquiry on Violence heard numerous personal stories of assaults that will strengthen BCNU’s case for change in the next round of bargaining.

She reported that members’ stories revealed many flaws in current approaches to preventing violence in health care: personal call alarms that are unreliable due to malfunction or dead zones; unreliable or inconsistent Code White practices, with nurses often expected to go hands-on; failure to communicate the risks posed by patients with a history of violence; and managers who normalize violence in health care as just part of a nurse’s job.

Gear also informed convention delegates that the inquiry has highlighted widespread problems with the WorkSafeBC claims process, with inquiry participants reporting stories of employers actively contesting nurses’ claims for psychological injury, adjudication of claims in

ways that re-traumatize injured nurses and claim denials actually stating that exposure to violence is an accepted part of the job.

Gear promised that BCNU would continue taking its violence-prevention campaign to decision makers, and contest both provincial government inaction and the culture of claim denial at WorkSafeBC. “It’s been a year since the new government took office and absolutely nothing has changed on the violence front,” she said. “BCNU will continue exposing deficiencies at WorkSafeBC while applying pressure to health employers and the government in order to force change.”

Gear also expressed disappointment with the provincial government’s decision to exclude nurses from recent psychological disorder presumptive legislation that gives first responders easier access to supports and benefits from WorkSafeBC after experiencing traumatic events at work. “We are not giving up and I am optimistic that we will in fact achieve the protection all nurses deserve,” she said.

RALLYING FOR PTSD PRESUMPTION

A call for action to prevent violence on the job and for inclusion in PTSD legislation was the message nurses took to the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery during a lively rally on convention’s closing day.

“Violence in health care has reached shocking levels in BC, and nurses are being threatened, punched, kicked and verbally assaulted every day. Is it bad?

Yes, it’s that bad,” Sorensen told the more than 500 chanting nurses who had gathered in downtown Vancouver.

Sorensen talked about the personal stories – many of them horrific – the union had gathered from over 100 nurses who participated in the union’s inquiry on violence. “More than half

YOUNG NETWORKERS The BCNU Young Nurses’ Network hosted a lunch on day two of convention. Network chair Sarra Fedick provided guests with an overview of the equity group’s mandate to ensure that issues important to nurses under 35 are not forgotten in dealings with health employers and policy makers.

the nurses we heard from are no longer working at the bedside due to a longterm disability. Protective devices like personal call alarms failed to work properly or consistently in 40 percent of those cases.”

Twenty-six nurses a month suffer injuries from violence, said Sorensen, citing recent WorkSafeBC statistics.

“That’s a lot of nurses getting hurt.”

“Nurses, it is that bad, and it’s time we put an end to it. Not nearly enough is being done to keep nurses safe at work. Premier Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix, Mental Health Minister Judy Darcy, and Labour Minister Harry Bains all signed pledges to end violence against nurses. Well, the evidence is in, but nurses are still waiting.”

Sorensen welcomed Gear to the

podium to speak about nurses’ push for inclusion in recent PTSD presumptive legislation. “We have the data from WorkSafeBC showing that in 2016 nurses accounted for nearly 12 percent of all mental disorder claims and over 10 percent of all PTSD claims,” said Gear. “In 2016, 76 nurses – over six nurses a month – filed claims for PTSD!” Gear reported that Facebook lit up with posts from disappointed nurses and their families when the government announced the presumption legislation, and then denied it to nurses.

She said that the very nurses who provide care to others are themselves in need of care for mental health disorders arising from their exposure to trauma at work. “Nurses need to be properly supported now,” she

CONVENTION VIDEO Watch highlights from the BCNU 2018 convention rally in Vancouver, where nurses called for action to prevent violence in the health-care workplace.

Watch the video on your mobile device

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said. “The decision to omit nurses from the PTSD and mental disorder presumption directly affects their quality of life, the well-being of their families, and the sustainability of the health-care system.

The rally also heard supportive comments from Linda Silas, National President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and long-time advocate of action to reduce violence in health care.

Silas reminded the rally that violence against nurses in health care is a Canada-wide phenomenon that governments ignore at their peril. “We will continue to make noise, we will knock on doors and we will rally for an end to violence in health care. The only thing standing between us and a safer health-care system is the political will to do the right thing.”

“Enough is enough,” she said.

“Enough of the short-staffing, enough of the over-crowding, enough of the excessive overtime, all of which only serve to increase the amount of violence that nurses and other health care workers are subject to.”

BYLAW AMENDMENTS AND RESOLUTIONS

The last two days of convention saw delegates debating resolutions and proposed bylaw amendments.

COLOURFUL MOSAIC A large group of convention delegates attended the union’s Mosaic of Colour equity caucus lunch on the second day of convention.

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Members defeated a proposed amendment to Article 2.01 (Membership) that would have prevented allied personnel (non-nurses) from being admitted as members without the approval of a two-thirds majority of convention delegates or approval of a two-thirds majority of council in the case of allied personnel working in wall-to-wall certifications.

Members in attendance also defeated a proposed bylaw amendment to Article 3.01 (Officers of the Union) that would have changed the current title of the two executive councillor positions on the provincial executive committee to Executive Councillor of Occupational Health and Safety and Executive Councillor of Pensions.

A proposed amendment to Article 15 (Conventions of the Union) was carried that sees the name of the Workers of Colour caucus changed to Mosaic of Colour.

Delegates voted against

a resolution calling for an obituary column in Update Magazine and in favour of an emergency resolution directing BCNU to send a letter to the prime minister calling upon the government to uphold the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in all its dealings with Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including full consultation with Indigenous Peoples/Nations

VOICE OF SENIORS BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie shared her insights and recent survey findings with convention delegates on the state of seniors’ care in the province.

regarding their concerns about the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

SENIORS ADVOCATE SPEAKS

The second day of convention saw BC Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie share her insights and recent survey findings with delegates on the state of seniors’ care in the province.

Mackenzie stressed that seniors as a group are every bit as diverse as the general population, and have varied needs that must be effectively addressed by the health-care system.

The provincial government created the office of the Seniors Advocate in 2015 in response to an identified need for greater support of senior-specific public policy options as the overall population ages. Mackenzie has a broad mandate to monitor and review system-wide issues affecting the well-being of seniors and raise awareness about resources available to them. Her office also makes recommendations to government and agencies that deliver seniors’ services related to health care, personal care, housing, transportation and income support.

Mackenzie reminded members that seniors are individuals with differences, and that labels using one characteristic – such as age – lead to stereotypes, which leads to prejudice.

“And that’s the problem,” she said, when it comes to much of the work her office does on behalf of policy makers. “The statement ‘all seniors’ makes as much sense as ‘all people,’” she argued, before presenting an overview report of seniors in BC that dispelled some of the myths surrounding our aging population.

Despite an aging demographic – BC seniors will rise to 25 percent of the population in 2031, up from 18 percent continued on page 38

FIRST-TIME

DELEGATES’ VIEW WHY DID YOU ATTEND CONVENTION THIS YEAR AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN?

SAPNA OOMMEN Vancouver Metro

I have worked as nurse in three different countries and three continents and this is the first union I’ve been a member of that is so strong – so I’m here to see why BCNU is so strong.

SURJIT SAMRA Simon Fraser

I’m here because I want to learn how to promote well-being for all nurses.

TESS BATOON Simon Fraser

I’m attending because I want to learn how to reduce stress in the workplace and to promote psychological health and safety.

