Issue Paper: Analyzing the Nurse Shortage in Canada, March 2020

This report examines the critical issue of the nursing shortage in Canada, highlighting its potential to worsen and impact the healthcare sector. It explores the challenges faced, including declining numbers of registered nurses and difficult working conditions, and analyzes the shortage from both professional and economic perspectives. The report identifies factors contributing to the shortage, such as difficult working conditions, lack of appreciation, and inadequate pay, and discusses the significance of nurses in patient care, particularly during events like the COVID-19 pandemic. It also presents a historical, ethical, social, and cultural analysis of the issue, identifying barriers to resolution, such as discrimination and job dissatisfaction, while advocating for strategies to bridge the gap between nursing practice and knowledge, improve working conditions, and enhance respect for nurses. The report emphasizes the need for action to increase the number of nurses and improve the overall healthcare system, especially in times of crisis.

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Shortage of nursing staff March 16
2020

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Introduction
Canada is facing difficulty of scarcity of nurses that can become even worse in the future.
The most appropriate study published by the Canadian nurses association has said that Canada
can face a serious shortage of nurses until 2022 if not acknowledged the issues present in the
health care sector (Canadim, 2017). According to the Canadian nurses association, 60000 full-
time registered nurses have to recruit until 2020 to avoid the bad effects in the healthcare sector.
Earlier people were not as concerned as people are now concerned about their health-related
issues. There are two sides of debates one is that healthcare sector is perceived as business and
its superintendents as business people and second side is the individual nurses have to become an
example of professionalism and have to endure all the pressures. This report will discuss the
challenges the healthcare sector is facing and will try to identify the reasons behind the shortage.
This report will discuss the definition of the shortage of nurses and try to develop the
significance of nurses. This report will analyse the issue framework through which the healthcare
sector can overcome the issues and countries should run without any problems. There are always
barriers present in the way to a resolution below given discussion will analyse the barriers and
then the suitable resolution to solve the issue. The shortage of nurses is a serious problem
because the nurses help both the doctors as well as the patients.
Shortage of nurses in Canada
Canadian nursing group or association is one of the most prominent groups in the
country. According to a survey it is said that Canada will experience a thrilling shortage of
nurses in the approaching years. The CNA has predicted a deficiency of sixty thousand nurses by
the year 2022 (Haddad & Toney-Butler., 2019). Canadian nurses association (CNA) has
mentioned that the shortage of nurses can affect the healthcare sector of the country. The
shortage of nurses could outcome in a lack of worth in Canadian healthcare services. It is
essential to take action regarding the situation to increase the number of nurses in Canada
(Murphy, Birch, MacKenzie, Alder, Lethbridge, & Little, 2012). There are a few challenges that
have to be taken care of to deal with the issue. The following are the challenges that need
attention. The number of registered nurses continued to decline and to a point that Canadian
nurses association identified that Canada can face serious decline till 2025.

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A better understanding of the shortage of nurses
The shortage of nurses can be understood with two elements. First is a professional
objective when the quantity of nurses is less to provide quality healthcare. Second is in economic
standards, shortage of nurses is when healthcare workstations do not provide adequate pay to the
nurse and that makes them give up on the job (Long, 2008). Nurse shortage is not all about the
number of nurses it is also how a healthcare system uses all the nurses that are skilled.
Shortage of nurses significance in nursing
Nurses’ shortage increases the problems in the healthcare sector. In healthcare
workplaces, the patients suffer the most if there are nurses available. Only priority that nurses
work on is providing quality service to patients in need. Also, nurses that are skilled and are
ready to provide their services but because of inadequate pay by the hospitals, they have to stop
working. On the second side of the story, nursing is a stressful job nurses have to learn to deal
with the stress and difficulties that come in their path. Nurses have to overcome the difficulties
provide the best possible services to patients.
Two sides of the dilemma
On one side of the dilemma, we see today's healthcare system as a business and its
superintendents as business people. People must have respect for nurses. Resect nurse’s
independence and recognize their efforts in a rapidly changing healthcare environment
(Norouzinia, Aghabarari, Shiri, Karimi, & Samami, 2016). All have to believe in their individual
nurse's capability.
The second part of this dilemma is the individual nurses have to become an example of
professionalism. Nurses have to create an atmosphere that will promote the career of value. As
humanity people have to start respecting nurses as they respect their Doctors. Nursing as a
profession has always been a stressful profession. Nurses have to work hard and try to deal with
the challenges instead of giving up on the tough circumstances.
Factors affecting the shortage of nurses
Nursing as a profession is a stressful job and at times healthcare workstations make it
even more difficult for a nurse to survive. Some of the factors that affect nurses negatively are a

