President’s Message: Recognize & Celebrate Nursing Week

Canadian Nursing Week is a great opportunity for us to recognize and celebrate all members of the nursing family who apply their skills to provide front line care!

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs), provide hands on care, recognize patient needs, individual concerns, and work with the other skilled professionals to develop a plan to promote or maintain your health.

As patients, clients and residents, you recognize the incredible work that is done by our LPNs and CCAs when you are receiving care.

But each one of us needs to be aware that we have a responsibility to demand, and expect better staffing levels in order to receive the care we require.

Without safe staffing levels, LPNs and CCAs are literally running to provide care.

The evidence shows us that the need for safe staffing levels is long overdue.

WCB information shows us that the largest group of injured workers are CCAs and LPNs.

But those are the physical safety challenges that are easy to see and recognize.

The less visible mental health impacts of working every day in an unpredictable environment are more difficult to measure.

Not knowing if there will be enough staff on hand to complete the everyday routines, let alone a crisis situation, are issues that are dealt with by LPNs and CCAs every shift, every day, in every facility across the province.

If we can commit to safe staffing levels as a province, we will see these injuries decrease which will lead to more stable, safer care for clients, residents, and patients.

“Health systems” are bureaucracies; focused on the nuts and bolts of the operations, budgets and funding.

But health care works to see the whole patient, client or resident; to bring them relief; to improve health outcomes; to ease suffering.

Health care is practiced by front line experts, like LPNs and CCAs, who see the needs, provide the care, and can plan improvements for the whole system that will benefits patients, clients and residents.

Safety in the health care system isn’t just crucial…it is priceless.

This Canadian Nursing week, join SEIU-West members in calling for safe staffing levels across our health care system!

 

	“Being a CCA (Continuing Care Assistant) in long term care takes a very special kind of person. We care about our residents and always want to do our very best to improve their quality of life. This becomes even more difficult when we do not have adequate staffing levels to meet their ongoing needs.” – Brenda, CCA
	“As an LPN, I am a proud member of your surgical team – providing and assisting with all aspects of patient care in the operating room, and advocating on behalf of patients when they are at their most vulnerable. I understand the value of having a strong health care team to meet patient needs and adequate staffing levels are key to the provision of safe care.” – Lisa, LPN