TAMMY PARKINSON South Islands

I’m hoping to learn some better wellness skills for myself and my co-workers that I can bring back to the workplace, and how to build workplace strength with our union.

SUKHWINDER JAGPAL Simon Fraser

I’m attending because I want to learn how union members work together as a team.

CHELSEY MCKELLAR West Kootenay

I’m a new graduate nurse so I’m here to learn all there is to learn about my union and helping to work toward a safer workplace in my future.

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1. Coastal Mountain region member Moi Tan and Coastal Mountain steward liaison Amelita Orodio. 2. Coastal Mountain region member Ann Otumu and Shaughnessy Heights region member Ugochi Ibediro connect on a coffee break. 3. West Kootenay region member Erin Roulette and South Fraser Valley region lobby coordinator Tash Minwalla post pledges committing to meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 4. Central Vancouver region member Rhonda Bennett and Pacific Rim region member Marianne Pitt. 5. Central Vancouver region members Manjit Bains and Myrla Amper snap a photo at the selfie wall.

6. Shaughnessy Heights region members Sundeep Saran, Heather Stewart and Sukhraj Johal on the convention floor. 7. BCNU CEO Umar Sheikh address delegates on opening day.

8. South Fraser Valley region co-chair Walter Lumamba and Simon Fraser region co-chair Lynn Lagace on the convention floor. 9. North West region lobby coordinator Michael Prevost welcomes delegates to the LGBTQ caucus booth. 10. BCNU West Kootenay region members Reanne Laurie and Chelsey McKellar pose for a photo at the selfie wall. 11. Canadian Federation Nurses Union President Linda Silas delivers her address to convention delegates.

12. BCNU labour relations officer Navdeep Dhaliwal connects with RIVA region chair Sara Mattu. 13. Simon Fraser region member and full-time steward Ron Morley welcomes Thompson North Okanagan region members Nadine Golz and Amanda Hackman to the professional responsibility process booth. 14. Pacific Rim chair Rachel Kimler chats with fellow region member Gaydene Vallee on a coffee break.

15. Coastal Mountain region members Dennis Senft, Andrew Terrado and Genevieve Dallimore. 16. Pacific Rim region member Myra Noga (left) meets with Vancouver Metro region members Emma Carino and Nieves Velasco. 17. BCNU’s 2017 annual report was released on day one of convention. 18. East Kootenay region member Jo-ann Decker catches up with retired member Andy Wiebe. 19. Thompson North Okanagan region member Beverly Moody and East Kootenay region member Cameron Rose at the LGBTQ booth. 20. Student member Roslyn Narayan sells 50-50 draw tickets to South Fraser Valley region member Javier Gonzalez.

21. Men in Nursing caucus members welcome delegates to their booth.

Standing (l-r): Romi de Leon, Hunh Nguyen, Lee Frederick and Dean Valouch.

Sitting: Fraser Valley region chair Tracey Greenberg and Reynaldo Ortiz. 22. Pacific Rim region members Kelly Woywitka and Myra Noga join Simon Fraser regions member Ann Chin at the Workers with Disabilities booth. 23. BCNU treasurer Sharon Sponton reports to delegates on day two. 24. BCNU acting director of servicing Donna Bouzan provides a report on the work of the Nurse Staffing Sectretariat. 25. Shaughnessy Heights region members Astryd Van Buuren, Emilia Cortese and Carli Husson connect on a break. 26. South Fraser Valley region members Ruben De Ocampo, Jeff Punzalan and Engelbert Soliva strike a pose at the selfie wall. 27. BCNU President Christine Sorensen presides over business on day one.

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STANDING STRONG continued from page 35

SAFETY FIRST Workplace safety expert Ron Gantt (left) and clinical forensic psychologist Dr. Joti Samra share their insights with members during the education day that preceded convention. Samra explained the impact of chronic workplace stress on workers’ physical well-being.

EDUCATION DAY FOCUSES ON HEALTH AND SAFETY

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HIS YEAR’S CONVENTION was called to order on May 1, but before union business began, members arrived in Vancouver a day earlier to participate in an education day focused on psychological health and safety. Keynote speakers included leading workplace safety expert Ron Gantt and renowned clinical forensic psychologist Dr. Joti Samra.

Gantt is a certified safety expert who teaches the technical and legal aspects of workplace safety. He told the more than 500 BCNU members in attendance that “people are not the problem” when it comes to most safety issues, and that achieving safer workplaces requires identifying flaws and solving problems in systems and processes. His core message was that developing more processes is not the answer to preventing people from deviating from safe courses of action.

Rather, the goal should be to empower people to engage in continual learning about safer operations.

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Samra concluded the day by sharing her insights on stress and depression. Stress is the invisible illness, she explained, and if unrelieved, will lead to burnout and disability.

Samra noted that day-to-day nursing is full of stressors, such as working long hours and short-staffed. This can subsequently impact sleeping, social well-being and lead to unhealthy eating patterns. “When work is a significant source of stress we can lose our balance,” she said.

Samra reported that one in five Canadians (6.7 million) will experience a psychological or mental health issue or illness versus 2.2 million for Type 2 Diabetes and 1.4 million for heart disease. She said that depression is widespread and untreated, and is a stronger risk factor than smoking. “We need to change the way we think about stress to deal with it, by modifying the meaning that is attached to it and appreciating the larger perspective,” she argued. •

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HUMOUR AND MOTIVATION Linda Edgecombe shared her insights on life, love and career with delegates on the closing day of convention.

today – Mackenzie reported that there is no “silver tsunami” threatening to overwhelm the health-care system, and said that a one-percent-a-year increase in the seniors’ population can be easily managed at no additional cost.

Mackenzie also contrasted prevailing notions of wealth and poverty in common understandings about seniors today, and noted that 20 percent of seniors live in poverty while another 20 percent have annual incomes greater than $80,000 a year. “How do we target a ‘population’ like this?” she asked, illustrating the challenges her office faces when advocating for such a diverse group.

Mackenzie asked members to consider current concerns about dementia, and suggested that seniors are too often labelled as at-risk for falling to this illness. “While it is true that the majority of dementia sufferers are indeed seniors, how you frame the numbers defines the narrative,” she said, and reported that eight in 10 seniors over the age of 85 do not suffer from dementia. “Most of us are going to keep all of our marbles,” she remarked.

Mackenzie shared some of the

Curiosity is the key to selfawareness.”

Linda Edgecombe

details of her office’s recent landmark survey of people living in BC’s publicly subsidized residential care facilities today – the most extensive survey of its kind ever conducted in Canada, targeting over 22,000 individuals in 292 residential care facilities. She said resi-

dents painted a bleak picture of overall neglect – although they believe they are being cared for by qualified people.

The survey, conducted between June 2016 and May 2017, asked a range of questions on residents’ experiences of day to day activities and care from questions about food quality and staff responsiveness to observations of physician care and social connectedness.

Mackenzie stressed that many residents are lonely, want to be talked to and engaged, and want more freedom to control all aspects of their day-today lives, from when they get up in the morning to what time of day they eat their meals.

