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UPDATEBRITISHCOLUMBIANURSES’ UNION
RPNs ARE MOVING
TO BCNU
+
BCNU ADVOCATES FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
WELLSPRING CONFERENCE: ENCOUNTERS WITH TRAUMA, HOPE AND HEALING
CDMR RED ALERT: TURNING UP THE HEAT ON ISLAND HEALTH
Displaced nurses with decades of experience are being denied access to vacancies
they are more than qualifi ed to fi ll. BCNU members and stewards are fi ghting back.
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CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
PULL-OUT
SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
NURSES Gail Conlin, Swaranjit Dhillon and Doreen Fleming.
RPNs ARE MOVING
TO BCNU
RPNs ARE MOVING
TO BCNU
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
PULL-OUT
“NOT Displaced nurses with decades of experience Displaced nurses with decades of experience
QUALIFIED”
Promoting quality healthcare through SAFE STAFFING
Working with our communities for safe patient care
BCNU is proud to once again be a sponsor of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure
Join BCNU’s team at the 2013 CIBC Canadian Breast
Cancer Foundation Run for the Cure – run, walk,
donate or volunteer to show your support.
BCNU members, their families and allies are encouraged
to sign up to join the BC Nurses’ Union CIBC Run for
the Cure multi-site team on Sunday, October 6, 2013.
This year’s BC run locations are Abbotsford, Kamloops,
Kelowna, Nanaimo, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver,
Vernon and Victoria.
RegistrationTo register as a member of the BC Nurses’ Union team, visit runforthecure.com. Click on “Location”. Pick your location, then join a team and choose the team name: “BC Nurses Union” (note: no apostrophe).
Join the BC Nurses’ Union team today!
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 3
CONTENTS
“NOT QUALIFIED”Displaced nurses with decades of experience are being denied access to vacancies they are more than qualifi ed to fi ll. BCNU members and stewards are fi ghting back.
FEATURE
6 Check InNews and updates from events around the province.
12 Beating Bed BugsVancouver Coastal community nurses take the pests in stride.
14 Red AlertIsland Health provides no evidence to support its CDMR claims.
16 Encounters with TraumaWellspring Conference organizers bring health professionals together.
17 Bringing RPNs TogetherMental health issues a top priority for RPNs signing BCNU cards.
UPFRONT
DEPARTMENTS
5 PRESIDENT’S REPORT
24 MEMBER PROFILE
25 LETTERS
27 BOOK REVIEW
28 HEALTH AND SAFETY
30 YOUR PENSION
31 STAFF PROFILE
32 COUNCIL PROFILE
33 WHO CAN HELP?
34 OFF DUTY
UPDATE VOL 32 NO 4 • OCTOBER 2013
Constitution and Bylaws
special pull-out page 18.
VANCOUVER PRIDE St. Paul’s Hospital RN and BCNU LGBT Caucus member Anna Fritch at this year’s parade.
18
COVER PHOTO BY CHRIS CAMERON
4
BCNU Human Rights & Equity ConferenceDecember 2, 2013 Hyatt Regency Vancouver
Rights
Practice
Activism
an activism of the heart and mind
an activism of our hands and feeteveryday acts of
kindness and carethese are the hallmarks
of what we doas membersof BCNU
on December 2nd
join your colleagues for thoughtful conversation
& collective inspiration
in a broaderexploration
of social justice activism and you
Application form available at bcnu.org or check your union notice board
OUR MISSION STATEMENTBCNU protects and advances
the health, social and economic
well-being of our members
and our communities.
BCNU UPDATE is published by the
BC Nurses’ Union, an independent
Canadian union governed by a council
elected by our 40,000 members. Signed
articles do not necessarily represent
offi cial BCNU policies.
