we talked to hoy about the situation in ontario, and why nurses don’t want to be called heroes.
this interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
how are ontario nurses feeling?
we have a lot of registered nurses who are retiring, and we also have newer nurses questioning if they want to continue. they are our future, and they’re leaving the profession.
with the pandemic, and the increase of critical patients, the workload has escalated. everyone needs time to recharge their batteries, but with the emergency orders, no one can get vacation. if you’re working 90, 100, 110 hours, every two weeks, you need a day off.
maybe that sounds a little bit self-serving, but
i think people forget that nursing is 24/7. there is no christmas, there is no new year’s holiday. people get excited over long weekends — there isn’t that for nurses.
also, if you’re short on nurses and
and you have critical patients, you don’t leave. you stay. and if you know that tomorrow, your unit is short and your patients need you, you’re not going to say no. you’re going to come in. there’s that stress, too.
what was it like at the beginning of the pandemic?
we have a lot of registered nurses in home care, community care, and long-term care who had to fight for personal protective equipment (ppe). ppe was put under lock and key, and nurses had to make a case [for why they needed it]. the shortage of masks at the beginning of the pandemic was also a concern which lasted well into the spring.