Mackenzie concluded her presentation by thanking the assembled nurses for the

PROUD ADVOCATES BCNU’s LGBTQ caucus met on day one of convention for dialogue led by caucus chair Hanna Embree (front row centre) which focused on shared priorities. Representatives at the meeting said they are continuing to advocate for accessible health care for LGBTQ2+ people in their communities. A recurring theme for all LGBTQ caucus members was the need to strategize and explore new ways to engage nurses in supporting Pride events throughout the many BCNU regions and communities around the province.

invaluable work they do every day on behalf of BC’s seniors.

WORDS OF INSPIRATION

Award-winning humourist and motivational speaker Linda Edgecombe shared her insights on life, love and career with delegates on the closing day of convention. Turning judgment into curiosity, fostering self-awareness and building personal resilience were just a few of the themes she touched on during her one-hour address.

Edgecombe encouraged members to take some time to let loose their ideas and creativity, and think about the patterns that shape their lives.

If we want to be happy, she said, we need to be aware of the stories we choose to tell ourselves over and over again about who we are.

Edgecombe also suggested the judgment that we all apply to one another is actually self-judgment. “Turn judgment into curiosity,” she said, “and ask ‘why is that bugging me?’”

Curiosity, she said, is the key to self-awareness. “If you want to create an incredible life for yourself you have to do it leading with a whole lot more curiosity and a lot less fear – fear is exhausting,” she said.

Edgecombe also warned members about willingly stepping into the trap of “busy work” – the over-programmed, over-scheduled reality of so many working families today – and noted that “busy” has replaced “fine” as the positive response default when co-workers ask each other

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about their lives. We are encouraged to report about and acknowledge each other’s “busy-ness”, said Edgecombe.

“All that positive feedback feeds our egos,” she remarked.

“We are so busy, when in fact we are turning into some of the most unhappy, uncreative and exhausted folks on the planet.”

Taking her own advice Edgecombe shared her recent

experience of backpacking solo across 800km in Northern Spain as an exercise in unplugging, connecting with the things that really matter, rediscovering her happiness and finding out what was important in life.

Edgecombe concluded her talk by leading members through an “alive audit” that encouraged them to rate areas

LOBBY COORDINATORS MEET BCNU’s regional lobby coordinators got together after a powerful and raucous nurses’ rally in downtown Vancouver, inspired, ready and excited about continuing to keep the pressure on BC’s politicians regarding nurses’ priority issues. They shared ideas and strategies for engaging MLAs, municipalities, doctors and the public in BCNU’s campaign for safer health care and support for nurses.

READY FOR ACTION BCNU Acting Vice President and provincial lobby coordinator Adriane Gear (centre back row) took the opportunity to meet with the union’s regional lobby coordinators while the group was in Vancouver. Back row (l-r): Shaughnessy Heights region’s Baljit Borchert, Fraser Valley region’s Jeremy Duenk, Pacific Rim region’s Lee Frederick, Gear, North West region’s Michael Prevost, Vancouver Metro region’s Leah Diamond and RIVA region’s Reynaldo Ortiz and Simon Frser region’s Maria Huertas. Middle row (l-r): Okanagan Similkameen region’s Deanna Jerowsky, Coastal Mountain region’s Yolanda Cutanda-Dela Cruz, Thompson North Okanagan region’s Harwinder Sandhu, West Kootenay region’s Angela Lamoureux and South Fraser Valley region’s Tash Minwalla. Front row: East Kootenay region’s Gina Neumann and North East region’s Tracey Jonker.

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of their lives, from relationships, to work and money, and spirituality and mindfulness.

“Choose an area and one action you can do today that can make you feel more alive,” she said.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Sorensen closed Convention 2018 by reminding members about the power of solidarity.

“Strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for each other,” she said.

She also noted that BC’s overall population is growing, and that it’s not just seniors that the health-care system must plan for. “There will be 5.6 million people living in the province by 2031, and as BCNU heads into bargaining, we need to strive to secure the staffing necessary to safely care for all British Columbians and ensure they get the health care they need.”

Sorensen gave members a sneak preview of the “It’s that Bad” TV ads the union has produced that are now being broadcast province-wide, and provide the public with a powerful depiction of the working conditions that nurses face today.

Finally, Sorensen encouraged members to celebrate national nursing week at their worksite and talk about their experience at convention. “You are the face of BCNU and now we are moving forward, building relationships and reframing the work that we do,” she said.

“I want you to celebrate, and do whatever it is you need to do to acknowledge the successes you’ve achieved at your worksite” •

BOOK REVIEW WORDS WORTH READING

A PRESCRIPTION FOR BETTER HEALTH ALL TOGETHER HEALTHY: A Canadian Wellness Revolution Author: Andrew MacLeod Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre 2018

BC JOURNALIST AND author Andrew MacLeod argues in his new book, All Together Healthy: A Canadian Wellness Revolution, that it’s time for Canadians to improve our beleaguered health-care system by focusing on the social determinants of health.

It’s a call that should resonate with nurses who have repeatedly asked successive provincial and federal governments to address this critical issue for decades. MacLeod’s meticulously-researched book explores why our politicians choose to ignore the social determinants of health and why that must change.

Politicians, argues MacLeod, are more interested in making splashy public announcements about the opening of a new hospital or more funding for the latest wonder drug, than focusing on social determinants like income and income distribution, education, early childhood development, food insecurity and housing, as well as the broader dynamics of gender, race and disability.

“It’s easier for a politician or a public health advocate,” says MacLeod, “to tell people

to get some exercise and eat their fruits and vegetables than it is to advocate for restructuring our economy, raising wages and improving working conditions.”

Social determinants, he argues, “play out across populations, providing an answer to the question of why some people appear to make worse choices than others, and pointing towards why some people are healthier than others.”

MacLeod, who lives in Victoria, is the BC legislative bureau chief for The Tyee. His first book, A Better Place on Earth, was published in 2015 and won the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. His writing has appeared in everything from The Georgia Straight and Monday Magazine to BCBusiness Magazine and 24 Hours.

All Together Healthy has already received rave reviews in the media, including from the Globe and Mail’s health reporter André Picard: “At a time when the term ‘social determinants of health’ is

entering mainstream political discourse, Andrew MacLeod provides a good primer on what the term means, and why it matters. In short, All Together Healthy asks, and answers, the all-important question: What if Canada had a health system rather than just a sickness care system?”

MacLeod’s thoughtful review of Canada’s unique health-care system includes a wealth of research material, collected from books, medical journals, political reports, and interviews with many of the key players involved in the long struggle to improve our public health care system.

But All Together Healthy is much more than a dry, academic review. MacLeod’s interviews with real people breathe life into the pages of his book. One patient, dying of cancer and still smoking cigarettes, tells the author: “I got one enjoyment in life and it’s smoking. That’s the only thing I do in life. I don’t care.

I got nobody to come home to.

If it’s going to kill me, I don’t give a shit. I honestly don’t give a shit.”

If there is a fault with MacLeod’s book, it would be his reliance on information and interviews with medical association leaders and

former provincial and federal cabinet ministers. The voices of nurses and other front-line health care workers – the very people who deliver care 24-7 to patients from the cradle to the grave – are conspicuously absent.

But MacLeod’s book does include numerous interviews with many of the individuals and organizations that BCNU has worked closely with over the years. They include the Canadian Health Coalition, and Roy Romanow, the former Saskatchewan premier, who headed the Royal Commission on the Future of Healthcare in Canada in 2000-2002.

Romanow tells MacLeod that the debate between spending more money on acute care or on the social determinants of health is similar to riding a teeter-totter. “We still seem to be focused on the acute care end of the teeter-totter,” he said. “It’s always the balance.