EDITORLew MacDonald
CONTRIBUTORS
Juliet Chang, Sharon Costello, David
Cubberley, Gary Fane, Monica Ghosh,
Katharine Kitts, Courtney McGillion,
Debra McPherson, Catherine Pope
PHOTOS
David Cubberley, Monica Ghosh, Lew
MacDonald, Doug Payette, Catherine Pope
CONTACT USBCNU Communications Department
4060 Regent Street
Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5
PHONE 604.433.2268
TOLL FREE 1.800.663.9991
FAX 604.433.7945
TOLL FREE FAX 1.888.284.2222
BCNU website bcnu.org
EMAIL EDITOR [email protected]
MOVING? Please send change of address to
Publications Mail Agreement
40834030
Return undeliverable
Canadian addresses to BCNU,
4060 Regent Street,
Burnaby, BC, V5C 6P5
UPDATEMAGAZINE
BC Nurses’ Union
888
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 5
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
EVERY SUMMER I MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO TRA VEL TO AS many of our members’ worksites as possible, meet with them fi rst-hand and listen to the concerns they have for their practice and their profes-sion. It’s important for me to keep in touch with the community of mem-bers that makes our organization as special as it is.
At the same time, I was honoured to see how much the public respect and value the work our members do. I was on hand at many community events from Victoria Day to Labour Day as the BCNU campaign bus crisscrossed the province. As I watched our members provide free blood pressure and glucose testing, and participate in parades and rallies, it was clear to me that BCNU is a respected organization that truly is part of the wider community. Th is is a credit to us all.
Now, with summer coming to an end, I fi nd myself travelling the province once again this year as we prepare for the next round of provincial bargaining in 2014. Regional Bargaining Conferences are being held through November, and BCNU’s Executive Director Gary Fane and I will be listening closely to members concerns to determine our bargaining priorities. Bargaining surveys have also been sent to all members covered by the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) Provincial Collective Agreement. Th is includes our new LPN members who have moved from the Facilities Bargaining Association contract, and who will be part of NBA negotiations for the fi rst time. Be sure to fi ll out your survey. Your feedback will be critical for guiding BCNU’s discussions with health authorities and government on ways to improve your quality of work life and your nursing practice conditions.
If ever there was a time to draw on the strength of community, it’s now. Although we are preparing for bargaining next year, several issues arising out of the last set of negotiations have yet to be resolved. And it’s vital for our future bargaining eff orts that employers take our contract rights seriously.
When meeting with members this sum-mer it was clear they are angry that health employers are thumbing their noses at the new NBA contract. Th ey’re coping with heavy workloads and still working short. Th ey’re putt ing in 37.5 hours per week, but still don’t have safe staffi ng. All the while their employers continue to displace nurses.
And we are fi ghting back. Th e union has taken legal action on safe staffi ng issues and we have fi led grievances at every health authority.
In the meantime, it’s important that nurses use the new safe staffi ng language to compel employers to replace nurses on leaves, vacations and short-term absences from acute and long-term care facilities, call in more nurses when patient demand exceeds normal capacity, and ensure that community nurses are replaced for a minimum of two weeks when they are on vacation.
Safe staffi ng toolkits have been mailed to members across the province with material that will help remind you of these rights and assist you in fi ghting for safer care at your worksite. Wear and encourage others to wear the kit’s clip-on cards to show managers and others that you know your rights, and that you have the power to make a diff erence for safe care and safer staffi ng every day. And don’t forget to take a moment to visit the BCNU website and view our new animated videos that illus-trate when and how the new safe staffi ng rights apply.
As a community of dedicated profes-sionals, we can work together to reach our bargaining goals and support our common interest. Talk to your steward about any concerns you have in your workplace. We can make a difference and the new NBA contract gives us the power to do it! UPDATEP
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BCNU IS PART OF THE COMMUNITY
DEBRA MCPHERSON
6NEWS FROM AROUND THE PROVINCE
CHECK IN
W HEN THE FRA SER HEALTH AUTHORITY announced it was phasing out evening mental health clinics starting September 1, the timing could not have been worse. Mental health issues were in the news aft er Vancouver police
chief Jim Chu and Mayor Gregor Robertson declared that mental health issues in their city had reached a crisis level, and called on the province to make major investments.
