Ontario’s registered practical nurses want more money to stop exodus | CBC News

In the quiet corners of almost every health-care setting she visits, registered nurse Pam Parks says she often sees fellow nurses overwhelmed or crying.

Parks, who has over 30 years of experience in the role, says many nurses are now walking away from the job — some retiring and others, even just a few years into profession, choosing to leave because of burnout and stress. 

“They are at work and they’re breaking down…the lunchroom, the change room…people are crying,” said Parks, who is also the president of CUPE 6364, the union representing thousands of workers at Lakeridge Health in Durham region.

“You hear, ‘I just can’t do it anymore.’ The workload is just crazy.”

It’s an observation that’s borne out by a new survey commissioned by CUPE and carried out by Nanos Research that found the majority of registered practical nurses who participated are considering heading for an exit. The survey, conducted by telephone, included 1029 registered practical nurses with CUPE and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). 

It also found the majority of the workers who responded often work in short-staffed environments and dread coming to work.

More than 81 per cent of respondents reported high rates of stress, nearly two thirds reported trouble sleeping and more than half reported sadness and less pride in being a registered practical nurse (RPN). 

Better pay would help curb exodus, survey suggests

Also emerging from the survey, a figure indicating that the mass exodus of RPNs could be curbed if there’s more money injected into their paychecks.

Three out of four survey participants said a wage increase to $35 per hour would make them more likely or somewhat more likely to stay in the profession. That finding is part of why union representatives are calling on the government to increase wages for RPNs now, saying short-staffing begets some other issues.

“Even though we’re talking about dollars, I think if they get the recognition that they’re worth what they’re working for, you may have a few people staying,” said Parks. 

“If you don’t look after us, you’re not going to have anyone to look after the patients,” she said. 

Vice-president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Workers, Dave Verch, told CBC News most RPNs are currently making $31.18.

The union has an arbitration date in May that re-opens the possibility of a wage increase — something that wasn’t possible while Bill 124, which restricted public sector wages, was still in force. 

Getting out and not looking back

Ed Rousselle, an RPN at Ottawa hospital Bruyère Continuing Care, is nearing an age when he could retire.

“I’m certainly not sticking around a day longer than I have to,” he told CBC News. 

“I’ve seen people stay longer, I’ve witnessed it. I’ve had colleagues that stayed longer, but I have no intentions of staying,” he said.

Rousselle says he’s dismayed by how far the rate for RPNs have fallen behind the rate for registered nurses, despite doing similar work.

He says Bill 124, which capped wages for his profession was discouraging, as was seeing other healthcare colleagues make gains that RPNs did not, such as the $2-permanent wage increase for PSWs, announced in March of last year.

Nine out of 10 RPNs who responded to the survey said it was unfair that PSWs received a permanent increase while they did not. All union representatives who spoke to CBC News, many of whom are or were registered practical nurses themselves, said they were happy to see PSWs receive a raise, but believe RPNs should not have been left out. 

“It certainly doesn’t feel like we’re getting any recognition for any of the work we do,” said Rousselle. “And it’s so terribly sad to see that happen.”

Budget includes $280M for health-care workforce

Hannah Jensen, a spokesperson for the Minister of Health did not directly address questions about whether a wage increase for RPNs might be contemplated. Nor did Jensen speak directly to mental health concerns raised in the survey.

In a statement, she focused on bringing new nurses into the system, saying 2022 was record-breaking year for new nurses registering in Ontario.

“But we know more needs to be done,” Jensen said.

She said the recent Ontario budget includes “a combined $280 million investment to bolster our healthcare workforce across the province by further expanding training opportunities and nursing education programs.”

But even some RPNs who love what they do say they can’t continue to work in the same way because of the toll the work has taken physically and mentally.

Vijitha Prabakaran, an RPN at Midland Gardens Care Community in Scarborough, is one of them.

“The workload is heavy,” she said, but added nurses feel they want to keep doing all they can for patients that many consider almost like their own family.

“I was pushing myself beyond what I’m able.”

She says nurses do want more pay, but what they want even more is more time to care for their patients in the ways they know their patients deserve, something only possible if staffing levels are adequate.

‘Government picks winners and losers’

Larry Savage, a professor of labour studies at Brock University, says it has been helpful to the government to have many unions of varying strengths to negotiate with within the healthcare sector, saying it allows the province to divide and conquer.

The government offering a permanent increase to PSWs and not RPNs is case in point, he says. 

“The government picks winners and losers,” said Savage. “That is also a cause of resentment and tension within the sector.”

RPNs now have less money than they did a few years ago given inflation, said Savage. “I think that causes anger and resentment.”

He says the fact that two unions SEIU and CUPE participated in the survey increases the likelihood that workers will win gains across the board.

“I think the cure is obvious, which is improved terms and conditions of work,” said Savage.