There’s never enough money to go around.”

MacLeod ends his book with a call to action by concerned citizens and voters: “We can become a healthy country,” he writes, “but it requires making that our collective aim and demanding action on it together.”

On that call, nurses have the solutions and are well positioned to lead the shift away from acute care and toward a community and primary care-focused system that would better ensure the well-being of all Canadians. •

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STAFFING CRISIS HITS THE NORTH Report puts spotlight on Northern Health’s failure to recruit and retain nurses

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P

ATIENTS LINED in hallways. Shortages of specialty educated nurses leading to agonizingly long surgical wait times.

Hospitals that are chronically short-staffed and overcapacity, putting nurses and their patients at risk. It’s a picture that’s been painted many times in media stories about the staffing challenges our health-care system faces. Not surprisingly, these reports often come from major cities and centres where the majority of the province’s population lives and works. But nurses in rural and remote communities – the majority of which are in northern BC – have long been calling attention to difficulties they

and other health-care workers face when it comes to providing care where there are fewer resources and the nurse-to-population ratio is wider than in urban areas.

BCNU’s advocacy on behalf of members working in rural and remote communities is ongoing. In 2015 the union delivered thousands of personally signed postcards to thenhealth minister Terry Lake calling for improved rural health services. The union also made a detailed submission to the provincial government’s all-party Select Standing Committee on Health that contained a series of policy recommendation on how to best improve rural health care.

Now, the province’s Auditor General has weighed in, issuing a report this February entitled, An Independent Audit of the Recruitment and Retention of Rural and Remote Nurses in Northern BC, which found that the northern nursing shortage now constitutes a full-blown staffing crisis within the Northern Health Authority, impacting thousands of residents.

The report, based on an audit of records going back to 2012, provides a sober assessment of the health authority’s performance. “We looked to see if Northern Health was effectively recruiting and retaining enough registered nurses and nurse practi-

AUDITOR CALLS FOR ACTION Report shines light on rural nursing crisis THE PROVINCE’S INDEPENDENT OFFICE of the Auditor General’s April report on the problems with recruitment and retention of rural and remote nurses in northern BC shines a light on a staffing crisis BCNU has been aware of for years.

Auditor General Carol Bellringer noted that nurses are integral to health care in the north, and that they deliver the majority of patient care. In some remote communities, they are the only permanent health care provider. But Northern Health has been unable to fill a substantial number of nursing positions in rural areas, her report found.

As of April 2017, Northern Health was short 121 registered nurses, or 15 percent of its rural and remote workforce, and more than a

Read the report on your mobile device.

quarter of rural and remote nurse practitioner positions were also vacant. The impacts of the staffing shortage include unmet patient needs, patient safety risks, nurse burnout, and higher costs to name just a few.

Bellringer made a number of recommendations to address the problem (see sidebar on page 46).

tioners to fill these positions.

We concluded that it was not,” said Auditor General Carol Bellringer.

Her report outlines the factors that have contributed to the north’s endemic shortage of RNs and NPs, and make a series of recommendations that, if implemented, could effectively address the crisis.

Northern Health is responsible for planning and delivering health services to approximately 300,000 northern BC residents across a largely rural and remote territory the size of France.

In that outlying geographic area, it is nurses who play a critical role in sustaining health services for residents.

They deliver the majority of direct patient care, and in some communities, they are the only resident health-care provider.

According to Bellringer’s report, as of April 2017, the health authority was short 121 RN full-time equivalent positions (FTEs), or 15 percent of its rural and remote workforce, and at least six NP FTEs. The report also found that seven local areas were short more than 20 percent of their workforce; these included the areas of Upper Skeena, Nechako, Smithers, Prince Rupert, Fort Nelson, Peace River North and Terrace.

The audit found that half of all vacant shifts were staffed with nurses working on a casual basis or by existing nursing staff

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FOCUSED ON SOLUTIONS Leaders from BCNU and Northern Health met in Prince George this February to talk about the solutions needed to address the shortage of RNs and NPs in northern BC. From left: Northern Health Vice President, Human Resources David Williams, BCNU North East Region chair Danette Thomsen, Northern Interior Health Service Delivery Area COO Penny Anguish, BCNU President Christine Sorensen, Northern Health President and CEO Cathy Ulrich, and BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear.

Northern Health is not effectively recruiting and retaining enough RNs to fill the rural and remote positions identified in its HHR plan.”

Auditor General Carol Bellringer

working overtime, and that between 2012 and 2016, Northern Health’s use of overtime hours increased by 30 percent. The audit also found that the remaining shifts were left unfilled or staffed by expensive external agency nurses, who are paid a higher wage. In 2016 the workload equivalent of 16 nurse positions were filled by agency nurses.

“These findings will come as no surprise to nurses working in the north,” says BCNU President Christine Sorensen, who met with Northern Health executives in March following the

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report’s release. Sorensen notes that BCNU has consistently been working to raise awareness of the nursing shortage in rural and remote communities. “This issue has been prioritized at the bargaining table, and with Northern Health executives, whom we will meet again this year,” she says.

FACTORS AT PLAY

Bellringer cites many external factors that have contributed to Northern Health’s inability to fill all of the RN and NP positions in its 2016/17 health human

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resources plan.

Northern weather, long distances between communities, and limited amenities can affect the willingness of RNs and NPs to move to rural and remote areas of northern BC or prompt them to leave after a short while.

Housing can be expensive and difficult to find in parts of the north. High salaries in the resource industry can drive up rents, and in communities where there is a market for tourism, some owners are opting to list their properties on short-term rental sites (e.g., AirBnB), reducing the supply of long-term rentals and driving up prices.

Other costs, such as for heat, internet and cellphone service, can be relatively expensive. As RN compensation is roughly the same across the province, higher costs may be a deterrent for some potential recruits and cause others to leave if they are having difficulty achieving their financial goals.

RNs and NPs who chose to work in rural and remote

communities may experience a number of challenges related to family life, found the report. For those in a long-term relationship, finding the right employment for a partner can be tough. And for parents, daycare can be difficult to find, particularly for RNs doing shift work and education may be a concern.

Social opportunities may also be limited. All of these challenges may cause some RNs and NPs to look to bigger centres for employment, and lead to departures, especially when children reach school age.

The report authors acknowledge that all of these factors are beyond Northern Health’s control.

However the audit also cites several internal factors that the health authority is responsible for or can reasonably influence that have also contributed to the RN and NP shortages.

Many RNs whom investigators spoke with said they had major concerns with Northern Health’s ongoing process of implementing

PICTURE OF A CRISIS interprofessional teams in communities across northern BC. The move is part of a larger provincial initiative to improve the quality and accessibility of primary care in the province, and there is good evidence on the effectiveness of interprofessional teams, especially in the context of chronic disease management.

At Northern Health, interprofessional teams work closely with a primary care physician or NP to deliver patient-centred care. Each team is different, but all are generally made up of a team leader, nurses, social workers and allied health professionals (e.g., physiotherapists). They may also be supported by specialist RNs and other professionals in the community.

Under this new model, RN members of primary care teams deliver the full spectrum of primary nursing services —from mental health to home care. This change has had a significant impact on RNs, many of whom previously focused on one area of practice, such as public health or mental health.

Some require additional training to feel proficient in providing the full range of primary nursing services.

But the model is leading to recruitment and retention challenges among RNs for a few reasons.