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difficult working condition that includes difficult to manage working schedules and no time with
family and friends because there is always a shortage of staff in the hospitals. One of the very
serious factors is the absence of respect for the efforts. There are several other factors that affect
nurses to give up on their job.
Difficult working conditions
For a nurse, it is very difficult to perform his or her duties. Canadian nurses association
has identified that the working conditions of nurses are stressful. The nurse has to deal with
constant schedule changes as per healthcare workplace instructions. In a panic situation like one
going on COVID-19, nurses have loads of work due to a high number of patients and paperwork
attached to the patients all have to manage by the nurses. Whenever patients enter a hospital or
clinic they are given documents that contain their medical history. Those documents have to be
maintained with utmost sincerity by the nurses. It sometimes becomes stressful for the nurses to
deal with the paperwork and the patients. It is essential to motivate the employees that are giving
their best to the organization. The appreciation always works as the motivation of the workers. In
the healthcare field as well superiors should appreciate nurses for their efforts. Lack of
appreciation demotivates the nurses and they start losing confidence in them. The one big
problem that has been seen in the healthcare sector is inadequate to pay to the nurses. Nurses are
the ones that take care of the patients all the time they deserve a decent amount for their efforts.
No Respect for what they do
Nurses should always be treated with respect. Nurses are the ones that take care of the
patients with the utmost sincerity. It is often noticed in the healthcare sector that nurses face
bullying, discrimination, and inadequate pay. All this issue needs to be solved for nurses to feel
secure about their profession. It is essential for healthcare superiors and the normal population to
start respecting nurses for their efforts.
Reduction in Job Satisfaction
Nursing ethics help nurses make the right conclusions under the supervision of their
moralities. Due to severe staffing shortages nurses' feels dissatisfied constantly with their jobs.
Most healthcare workstations answer back to the increasing patient demands by providing
additional pay for nurses. The healthcare workstation emphasizes only the practical feature of
nursing care and forgets about the ethics of care. Job dissatisfaction results in finding an

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inappropriate working setting whereby nurses lack the time to communicate with the patients and
provide meaningful nursing care. Many nurses’ opinions providing support and care to patients is
comforting as an energetic characteristic and that reflects professional values and ethics.
Stress and exhaustion
Continuous ethical battles at work lead to sensitive stress, physical and psychological
burnout. Nurses everywhere work 24/7 the clock for the patients in the hospitals and help them
reduce their suffering from physical tiredness. While they end up working intensely to provide
the best facility to the patient demands. Nurses suffer from physical tiredness and psychological
suffering and begin to consider quitting their occupation (Beck, 2011).
Significance of nurses
As Nurses, it is our duty to develop a plan of care and recovery. Nurses collaborate with
physicians just to provide a better plan of services to the patients. The only way a person can
recover from illness is with the help of nurses. In the current setting, COVID-19 is a new virus
and people are not educated about it. Nurses are helping human that is unaware of the virus and
are correctly guiding them to keep themselves safe. Nurses take care of patients selflessly.
Nurses not only help patients also help the doctor in taking care of the patients. Nursing as a
profession is a stressful job. Nurses help patients to come back to normal life as a human with no
health issues. COVID-19 has created panic in people. Nurses are keeping people aware of the
seriousness of the issue. Nurses are actively treating the patients that are suffering from the
infection. Nurses are also playing as health educator roles for the people that are unaware of the
health issues. Nurses are working day and night to prevent this infection without thinking about
oneself. COVID-19 is spreading infection still nurses are treating patients without any fear for
oneself. Nurses are promoting health-related information, and helping patients cope with viruses
and infections (Strout, 2012). Stress and anxiety are normal after hearing about the seriousness of
the infection (Cates, Gomes, & Krasilovsky, 2018). Nurses have kept their stress aside just to
help people that are in need. Most of the nurses will be working for long stressful hours just to
help the patients. Being a nurse or a health care professional is an altruistic job.

