Becoming Influential: Addressing the Critical Nurse Shortage in Canada

This report addresses the critical issue of the nurse shortage in Canada, highlighting its impact on healthcare, nurses, and patient care. The author, drawing from personal experiences and research, emphasizes the decline in interest among young people in pursuing nursing careers, leading to long ...Read More

Running Head: Becoming Influential
BECOMING INFLUENTIAL

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Becoming Influential
Table of Contents
Deciding on my message............................................................................................................3
Sharing my message...................................................................................................................3
My message................................................................................................................................4
Learning.....................................................................................................................................5
Reference list..............................................................................................................................7

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Becoming Influential
Deciding on my message
Nursing is a profession that allows a person to provide the right insight to people for
ensuring wellbeing. According to Sullivan (2013), a nurse has the power to tell their stories to
people for influencing them positively. However, from my past experience, I have seen that
younger people are losing interest in becoming nurses. The shortage of nursing staff has
become an issue of the healthcare sector and it is the theme of my message. Due to this issue,
I have experienced long working hours that result in burnout of nurses. It impacts the quality
of care given to patients as well. Ackerson & Stiles (2018) have mentioned that shortage of
nurses is an issue that needs to be addressed for ensuring healthy working hours for nurses. I
think, including more nurses may provide more time for nurses to communicate and develop
good relationships with patients.
Therefore, my message is for seeking cooperation and assistance to solve the issue of
nurse shortage in the country. I want to make both young people and the government of my
country to think about this situation. As mentioned by Gigli, Beauchesne, Dirks & Peck
(2019), the government can help to influence young people to understand the advantages of
being a nurse to serve society. On the other hand, this message is important because
increasing the number of nurses can help people of this profession to maintain a balance
between their professional and personal lives. Patients will get more intensive care and the
right advice from nurses after sharing this message and addressing this issue. More people
may get healthcare support from a sufficient number of nurses.
Sharing my message
My message will target the politicians or government and young population groups
who want to join different institutions for higher education. However, while addressing the
concerned issue, I will target the lobby groups, MPs or government, which can help to
streamline the entire nursing system. As opined by Walsh (2018), the framing of different

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Becoming Influential
policies by the government helps to mitigate any general issue by influencing the target
population. Targeting them can help to address the young population and influence them in
pursuing nursing as their profession. If more students select nursing courses, then more
graduates can be obtained. It can help to reduce the burden from current nurses (Moore &
Gail, 2018). Moreover, targeting the government through this message can help to highlight
different issues that lead to nurse turnover, which includes poor working conditions, lack of
flexibility and stress.
While addressing the MP, I will provide some statistics regarding the number of
nurses in the constituency and the country. The headline of the message will be the
requirement of more nurses in the constitution to provide the best care to the people. For
addressing, the issue, I will bring up the point of funding, creating mobile clinics and
providing proper dues. Moreover, I will suggest the MP conduct nursing courses all over the
constituency.
I can face some challenges like nursing is not the only aspect that requires funding. I
can suggest the MP to follow-up on the matter and make a decision wisely. Another
challenge is practicing medicine is more essential than nursing. Nursing has not been
highlighted over medicine but it has a critical role in the community of healthcare (Vandyk et
al. 2017). Negotiation skills like viewing the issue wisely and describing well, conducting
fact-finding and proposing alternatives are essential.
My message
Respected MP,
Allow me to get your kind attention to the matter of nurse shortage in Canada. In the
year 2017, the Employment and Social Development Canada has assumed that this country is
going to get the highest number of recruitment of nurses (Huffingtonpost.ca, 2019). However,
this assumption has gone wrong and the issue of nurse shortage is increasing day by day. It