Some RNs told investigators that they are not interested in a more general primary care practice,

as they have focused on a particular area (e.g., public health, mental health) for a number of years, and are not interested in, or don’t feel comfortable, expanding their practice to other areas.

Training was also a significant concern. Some primary care nurses told investigators they are not able to take timely training in areas they are unfamiliar with, causing some discomfort.

BCNU North East region chair Danette Thomsen represents many of the RNs interviewed for the audit.

She explains that after nurses join interprofessional teams they are often unable to access the training and education needed in order to perform all the aspects of their new position because it is not regularly offered.

She notes that the ongoing staffing shortage only compounds this problem.

“When education is offered nurses are unable to be replaced from their shifts to take the education,” she explains. “Nurses want to support their patients and colleagues, but knowing that their co-workers would then be short staffed leaves them feeling a great deal of moral distress.”

In all of the communities investigators visited, primary care nurse workloads were heavy. Some team members told investigators that they lost RN resources in the transition to interprofessional teams. And since not all team members felt

The Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia’s new report: An Independent Audit of the Recruitment and Retention of Rural and Remote Nurses in Northern BC provides a comprehensive summary of the northern nurse staffing shortage and the factors that have contributed to the crisis.

RNs & NPs NORTHERN HEALTH

2/3

covers about of BC, mostly rural & remote

play a CRITICAL ROLE in RURAL and REMOTE COMMUNITIES

FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO SHORTAGE: EXTERNAL

MORE THAN A

 Weather

1/4

 Isolation

of RURAL and REMOTE NP POSITIONS VACANT

 Limited

Amenities INTERNAL  Interprofessional

Team Transition

 Management  Nursing

NORTHERN HEALTH SHORT 121 RNs, 15% of its rural and remote workforce

Education

IMPACT: Patient Needs  Safety Risks  Nurse Burnout  Higher Costs  Unmet

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HOW TO ADDRESS THE NORTHERN NURSE SHORTAGE? AUDITOR GENERAL CAROL BELLRINGER’S APRIL report cited numerous factors that are contributing to the shortage of registered nurses and nurse practitioners in northern BC – factors that are both beyond and within the employer’s control.

For those factors that Northern Health can control, Bellringer made nine recommendations in the report that address the root causes of the RN and NP shortage as well as the gaps between their current state and good practice.

The Auditor General recommends that Northern Health: • 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6 • 7

• 8

• 9

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Create a more effective health human resource plan, consider a broad range of factors, including community characteristics, population health needs, scope of practice, stakeholder input and current circumstances.

Work with communities and the provincial government to expand temporary and long-term affordable housing options in northern rural and remote communities.

Work with the University of Northern British Columbia, the ministries of Health and Advanced Education and other key stakeholders to analyze the distribution of nursing education programs in the north and implement changes to address regional recruitment challenges.

Continue to work with the British Columbia Nurses’ Union to develop and implement new recruitment and retention programs and tools for RNs in the north.

Develop an RN recruitment strategy with clear goals and performance measures that guide its activities and enable it to assess progress.

Establish clear responsibility for all aspects of its recruitment and hiring processes, including oversight.

Ensure that all hiring managers receive comprehensive training on their recruitment and retention roles and responsibilities.

Develop and implement a standard orientation process for RNs that can be adapted to meet the needs of diverse sites.

Develop an RN retention strategy with clear goals and performance measures that guide its activities and enable it to assess progress.

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comfortable providing the full range of primary care services, the audit found that those with skills and knowledge in certain areas may bear a larger workload burden.

Bellringer’s report also noted that nurse managers have a significant impact on the recruitment of rural RNs and NPs, and cited examples of RNs choosing a particular community over another because the hiring manager was quick and attentive throughout the recruitment process.

The audit acknowledges that managers have a huge impact on retention: a poor manager can cause staff to leave, and a great manager can keep people, even if it means a longer commute or fewer opportunities for development.

Thomsen says that nurse managers have very heavy portfolios and often lack the required resources and training need to effectively do their jobs. “The liability issues this creates for them is worrying – they are often doing the best they can with what little training they have but their education needs must be a priority.”

The Auditor General found that the lack of accessible education was also a major internal factor affecting nurse recruitment and retention efforts, and notes that nursing programs are only offered in three northern communities: Terrace, Prince George and Quesnel.

Many people investigators spoke with pointed out that there is no RN program available in the northeastern part of the province, and saw this as one of the causes of the significant shortage of RNs in this area.

“The union would also be very supportive of an RN program in northeastern BC, where there is a significant population,” says Sorensen.

“Often, when nurses are not recruited into jobs in or near where they live they leave their home community to find employment elsewhere.

This can make it more difficult for smaller communities to recruit nurses, even though they are often the places that are desperately in need of nursing staff.”

Thomsen reports that the next BCNU North East region meeting will be hosted in Fort St. John, where she hopes to offer tours for the nurses attending from outside the community. “This is an effort on our part to assist with rural recruitment and retention,” she says. “The health authorities and the nurses are in this together to try and attract nurses to this beautiful area of the province, which has many benefits if you enjoy the outdoors.”

BETTER EVALUATION NEEDED

Northern Health’s recruitment, hiring and retention programs, practices and strategies were a major focus

These findings will come as no surprise to nurses working in the north” BCNU President Christine Sorensen

of Bellringer’s audit. She acknowledged that Northern Health had already implemented many good practices for recruitment and retention, which include a formal employee referral program, marketing campaigns, staff recognition programs, and student placements at rural and remote locations.

However auditors also found that Northern Health’s performance monitoring of its recruitment, hiring and retention functions was minimal and, as a result, it was not able to show that its efforts in these areas had a positive impact on its results.

Thomsen says that this is a problem. “They have not evaluated the effectiveness of key recruitment and retention programs and practices, and neither have they tracked routine performance metrics, so it is unclear if their programs are working.”

According to Thomsen, there needs to be an evaluation system of current practices to see what is working and what isn’t. “I would like to see exit interviews conducted by an outside source, so members feel free to stat the reasons they are leaving

without fear of negative recourse from the employer,” she says. “Better yet, why don’t we ask the people who are staying what makes them stay and what we could do to ensure they remain. It’s the members on the front lines across the north, doing so much—often with so little— that need to be consulted as to their priority needs.”

ENGAGING WITH THE EMPLOYER

The Auditor General’s report was released a week ahead of a previously scheduled meeting between Northern Health and BCNU. Sorensen and Thomsen, along with BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear, met with Northern Health CEO Cathy Ulrich and other health authority executives in Prince George on Feb. 28.

Sorensen reports that it was a productive meeting, and said she told Northern Health executives that they need to demonstrate urgency when it comes to filling all of the current vacant nursing positions. She also suggested that senior management would benefit from having regular meetings with front-

SITE VISIT BCNU North East Region chair Danette Thomsen (centre) and BCNU Acting Vice President Adriane Gear (right) raise concerns with Northern Health executives about the troubling care conditions they encountered on a February visit to Prince George’s University Hospital of Northern BC.

line nurses and BCNU stewards to help find solutions and optimize best practices when it comes to RN recruitment and retention.

While there, the union took time to tour Prince George’s University Hospital of Northern BC acute care facilities. Sorensen says she was disappointed with a lot of what she saw. “There were a number of hallway patients, and a shower room I observed five years ago is still functioning as a patient room,” she says.

