Nurses working in Winnipeg hospital's sexual assault program have resigned
Several nurses working in a department at a Winnipeg hospital that provides examinations for victims of sexual assault have resigned from their positions, leaving the department short-staffed.
Shared Health confirmed Tuesday that four out of 13 nurses working casual positions in its Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg have resigned. The casual nurses work shifts on call in the department during their off time, and hold other full-time nursing jobs.
Darlene Jackson, the president of the Manitoba Nurses’ Union, said the staff members who resigned had been advocating for the program, but say it’s still not functioning well and they’re not receiving support.
“They are in a position where they are just done and they are not going to be working in the program anymore,” Jackson said. “We are losing some very skilled nurses out of that program as a result.”
In April 2022, the province announced funding for seven full-time positions which would run out of a space at HSC. Shared Health says six of those jobs have now been filled, and the nurses hired need time to be trained.
“We have been filling the positions and education takes a while in order for these nurses to be competent and able to do the exams,” said Jennifer Cumptsy, the executive director of acute health services at HSC. “Knowing that, we are working towards a program that will be able to offer that service 24/7 for patients that need that care.”
Speaking in the Manitoba Legislature Tuesday afternoon, Health Minister Audrey Gordon called the lack of nurses in the department unacceptable.
“These shifts at HSC need to be filled as committed by our government,” she said. “And they have received the funding to make these positions full-time and to have coverage 24/7. And that is my expectation as a health minister and it is the expectation of our government.”
Shared Health said the resignations took them by surprise, and work is happening quickly to cover the schedule, including asking doctors who have expressed interest to help out.
"Six nurses have been hired to permanent positions as part of ongoing efforts to build a provincial program that doesn't rely almost exclusively on nurses working casually," a spokesperson for Shared Health said in an email to CTV News.
"Their hiring will move these vital services from a longstanding reliance on a pool of highly specialized casual nurses picking up shifts to a dedicated workforce with coverage for days, evenings and nights. It will also offer support to health care professionals providing this care in locations outside of Winnipeg."
The spokesperson said Shared Health remains "grateful" for the casual nurses who continue to pick up shifts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.