'Completely exhausted': Health-care workers in Manitoba warn staff shortages taking toll
After almost two years of pandemic strain, staffing continues to be a major issue inside Manitoba’s hospitals.
The shortage is being felt across the system, but especially for nurses.
One nurse, who CTV News Winnipeg has agreed not to identify, said they had to leave the Grace Hospital emergency room due to tough working conditions.
"When I was at the Grace working, I wouldn’t get breaks. So we’re talking 12 to 16 hours of having to eat very quickly, use the bathroom very quickly, no time to sit off your feet. So you’re just completely exhausted," they said.
The nurse said nurses can sometimes be in charge of 12 patients at a time in certain situations, a number they feel is dangerous.
“We have a licence as well. If we are in a condition where we can’t provide good care, we are concerned maybe our nursing licence is in jeopardy.”
A doctor working in the St. Boniface Hospital intensive care unit, who also asked to remain anonymous, said the staff shortage is a big factor in upping capacity.
"At the height of it at the St. Boniface Hospital, there were four different ICUs being run just to manage the patient load and currently we only have one intensive care."
In a statement to CTV News, Shared Health said it will ensure patients get the care they need, but the numbers are trending in the wrong direction.
It said the province currently has 104 ICU beds, with 90 of them filled as of Monday.
“Staffing these additional ICU beds remains the most problematic challenge, with calls out for nurses to pick up shifts or EFT in these units. The current incentives are not resulting in sufficient uptake to open the beds required,” Shared Health said.
“While we are thankful and appreciative to the many nurses who have stepped forward, others have taken measures to refuse or deny these assignments.”
The Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU) disagrees, and says a financial incentive isn't "worth the price of one’s physical and mental health."
“The last two years have been beyond exhausting. An inherently selfless position, add layers of disrespect, poor decision-making and lip service, and suddenly you see that nurses cannot be called upon indefinitely,” read a statement from Darlene Jackson, president of the MNU.
“So as much as we’d like to think nurses don’t have a stop point, they do."
With COVID-19 cases continuing to increase in Manitoba, hospital staff are left to do what they can until more nurses can be acquired.
"And it usually sometimes comes down to the attending physician and charge nurse deciding on where a person is going to have to go or denying a person that might have gotten in otherwise," the St. Boniface doctor said.
Going forward, the doctor said there is no quick fix for the problem.
"I think certainly trying to enroll nurses into intensive care programs is the only thing that can be done with regard to the shortage to nurses in intensive care."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial has fined him US$1,000 for violating his gag order and sternly warned the former president that additional violation could result in jail time.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.