BCNU President Debra McPherson took the opportunity of an invitation from the City of Burnaby to address a September 9 council meeting and explain what the cuts will mean for residents of Burnaby and other cities in the FHA.
She told councillors that six centres will be impacted by the new changes, including the Tri Cities, Surrey, New Westminster, White Rock and the outpatient mental health clinic at Burnaby General Hospital, and explained that the cuts mean patients will no longer have access to services past 4:30 in the aft ernoon, the very time when many working individuals oft en have to utilize those services.
“While Fraser Health insists cutt ing out the evening programs will allow for bett er service during the day, community nurses who work on the front lines each and every day, are certain this will result in a large group of people falling through the cracks,” she said.
McPherson reminded councillors that ten years ago Burnaby used to have two excellent day programs that served a large number of people in the community living with mental illness, and how their virtual elimination has put pressure on the outreach clinic at Burnaby General Hospital.
“Nurses who are struggling to treat 70 patients are being told by the FHA that they should limit their visits to once a month, for only half an hour,” said McPherson. “Treating patients with mental illness takes more than monthly, 30 minute sessions – nurses know this and we all worry about the long-term damage this will have on patients,” she said, noting that the Canadian Mental Health Association ranks Burnaby second, next to Surrey, when it comes to the number of people suff ering from mental illness.
McPherson called on Burnaby to advocate for resources as much as possible. “We all need to push the health authorities and provin-cial government to provide for a level of care which can stand up to the daily demands and needs of people living with mental illness,” she said. UPDATE
ADVOCATING FOR MENTAL HEALTH
AVERAGE WEEKLY
OVERTIME worked by over 1/3 of Canadian nurses. Unchanged since 2010.
NUMBER OF
CANADIAN
RNs ABSENT from work in any given week due to own illness or disability.
18,900 6.6 hours
$746.5 million
VITAL SIGNS Numbers that matter
TOTAL COST OF
PAID OVERTIME
IN 2012 Up from $660.3 million in 2010.
New fi gures on absenteeism rates and overtime clearly indicate that nursing workloads have reached a point that are not safe or acceptable. Statistics, compiled for the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions from Canada’s Labour Force Survey by Informetrica Ltd., show that in 2012 Registered Nurses and nurse supervisors working in the healthcare and social assistance sector worked well over 21.5 million hours of overtime.
GOODBYE ART!
This summer BCNU bid fare-well to our senior commu-nications off icer Art Moses. Art came to BCNU after a career working in radio at the CBC. Over his 17 years with the union he served as editor of Update magazine, coordi-nator of our communications department and as our media relations specialist. Art’s wisdom and strategic communications talents will be sorely missed. We all wish him happiness in his retirement.
WELCOME CATHERINE!
BCNU is pleased to wel-come award-winning TV journalist Catherine Pope to our communications department. A seasoned news reporter, Catherine comes to the union from Global TV’s Vancouver off ice. She is now respon-sible for BCNU’s media relations efforts and is looking forward to meet-ing and working with union members and leaders. Feel free to contact Catherine at [email protected].
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 7
CALLING OUT ISLAND
HEALTH ON ITS CDMR
CLAIMS
When Island Health’s direc-tor of Care Delivery Model Redesign, Robyne Maxwell, said that the health author-ity’s new care model that replaces regulated nurses with care aides would “make nurses feel the value in their job again,” BCNU’s Pacif ic Rim region chair Jo Salken spoke last September 16 with Victoria’s Times Colonist newspa-per to correct the record.
“It’s clearly impossible for a single nurse to over-see a care team serving 12 patients while meeting professional standards,” said Salken. “If nurses are unable to assess patients within at most one hour of surgery, signs of things going wrong are bound to be missed.”
