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'These nurses cannot be easily replaced': staffing challenges remain in Manitoba ICUs

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Manitoba’s Shared Health is working to increase capacity in intensive care units during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, but challenges remain with regards to staffing.

During a COVID-19 update Wednesday morning, Monika Warren, executive director of Acute Inpatient Services at HSC and the provincial COVID-19 operations chief with Shared Health, addressed the current staffing levels.

Manitoba currently has 284 ICU nursing positions filled, which is an increase of 12 from this time last year.

“During that same time, we’ve also had 46 nurses leave the ICU, taking very valuable experience with them,” Warren said.

She added,” These nurses cannot be easily replaced.”

Warren said the nurses have moved to new opportunities in the health system or are retiring due to the pandemic. While other careers, such as restaurants, have seen a return to normalcy, Warren said nursing staff continue to be stretched thin, and no end to the pandemic appears in sight.

“Our workforce is tired,” she said. “The pandemic has turned their work and personal lives upside-down.”

Warren said in previous waves of the pandemic, Shared Health was able to pull nurses from other areas in health-care, such as surgeries, to increase capacity, and train new nurses to work in ICU. Planning to increase ICU capacity is currently underway.

Warren added Shared Health wants to hear from nurses about the best way to address staffing issues and expand capacity.

“We also recognize that they are our most precious resource, and we definitely want to hear from them on how we can support them through these upcoming challenging times,” she said.

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