B.C. nurses claim stress, burnout due to chronic understaffing

The B.C. Nurses Union says a chronic nursing shortage is reaching critical levels with many nurses facing unreasonable work demands, and patients potentially paying the price.

Numbers released by Vancouver Coastal Health show how one nurse worked 1,449 overtime hours in 2014 an average of 30 extra hours perweek earning almost$125,000 in overtime wages.

BCNUPresident GayleDuteilsays "excessive amounts ofovertime" havebecome the norm.

"The reality is that 16-hourshifts are frequently worked,"saidDuteil. "Idid hear of two 20-hourshifts worked last week. We would much prefer nurses come to workwell rested and able to provide safe and high qualitycare."

"I would go so far as to say the health care system depends on it," she added.

The top overtime earner in theFraserHealth Districtracked up anextra 1,200 hours last year an average of 25 overtime hours per week and took homean additional $98,308 in wages.

Interactive| Top 3 nurse overtime earners

But the Vancouver Coastal Health authority maintainsmost of that overtime is optional.

In an e-mail,Anna Marie D'Angelo, the senior media relations officer with VCHstated, "Those top overtime earners work at multiple hospital sites and choose to work all that overtime. In the vast majority of cases, overtime is anoption."

Vancouver Coastal Health claimsthe average overtime per year per RN is 51.5 hours.

Tasleen Juma, Senior Consultant of Public Affairs forFraserHealth pointed outin an email, "Acap on the total number of hours nurses work is not possible because it would contravene the BCNU agreement."

Fatigue policy

Both FraserHealthand Vancouver Coastal Healthhave a "fatigue policy" aimed at limiting the number of consecutive shifts that can be workedin a period of time, howeverD'Angeloadmits the policy isnot always followed.

"Areview of high overtime nurses did indicate that some did work shifts that were greater than our fatigue policy." she wrote.

Last year nurses worked over a million overtime hours combined between the two health authorities, at a cost of more than $73 million.

Duteilblames understaffingon the health authoritiespoorforecasting and claims they're taking advantage ofnurse loyalty.

"Nurses work on a unit as a team and so it's important they don't leave their colleagues short," said Duteil. "They'll betextingeach other pleading, 'it's hell on wheels in here, can you pleasecome in?'".

"And they do. Nurses care for their patients, but they also care for each other."

However, in a statement the B.C. Ministry of Health claimsnursing overtime hours have actually decreased nine per cent between 2012 and 2014.

The debate over overtime hours is occurring as thenurses union prepares to bargain its next collective agreement.

The nurses' contract expired in March of 2014 and preliminary discussions around anew one are just beginning.