“Furthermore, there were areas that were shockingly unclean and did not meet nursing standards of cleanliness. That was alarming particularly because of the prevalence of hospital acquired infections.”

Sorensen flagged numerous health and safety issues, and says she came away from the visit concerned about the state of other facilities in smaller communities served by the health authority.

Sorensen and BCNU CEO Umar Sheikh will be returning to the north this summer to have additional discussions with the health authority. On the agenda,

will be Bellringer’s nine recommendations (see sidebar) that address the root causes of the RN and NP shortage.

SOLUTIONS AT THE BARGAINING TABLE

Even prior to the release of the Auditor General’s report, BCNU had been working with Northern Health on efforts to recruit more nurses to northern communities. The union negotiated a $2 million fund in the last round of NBA negotiations to help recruitment and retention in the north. Together the union and employer have jointly funded a northern incentive program, where nurses who take difficult-to-fill positions in remote or rural communities receive $15,000 in their first year and $2,000 towards professional development in years two through five in exchange for remaining in their community for at least three years.

BCNU and the employer have also submitted a joint proposal to the Ministry of Health for the creation of an Internal Travel

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Nurses who provide care in the north are incredibly resourceful.”

BCNU President Christine Sorensen

Nurse Program that will see a pool of 13 nurses float to communities outside of Prince George on a regular basis year-round. The nurses would also float to various worksites within Prince George when not working in rural and remote communities.

Sorensen says these are just two examples of the kinds of creative problem solving that can happen at the bargaining table to address the problem, but these measures can only go so far.

“BCNU remains committed to meeting the recruitment and retention challenges for nurses in the north – but we can only provide so much. At the end of the day it’s the responsibility of the health authority to effectively manage the health-care system on behalf of northern residents.”

Creative solutions the union continues to propose to improve nurse recruitment and retention strategies include providing long-term housing for nurses at reduced rates, such as that which is offered to doctors; offering day care

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for shift workers and to help retain nurses who go off work for child care reasons; and providing swimming pool and/or gym passes to keep qualified nurses.

IMPACTS OF THE SHORTAGE

The Auditor General’s report lays out the impact the RN and NP shortage is having on patients and nurses, from unmet care needs, safety risks and longer wait times, to nurses needing to come in early, stay late and work shortstaffed with increased workload when relief cannot be found.

Not surprisingly, RN shortages also lead to higher costs for Northern Health and interfere with its ability to achieve its organizational objectives. Unfortunately, the employer’s chosen solution for addressing the shortage is one of the oldest in health human resources handbook: overtime.

The audit reports that, between 2012 and 2016, the amount of RN overtime hours in the health authority increased by 30 percent.

In 2016, the equivalent of 51.7 full-time RN workloads

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were worked at an overtime rate.

The harmful impacts of overtime to nurses’ health and well-being have long been known, says Sorensen.

“Overtime payout numbers continue to increase and we’re seeing more nurses retiring earlier from their careers, and fewer remain within the profession on a part-time basis later in their careers.”

Unfortunately, Northern Health’s policy response to its overtime problem – the use of agency nurses – is also a costly and short-term solution.

Northern Health contracts with private agencies to bring in RNs where there are no other alternatives to cover vacations and other short-term absences, and in cases where there is a prolonged vacancy.

Bellringer reports that the overuse of agency nurses can negatively impact team dynamics and patient care.

Teamwork depends on effective communication and shared understanding, both of which take time to develop. The temporary nature of agency nursing also limits their ability to build organizational knowledge and deliver continuity of care.

Sorensen says she’s well aware of the problem.

“Members tell me that in hospitals nurses receive mandatory training around care operations, but agency nurses do not bring that

expertise and so must constantly familiarize themselves with the changing work environments they find themselves in,” she explains. “They’re at a disadvantage when it comes to consolidating skills that are most effectively gained through regular experience.

As such, their inability to be quick and agile is compromised—this is bad for patient care.”

Sorensen recommends that members working in major urban centres take some time to read Bellringer’s report to better appreciate the challenges their co-workers in rural and remote communities face. As someone who started out as a rural community nurse, Sorensen is intimately familiar with northern staffing challenges, but says she remains optimistic that health-care workers can be retained if the right solutions are implemented. “Some may see rural and remote living negatively, but I’m of the view that the lives of people living in these areas are very rich. Their interconnectedness with the earth, community and family is central to their way of life,” she says. “Our nurses who provide care in the north are incredibly resourceful and genuinely committed to improving the health and well-being of their patients and communities—after all, it is their community as well.” •

YOUR PENSION SECURING YOUR FUTURE

SECURING THE NEXT GENERATION For millennials, the importance of a pension plan is greater than ever MOST BCNU MEMBERS are enrolled in BC’s Municipal Pension Plan (MPP). The plan is your most important benefit, and will ensure you have a consistent source of income once you retire. But if you are member of the millennial generation (born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) you may be wondering if your old age really is as secure as you’d hope.

News stories with headlines like “Millennials falling behind on retirement savings” are becoming more common, and there is no shortage of data showing that younger people are saving less than their parents did.

A recent study from the US-based National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) found that two-thirds of working American millennials have nothing saved for retirement, and only five percent are saving enough.

To make matters worse, the

millennial generation needs to save more than previous generations because their life expectancy is anticipated to be higher. According to the NIRS study, nearly half of American millennials are concerned that they won’t be able to retire when they want. It’s a stressful situation for many. But it also serves to underscore the importance of having a pension plan.

As a millennial member of

the MPP, you don’t need to climb the retirement mountain on your own. The MPP provides you with several advantages. First, every time you contribute to the plan, your employer also makes a contribution; think of these as deferred wages that increase your savings. Second, your contributions are pooled with the contributions of other plan members and invested by British Columbia

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM TO PAY FOR PUBLIC SECTOR PENSIONS? Both employers and employees contribute to the plans, and their contributions are invested.

The plans’ investment income finances about 70 to 80 percent of the benefits paid to members. Contributions from members and employers make up the remaining 20 to 30 percent.

Each generation pays in advance for its own pension benefits, and employers and employees equally share the risks associated with funding the defined benefit portion of the plans.

Investment Management Corporation, one of Canada’s leading public sector investment managers. Its mandate is to maximize your pension in a responsible way that keeps it secure for the future.

Finally, trustees oversee the plan to make sure it remains strong and secure; their work is guided by provincial and federal legislation and industry best practices.

Does this mean your comfortable retirement is taken care of and there’s nothing more for you to do? Not quite.

“Think of your pension plan as one leg of a three-legged stool,” says BCNU executive councillor Chris Armeanu.

“The other legs are your government pension through Canada Pension Plan, and your personal savings, such as an RRSP. When you have all three legs, your retirement savings plan sits on solid footing.”