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Becoming Influential
seems like young people are not getting interested in becoming a nurse. I think it is high time
to aware of the benefits of being a nurse. They need to understand that they can serve society
by choosing this profession. Reportedly, this country needs nearly 60,000 nurses by the end
of 2022 and the government needs to help the healthcare sector to address this issue
(Canadim.com, 2018).
Many healthcare organizations are unable to hire more nurses due to lack of budget.
On the constituency level, I think, the government can provide funds to these organizations to
help them to include more nurses. I would like to request to influence this sector to conduct
more nursing courses at an affordable cost to attract young people towards this profession. I
believe that I will get your kind attention on this issue on an immediate basis. It will be
helpful if you take prior action to influence young people to understand this profession in a
better way.
Learning
I came to know from this assignment that nursing obtains less praise because it is
generally overshadowed by other medical professions. I have also learned that nursing is vital
for a community, which is similar to that of practicing medicine. Moreover, I learned that
nursing receives less attention and media coverage because of a misconception, which states
that nursing is a less essential part of treatment. That is why different issues about nursing are
seldom mentioned in the media discussions. However, patients are the most important person
in healthcare and others like nurses, doctors and clinicians provide support to improve
patients' condition.
In this regard, I can become more influential because I can conduct campaigning for
improving the working conditions of nurses. This can help to reduce their stress level and
turnover can reduce. Nurses receive less attention even after caring for patients all day. As
said by Fernet, Trépanier, Demers & Austin (2017), this profession has been undermined for

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Becoming Influential
many years and it does not receive the attention they deserve. To increase the visibility and
credibility of this profession in the future, I can bring this issue in front of the government.
Lack of attention by the government in this profession has elevated the issue of shortage of
nurses.

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Becoming Influential
Reference list
Ackerson, K., & Stiles, K. A. (2018). Value of nurse residency programs in retaining new
graduate nurses and their potential effect on the nursing shortage. The Journal of
Continuing Education in Nursing, 49(6), 282-288. Retrieved from:
https://www.healio.com/nursing/journals/jcen/2018-6-49-6/%7B3daf6e1b-7dea-4a68-
a9d9-67dde7017e35%7D/value-of-nurse-residency-programs-in-retaining-new-
graduate-nurses-and-their-potential-effect-on-the-nursing-shortage
Bittner, N. P., & Bechtel, C. F. (2017). Identifying and describing nurse faculty workload
issues: A looming faculty shortage. Nursing education perspectives, 38(4), 171-
176.Retrieved from: http://www.mass.edu/nahi/documents/Faculty%20Workload
%20Issues-MAAC%20presentation-Sept%209%202016.pdf
Canadim.com (2018), Canada Needs 60,000 New Nurses!. Retrieved on 29th February from:
https://www.canadim.com/blog/canada-needs-60000-new-nurses/&sa=D&ust=15829
55042151000&usg=AFQjCNEZM-1twghnqzza_xJlsIXzFRNUew
Fernet, C., Trépanier, S. G., Demers, M., & Austin, S. (2017). Motivational pathways of
occupational and organizational turnover intention among newly registered nurses in
Canada. Nursing outlook, 65(4), 444-454. Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0029655417300465
Gigli, K. H., Beauchesne, M. A., Dirks, M. S., & Peck, J. L. (2019). White Paper: Critical
Shortage of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Predicted. Journal of Pediatric Health Care,
33(3), 347-355. Retrieved from: https://www.jpedhc.org/article/S0891-
5245(18)30686-2/fulltext

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Becoming Influential
Huffingtonpost.ca (2019), Canada’s Nursing Shortage Could Get Worse Before It Gets
Better. Retrieved on 29th February from: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/canada-
nursing-shortage_ca_5de53696e4b0d50f32a64e53
Moore, J. D., & Gail, W. (2018). Mitigating the Nursing Shortage Phenomenon via Improved
Retention. SOJ Nur Health Care, 4(1), 1-1. Retrieved from:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d8a/abffc22c92a37fc135cfbe971c70efe264db.pdf
Sullivan, E. J. (2013). Becoming influential: A guide for nurses. UK: Pearson Higher Ed.
Vandyk, A., Chartrand, J., Beké, É., Burlock, L., & Baker, C. (2017). Perspectives from
academic leaders of the nursing faculty shortage in Canada. International journal of
nursing education scholarship, 14(1). Retrieved from:
https://nursesnotesforlearning.trubox.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/591/2019/04/
IJNES2017.pdf
Walsh, A. L. (2018). Nurse Residency Programs and the Benefits for New Graduate Nurses.
Pediatric Nursing, 44(6), 275–279. Retrieved from:
https://dl.uswr.ac.ir/bitstream/Hannan/88837/1/2018%20PediatricsNursing
%20Volume%2044%20Issue%206%20November-December%20%282%29.pdf