Support Nurses
Why?
We are facing a nursing shortage.
“In Canada, nearly one-third of RNs in the workforce are aged 50 years or older, and will soon reach the typical retirement age of 65 years. Research also indicates that an increasing proportion of registered nurses are retiring early, many by age 56. If RNs were to retire at 55, Canada would be expected to lose 64,248 RNs by 2006, a figure equivalent to more than one-quarter (28%) of the 2001 RN workforce”.
Canadian Institute for health information. Bringing the Future into Focus: Projecting RN Retirement in Canada Executive Summary. Retrieved January 27, 2007 from http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=AR1023_2003sum_e
One retention strategy is to create healthier workplaces for nurses so that they will be encouraged to stay working in the system.
Nursing shortage is affecting Nurse's health
Due to the nursing shortage, nurse’s working in today’s health care system are required to continually work in short-staffed situations, care for acutely ill patients with complex co-morbid factors, and manage high level technology.
According to the findings published from the survey on the work and health of nurses these work conditions are negatively impacting nurses’ health.
“Numerous interpersonal or psychosocial elements of the job were related to fair or poor mental health for nurses. Nine percent of female and male nurses had experienced depression in the previous year, compared with 7% of employed women and 4% of employed men generally. Depression was more common in nurses than in the general population of employed people.
"Nearly 3 in 10 nurses reported that they had been physically assaulted by a patient in the previous year. Half of nurses in long-term care facilities reported physical assault, as did 30% of those employed in hospitals. Emotional abuse from patients was even more commonly reported; 44% of nurses said that they had experienced emotional abuse from a patient.
"Four-tenths of female nurses (44%) and half of male nurses (50%) confided that they were exposed to hostility or conflict from the people they worked with. The figures for nurses were much higher than those for employed women and men in general, of whom just under 30% reported being exposed to hostility or conflict from co-workers”.
Canadian Institute for health information. Findings from the 2005 National Survey of the Work and Health of Nurses. Retrieved January 27, 2007 from
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/en/downloads/NS_SummRep06_ENG.pdf
Nurses are the backbone of our health care system
Registered Nurses provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week making them integral in determining the health care needs of complex, acutely ill patients, as well as providing the information and resources their patients need and require to heal.
Healthy work environments are integral for nurses to maintain their health. Please help nurses to create healthier work places by:
ACT NOW
You are invited to be part of the solution
Join us in a shared effort to help nurses create healthy workplaces that support high standards of practice enabling nurses to provide excellent patient care.
Recognize Nurses
Please email your “Thanks to that special Registered Nurse” comments to
Lynda@artbynurses.com and we will post them on this web site under testimonials.
Buy Art by Nurses
Please browse the art gallery and buy a piece of Art by Nurse Artists
Art gallery. Each piece of art sold on this web site will automatically contribute 5% to the Art by Nurses art fund for Nurses.
By buying Art by Nurses you are supporting nurses to stay in practice.
Join Art by Nurses as an associate member
Find out more by visiting Join art by Nurses.