Armeanu is responsible for ensuring that members pension contributions and investments are managed effectively and will represent BCNU on the MPP Board of Trustees starting in 2019. He says millennials can’t overestimate the value of the MPP. “Time, and a pension plan like the MPP, are a millennial’s best ally,” he says. “Sign in to ‘My Account’ on the MPP website today to view your personalized pension estimates, and don’t forget to visit the BCNU event calendar on the union’s website and sign up for a BCNU pension workshop.” •

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Q&A HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY

AN INTERVIEW WITH YOUNG NURSES’ NETWORK CHAIR SARRA FEDICK YOUNG NURSES AND NURSES in the early years of their careers often face some unique challenges. But sometimes younger nurses’ issues can get overlooked in a profession where members’ average age is close to 50. It is this reality that led to the creation of the BCNU Young Nurses’ Network (YNN). The group creates as space that allows young nurses and nursing students (age 35 and younger) to meet socially, share experiences, address issues of concern and get more involved in BCNU. Sarra Fedick currently serves as YNN provincial chair. She graduated from the Thompson Rivers University Registered Nurse program in 2015 and landed her first nursing job at Penticton Regional Hospital. Fedick then relocated to Tumbler Ridge and eventually Fort St. John, where she currently works in the hospital’s busy birthing centre.

Update Magazine recently sat down with Fedick to tell us more about what the YNN has been up to during the past year, and what the group hopes to accomplish in the coming months.

UPDATE How, why and when did you get involved with the YNN? FEDICK I was a BCNU student rep while attending TRU. I really learned a lot about the importance

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of unions from our regional chair Tracy Quewezance. I was also fortunate to attend several conventions while still a student.

Then, after moving to Fort St. John, I became the North East’s YNN rep. In early 2017, I was elected as the YNN’s provincial chair.

I decided to get involved with the YNN for a number of reasons.

First, both my parents are union members, so I’ve always known the important role unions play in the workplace. Second, I’ve always had a bit of a social conscience, volunteering at a children’s hospital in Guatemala when I was 16, and volunteering in Ecuador at 19.

Finally, I wanted to make sure all new nurses get the support they need and deserve at the beginning of their careers. The YNN helps achieve that goal.

UPDATE How does the YNN improve the lives and working conditions of young nurses?

FEDICK We help young nurses, age 35 and younger, connect with each other and with our union. We support them in the early stages of their careers, and that’s important because research shows about 50 percent of new nurses quit the profession within the first five years. So we talk with young members who are thinking of quitting.

We try to help them find a way to remain in the profession, perhaps by changing positions or working with a mentor.

UPDATE How often does your group meet and what do you discuss?

FEDICK Our provincial group holds three meetings per year, twice at the BCNU office and once at convention. The provincial group is made up of representatives from each region, although a few regions still need to find reps.

Our three annual meetings are a great way for the regional reps to get together and learn what is and isn’t working in different parts of the province.

Our provincial reps organize regional events throughout the year. It’s a great time for young nurses to meet, share experiences, discuss common concerns and talk about issues such as understanding

HOW TO CONTACT YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY REPS

the collective agreement and what services BCNU offers.

For example, to help with worklife balance, some regions organize hikes, spin classes or bowling nights: anything that is fun and is outside the hospital. Those events also provide a perfect opportunity for young nurses to discuss common issues of concern.

UPDATE What are some of the projects your group is working on at the moment?

FEDICK We’re currently trying to organize a series of workshops that will help new nurses learn about some of the financial and contract issues that affect them.

There’s a lot to learn when you go from being a university student living with your parents to becoming a new nurse living in the big, bad world.

We’d like the workshops to be

similar to the current pension seminars, which are very popular with BCNU members. We’d like it to focus on lots of the little tricky things most young nurses don’t know about at the start of their careers, such as rural signing bonuses, buying back maternity leaves, and student loan forgiveness programs.

UPDATE Why is it important for new nurses to get involved in the Young Nurses’ Network?

FEDICK The YNN provides a really great opportunity to learn more about all the things our union provides to members. It’s also an easy way for young nurses to explore the possibility of becoming a steward, or joining one of BCNU’s other human rights and equity caucuses.

Also, many new nurses get thrown into potentially dangerous situations shortly after they are first hired. It’s not uncommon for a recent grad to be put in charge of a whole floor of patients. Or they may get constantly called in for overtime. They often don’t get the support they need. They feel like they’re drowning. That’s when they need to contact the Young Nurses’ Network. • If you’re interested in joining the YNN please contact the chair at ynn@bcnu.org, or check out the Young Nurses’ Network Facebook group. You can also contact Hanif Karim, BCNU human rights, equity and health policy officer.

BCNU Human Rights and Equity Committee Rhonda Croft, Chair E rcroft@bcnu.org C 250-212-0530 Indigenous Leadership Circle Diane Lingren, Chair E Indigenous@bcnu.org Rhonda Croft, Council Liaison C 250-212-0530 E rcroft@bcnu.org LGBTQ Caucus Hanna Embree, Chair E lgbtq@bcnu.org Tracy Quewezance, Council Liaison C 250-320-8064 E tquewezance@bcnu.org Men in Nursing Group Lee Frederick, Chair E m eninnursing@bcnu.org Tracey Greenberg, Council Liaison C 604-785-8147 E traceygreenberg@bcnu.org Mosaic of Colour Caucus Harwinder Sandhu, Chair E moc@bcnu.org Sara Mattu, Council Liaison C 778-989-8231 E saramattu@bcnu.org Workers with Disability Caucus Kelly Woywitka, Chair E disabilities@bcnu.org Teri Forster, Council Liaison C 250-615-8077 E teriforster@bcnu.org Young Nurses’ Network Sarra Fedick, Chair E ynn@bcnu.org Hardev Bhullar, Council Liaison C 778-855-0220 E hardevbhullar@bcnu.org

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WHO CAN HELP? BCNU IS HERE TO SERVE MEMBERS

BCNU CAN. Here’s how you can get in touch with the right person to help you.

CONTACT YOUR

Stewards for all workplace concerns.

Regional Reps if your steward can’t help, or for all regional matters.

Executive Committee for all provincial, national or union policy issues.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

REGIONAL REPS CENTRAL VANCOUVER Marlene Goertzen Co-chair C 778-874-9330 marlenegoertzen@bcnu.org Judy McGrath Co-chair C 604-970-4339 jmcgrath@bcnu.org COASTAL MOUNTAIN Kath-Ann Terrett Chair C 604-828-0155 kterrett@bcnu.org EAST KOOTENAY Helena Barzilay Chair C 250-919-3310 hbarzilay@bcnu.org FRASER VALLEY Tracey Greenberg Chair C 604-785-8147 traceygreenberg@bcnu.org

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PRESIDENT Christine Sorensen C 250-819-6293 christinesorensen@bcnu.org

TREASURER Sharon Sponton C 250-877-2547 sharonsponton@bcnu.org

ACTING VICE PRESIDENT Adriane Gear C 778-679-1213 adrianegear@bcnu.org

EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR Chris Armeanu C 604-209-4260 chrisarmeanu@bcnu.org

ACTING EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR Rhonda Croft C 250-212-0530 rcroft@bcnu.org

NORTH EAST Danette Thomsen Chair C 250-960-8621 danettethomsen @bcnu.org

SHAUGHNESSY HEIGHTS Claudette Jut Chair C 604-786-8422 claudettejut@bcnu.org

SOUTH ISLANDS Lynnda Smith Co-chair C 250-360-7475 lynndasmith@bcnu.org

NORTH WEST Teri Forster Chair C 250-615-8077 teriforster@bcnu.org

SIMON FRASER Lynn Lagace Co-chair C 604-219-4162 lynnlagace@bcnu.org

Margo Wilton Co-chair C 250-818-4862 mwilton@bcnu.org

OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN Deanna Jerowsky Acting Chair C 250-499-9134 deannajerowsky@bcnu.org

Wendy Gibbs Co-Chair C 604-240-1242 wendygibbs@bcnu.org

PACIFIC RIM Rachel Kimler Chair C 250-816-0865 rachelkimler@bcnu.org RIVA Sara Mattu Chair C 778-989-8231 saramattu@bcnu.org

JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE

SOUTH FRASER VALLEY Hardev Bhullar Co-chair C 778-855-0220 hardevbhullar@bcnu.org Walter Lumamba Co-chair C 604-512-2004 walterlumamba@bcnu.org

THOMPSON NORTH OKANAGAN Tracy Quewezance Chair C 250-320-8064 tquewezance@bcnu.org VANCOUVER METRO Meghan Friesen Chair C 604-250-0751 meghanfriesen@bcnu.org WEST KOOTENAY Ron Poland Chair C 250-368-1085 ronpoland@bcnu.org

COUNCIL PROFILE HERE’S WHO’S WORKING FOR YOU

STEPPING UP PACIFIC RIM CHAIR RACHEL KIMLER

QUICK FACTS NAME Rachel Kimler.

