Right now, Newfoundland and Labrador is in deep trouble. It has the highest rate of young nurses exiting the workforce in all of Canada. A recent study by the Montreal Economic Institute revealed alarming statistics: for every 100 new nurses under the age of 35 who entered the profession in the province in 2023, an overwhelming 98 chose to leave. This situation raises concerns about the future of healthcare in the region, particularly given the challenges faced by these young professionals.
Elizabeth Whitten, a journalist with CBC News based in St. John’s, highlights that the high turnover of young nurses is attributed to various workplace conditions. Burning issues like unprecedented levels of overtime, violence, and abuse push healthcare workers out the door. Yvette Coffey, president of the Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador, emphasizes that while there may be discrepancies in the report’s numbers, the underlying problems remain critical.
Discrepancies in Reporting
Coffey has been vocal about her concerns over the validity of the Montreal Economic Institute’s results. She pointed out that the report’s numbers include active nurses as well as nurses who have just renewed their licenses. This encompasses nurses in private practice, administration, and private contract agency positions.
“The numbers are a bit skewed. However, the issues and concerns all remain the same. We do have a major retention issue here in this province,” – Yvette Coffey.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s statistics paint a much different picture. At the national level, for every 40 nurses who left the sector, there were 100 new nurses entering. This gap highlights an immediate legacy for the province’s new healthcare system and how it will recruit and retain up-and-coming talent.
Factors Contributing to Nurse Turnover
Nonetheless, Coffey and Samantha Dagres, the communications manager of the Montreal Economic Institute, paint a bleak picture of working conditions. They feel these challenges are causing the increased turnover rate. Dagres agrees, adding that newly graduated RNs often get offered only part-time jobs. This environment forces most of them to look elsewhere for greener pastures.
“I will say the concerns are real. The retention issues are certainly factual,” – Yvette Coffey.
Dagres further elaborates on the situation, stating, “We know that our healthcare systems are suffering. You know, these are pressure cooker situations where people are left in emergency rooms for hours on end waiting for treatment.” This care climate has an enormous toll on nurses’ job satisfaction and morale—and thus patient care.
Dagres further argues that the attrition rate was exacerbated by the pool of temporary travel nurses not having registered with the college in 2023. This circumstance would have likely affected retention of staff in general.
Proposed Solutions and Future Actions
To make headway on these urgent challenges, Coffey has urged the new provincial government to act right away. Continuing her campaign for prioritizing ending the nurse practitioner classification process and introducing safe hours legislation. For example, she calls to enact stricter nurse-to-patient ratios. Further, she proposed creating an independent national health sector safety council to address workplace violence.
“We have nurses in this province doing the same job, getting different rates of pay. And we also need to expand that travel locum throughout the whole province,” – Yvette Coffey.
Dagres agrees with this perspective. He calls on the provincial government to get inspired by the ways that other jurisdictions are addressing their healthcare woes. She notes that shift flexibility would be one of the measures to alleviate the crisis facing nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“But if we’re burning through our nurses faster than we’re training them, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day,” – Samantha Dagres.