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Issue framework
Historical analysis
History of nursing also states the fight of nursing professionals with difficulties similar to
those of today. History of nurses also expresses same external and internal barriers like of today.
The only and effective resolution to this issue is developing strategies to bridge the gap that
exists between nursing practice and knowledge. It is essential for the health and fitness care
workplace to develop more respect for the nurses and provide them healthy work surroundings.
Job dissatisfaction is one of the common elements from history and continues to be a key issue in
nursing. The issue can be resolved through enhancing quality of health and community care
workplace.
Ethical and legal analysis
Nurses find difficult to perform their ethical responsibilities to patients due to the
insufficiency in staffing. This shortage of staff in the health and community care workplace
burdens nurses with extra work and they go through emotional distress and job dissatisfaction.
Such nurses end up in an ethical problem and they decide to choose between caring themselves
or the needs of their patients. According to plaintiff counsels, the public can willingly access the
facts about the insufficient staffing levels in health care settings and use it to activate lawsuits
even in the absence of other regular problems.
Social and cultural analysis
The studies stated that the health and community care workplace superiors of nursing
should educate themselves and must coordinate with the staff. It is essential for the staff to come
up with solutions, including the establishment of medical learning and transform the health and
community care workplace into suitable sociocultural surroundings. Nursing is a stressful job,
and resolving the issue of shortage will require some time until then registered nurses have to
tolerantly deal with the issue.

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Barriers to resolution
Discrimination with young nurses
The Healthcare sector needs experienced nurses and professionals but that does not mean
it gives rights to the underestimate the young nurses. Young nurses are talented and have enough
knowledge superiors must show trust in their young nurses that acts as motivation for young
nurses. This little step will encourage the nurses to work even more hard (Batnitzky &
McDowell, 2011). Discrimination can make any person lose his or her confidence. Behaviour
with all nurses should be the same. For instance, nurses that are experienced or not experienced
both must be treated equally and be appreciated for their hard work and efforts this works as
motivation for the nurses.
Challenges in the immigration procedure
International nurses that are well qualified and ready to work in the Canadian healthcare
system and have to go through a big process to come to Canada as a registered nurse. It is
essential to look after the legality and sincerity but once the nurses is identified as genuine in all
the examinations they should not face problems in being employed in the healthcare workplace.
In addition, the international nurses sometimes have to face discrimination and they lose
confidence in the very beginning of the work tenure. The Healthcare system has to come forward
and start resolving the issues in the system.
Recommendations
Immigration Options for Nurses
Canada has many immigration programs that help nurses to immigrate tans become
permanent residents. With permanent residents' status, the foreign nurses will get the right to live
and work anywhere in Canada. In addition, all the nurses in the Canadian healthcare system and
social services will be treated with the same access. Few immigration options for the nurses are
express entry and Nova Scotia nominee program. These programs allow international nurses to
become part of a Canadian healthcare system.

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Express entry
One program in the Canadian federal system is an express entry that helps to manage
immigration applications. Nurses that have one year of experience of being a full-time nurse in
the healthcare sector might get qualified for this program. This is an easy way of bringing the
nurses in the Canadian healthcare sector.
Improving work conditions
Bringing new nurses in the system is a great died but it is essential to understand the need
for improving the working conditions for the existing nurses in the country. It is essential to
show respect to the nurses. It is equally important to pay the nurses a decent amount for their
efforts. Nurses are the ones that take care of the patients the whole time. Superiors should
appreciate the nurse for their constant efforts.
Avoid discrimination
It is often seen in every sector that new employees are not seen with respectful yes. They
are always treated as they are new to the field and have less knowledge compared to the old
nurse. Old nurses may have experience in handling the patients for a long time but that does not
mean that young or new nurses are unaware of their responsibility and seriousness attracted to
their job. The discrimination towards young nurses demotivates them and they start losing
confidence in themselves at the very early stage of their careers (Walani, 2015).
Conclusion
There is no specific or single universal solution to the nursing shortage. The only solution
that can undertake is to resolve the small issues present in the healthcare system so that nurses
would not leave the healthcare sector as their careers and young students would not feel scared to
choose healthcare as their career. Canadian government should try to find the resolution to issues
such as difficult working conditions, creating more respect for the profession, and reducing work
stress and exhaustion. There should be policies and programs made for the issue to be resolved.
This report has discussed the challenges the healthcare sector is facing and has tried to identify
the reasons behind the nursing shortage. This report has analysed the issue framework through
which the healthcare sector can overcome the issues and country would run without any
problems. This discussion has expressed the significance of nurses and the role of a nurse in

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normal people's life. There are always barriers present in the way to resolve the above-given
discussion has analysed the barriers and then the suitable resolution been identified to solve the
issue. The shortage of nurses is a serious problem that needs attention.

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