GRADUATED 2006, BSN, University of Alberta.

UNION POSITION Pacific Rim chair.

WHY I SUPPORT BCNU? "BCNU empowers people to make a difference."

BCNU’s PACIFIC RIM region covers worksites from Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Bay to the remote community of Port Alice.

Nanaimo’s Rachel Kimler has been chair of the region since 2015, after winning a special election for the position that year. She was re-elected for a second term this spring.

Kimler began her professional career working as a correctional officer, and later completed a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University.

But after 11 years working in the criminal justice system, she felt ready for a change. “I was looking for a job that would provide me with the ability to interact with people in a position of need,” she recalls. “As well, I wanted to use my brain in a way that challenged me.” She applied to the University of Alberta’s nursing school. The university recognized her criminology degree, which allowed her to complete three years of schooling in a condensed 24-month time frame.

Kimler graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and spent her first day as a working nurse at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where she was hired into the surgical relief pool. She went on to specialize in perinatal care, taking a position in the maternity unit at Cowichan District Hospital. “I liked the variety there,” she says.

“Their maternity unit is blended: they had labour and delivery, post-partum, pediatrics and all-service patients all in the same unit.

We’d rotate between the four jobs, with four nurses on shift, and you took your turn between each of them.”

Within a year, Kimler had attended her first regional union meeting. She continued to attend meetings and was elected to go to BCNU’s 2008 annual convention – an opportunity that she says opened her eyes to her leadership potential within the union.

Kimler doesn’t recall exactly when she first became a steward, but she does remember how her decision came about. “It was at convention in a room with about 500 like-minded people, and feeling the energy and the solidarity, and I thought, ‘That’s it, I’m in,’ and I signed up to be a steward.”

Kimler later went on to specialize as a professional responsibility process (PRP) steward, supporting members who had professional practice concerns. She was elected to the Pacific Rim region executive in 2010.

Kimler’s work on BCNU council differs considerably from bedside nursing, but it is no less varied. As a regional chair, she raises the concerns and issues that are important to Pacific Rim members while also serving on a number of committees.

These include the union’s Member Engagement, Steward Recruitment and Retention Committee, Policy Review Committee, and Constitution and Bylaws Renewal Working Group. Kimler is also one of three BCNU representatives on the Island Health Authority Senior Review Committee, which is responsible for issuing recommendations to BCNU and the employer as part of the professional responsibility process.

In the course of her work, Kimler remains positive and tireless in her efforts to make improvements in the lives of BCNU members and their patients. Why does she support BCNU? “It’s simple,” she says, “BCNU empowers people to make a difference.” •

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OFF DUTY MEMBERS AFTER HOURS

BELIEVING IN MAGIC PAULINE KONG RAISES FUNDS FOR ICU IT WAS FATE THAT helped raise over $10,000 for the Intensive Care Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital this spring. More specifically, it was magician Pauline Kong. Fate is the name that Kong performs under when she’s not caring for patients at the hospital.

Fate recently produced and performed a sold-out show at Richmond’s River

PHOTO: RONALD CHIU @ RONOGRAPHY

Rock Show Theatre on April 8, opening for renowned Canadian illusionist Oslen, and America’s Got Talent performer Will Tsai.

Kong has used her magic skills to support other charitable functions. She produced “Fate - An Evening of Magical Wonders” in 2014 that benefitted the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and was a performer at a Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation fundraising evening that raised over $100,000 for the purchase of incubators.

Each production takes a year of planning and rehearsals, with many contributions from friends and family before it becomes a reality on stage.

Kong’s family gets involved behind the scenes, with her mother making the many elaborate costumes she wears, and her MOONLIGHTING Surrey Memorial Hospital’s sister helping with Pauline Kong uses her magic skills to packaging and support charitable functions and raise printing promofunds for her patients.

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tional materials. “The rest of my family also provides invaluable emotional support,” she says.

Kong received her Bachelor of Nursing degree from UBC in 2010. She then worked in general medicine for three years before attending BCIT for specialty education in critical care. Her career choice is deeply personal.

“I was six years old when I was rushed into the ER for a ruptured appendix,” says Kong, “I was given another chance to live and I wanted to do the same for others.”

She credits the BC Children’s Hospital health-care team for saving her life and inspiring her to be a nurse. “It felt like they were wearing halos,” she said of the nurses who comforted her by holding her hand and telling her ‘I am your nurse, you will be safe, and your parents are close by.’”

Kong says the funds raised from the River Rock show will help her and her colleagues provide comfort items to patients who might not otherwise be able to afford them. “Government funding ensures care but, for example, when an end-of-life patient wanted to have an ice cream cake, we were able to deliver.”

Kong says that early in her career she noticed some of her patients experiencing depression and she wanted to do something to brighten their stay at the hospital. It was during this time that she visited the Richmond

Night Market and caught a glimpse of a magic show.

Her interest was piqued. “I asked the magician to teach me magic, and I spent the next two years learning from him, so I could use some of those tricks to cheer up my patients,” she recalls. Kong says small acts, like producing a coin from her ear, would garner a chuckle or a “How did you do that?” from some of her patients and their families.

Kong later met Oslen, who became her best friend and mentor and helped her advance to a Vegas-style show. “These types of shows rely on lighting, videography, a stage crew and choreography. Oslen helped me understand theatre production and how to make my performances more like a mega show,” she says.

“A style of magic that I specialize in is parasol manipulation,” says Kong when asked about her favourite act. “It incorporates the use of parasols and a bit of choreography with the music. It’s like snowing, but instead of snowflakes, umbrellas just appear falling from the sky.”

It’s clear that Kong has the talent to leave the bedside and go professional, but she says her magic has always been a means to help her patients. “Nursing is my priority.” • Visit fateproduction.com to learn more about her next production.

AT WORK AT HOME ON THE GO

Update Magazine Digital Edition Now it’s easier than ever to stay connected.

Try it today at bcnu.org

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RUN FOR THE CURE Join Us

Sunday Sept. 30, 2018 You are invited to be part of BCNU’s Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure team as a runner, walker and/or volunteer in your community.*

Visit www.cibcrunforthecure.com to register Click 'Select your Run Location' and choose your community location.

Click 'Register'.

Click 'Join a Team' and choose the team company 'BC Nurses Union' (no apostrophe) from the drop down menu.

BC NURSES' UNION IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF:

*choice of 8 locations

PM 40834030