Speak out about what’s really going on in health care

I worked from 1977 to 2020. The first 27 years, I worked in acute care (the emergency department, mostly); the last 16 years at a public health department in the infectious diseases program. I retired for the first time in 2018, but just couldn’t give up my registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario. I went back to work for the six months of the pandemic – a public health crisis.

So that is the background of “me.” The culture of everything “nursing” changed over my career. In the beginning, we were seen as the assistant to the doctor. We “matured” into being part of the health-care team, and then finally we realized that, DAMN, we have our own body of knowledge and you need to listen to us and respect our role.

But the glass ceiling kept us in our place, and the public really was never told (until now) what was going on. Our licensing bodies produced standards that made it seem –or that is how I interpreted it – that the patient was always in a position of dysregulation and that nurses had to bridge the gap and be understanding and compassionate. And if there was aggression directed at us, we should have the tools to manage it. 

Coupled with staffing shortages of all care providers, overcrowded care facilities, lack of primary care options and a lack of funding to let nurses work to our full capacity in the community, we all find ourselves frustrated and perhaps fearful. And nurses are most likely the first person you meet when you need care. The system seems to be set up for the public to be able to voice their aggression, displeasure and anger at us. 

Is there a point to my ramblings here? I hope so. Continue to speak out about what’s really going on in health care. When family and friends complain about long wait times or that “those nurses were just playing on their phones/computers,” educate them about the technologies that those devices are used for. 

When the topic comes up, boldly ask people who they voted for and why it really does matter. Educate them. When they light their next cigarette, educate them. When they start the anti-vax chatter, educate them. When our elderly friends and family say that they’re NEVER going to leave their home, educate them about the nightmare of not planning for the “what ifs.”

This may or may not be helpful to ONA members, but it certainly was therapeutic for me! 

Note: The comments expressed here do not necessarily represent the views and goals of ONA.