Salken told the paper that changes made as result of CDMR will result in delays in administering medications, failure to complete daily head-to-toe patient assess-
ments, inability to respond promptly to patient calls and inadequate charting of patient conditions.CALLING FOR EVENING
MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS
When Fraser Health Authority announced the end of evening service at six mental health clinics across
the region, BCNU Simon Fraser region co-chair Debbie Picco spoke with radio station CKNW.
“There are going to be many mental health patients
out there who are not going to be able to access care. We will see more people with escalating mental health issues, and with the services gone, we really can’t predict how serious their situation will become,” said Picco.
“We know that people with mental health issues are more active and receptive later in the day. We would rather see Fraser Health standardize care and keep these clinics open in the evening throughout the health authority.”
MAKING NEWS BCNU in the headlines
THE BCNU WORKERS OF COLOUR CAUCUS CO-HOSTED Victoria’s fi rst Diversity Health Fair, held September 8 at the Bayanihan Community Centre.
Organized by BCNU’s Workers of Colour Caucus in coopera-tion with three local organizations – the Victoria Filipino Canadian Association, the Victoria Filipino Canadian Caregivers Association, and the Victoria Filipino Canadian Seniors Association – the fair att racted hundreds of att endees who took in displays and handouts on everything from a healthy diet to creative dance by way of refl ex-ology and diabetes management.
Th e Diversity Health Fair is a venue where the multicultural community can access information about health resources and healthy living ideas and services they otherwise have diffi culty accessing due to language barriers. UPDATE
BCNU members who work in rural emergency departments want to engage in a number of different strategies to keep their ERs open 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
This was the f inding of a recent needs assessment survey conducted by BCNU’s Rural Emergency Service Working Group. The group is made up leaders from all of BCNU’s regions and was formed when members passed a resolution at this year’s Convention calling for BCNU to lobby for rural ERs.
BCs rural emergency departments have been struggling with ongoing cutbacks, service reductions and closures, and there is signifi cant community opposition to these cuts in many rural areas.
A Rural Emergency Department Lobby Kit will be developed this fall and will include information on how to conduct campaigns.
CELEBRA TING DIVERSITY
TIME FOR ACTION ON RURAL ER CLOSURES
SURVEYS ARE IN THE MAIL.
COMPLETE YOURS TODAY!
Preparations for next year’s round of provincial bargaining are underway. All members across the province covered by the NBA and FBA collective agreements will receive “Bargaining 2014” surveys in the mail. Look out for yours to provide feedback on important key issues and tell us your priorities for bargaining. Completed surveys must be returned no later than October 21.
BARGAINING 2014
4060 REGENT STREETBURNABY, B.C V5C 6P5
IMPORTANT BARGAINING SURVEY ENCLOSED
2576112
Jane Smith1243 Production WayBurnaby, BCV6P 5C5
Jo Salken
SHARING
RESOURCES Human Rights and Diversity Caucus chair Mabel Tung and Robin Bolton, Geriatric Nurse Consultant at Royal Jubilee Hospital, staffi ng the booth at Victoria’s fi rst Diversity Health Fair.
8 CHECK IN
WALKING FOR RECONCILIATIONBCNU MEMBERS JOINED WITH AN ESTIMATED CROWD OF approximately 70,000 British Columbians in the pouring rain in Vancouver for the September 22 Walk for Reconciliation.
Members of BCNU’s Aboriginal Leadership Circle (ALC) took part in the historic event organized to build a stronger rela-tionship among Aboriginal peoples and all Canadians.
“Marching together, sharing songs and dances from the dif-ferent nations and hearing the stories of people that went to residential school are each a part of the healing process,” said BCNU Aboriginal Leadership Circle Chair Michelle Martinson as she walked the two kilometer route. “The ALC is grateful to all the nurses who showed up for the walk – it reinforces the importance of reconciliation and why nurses and Canadians of all ages, all backgrounds, all faiths and cultures need to reflect on their relationship with Aboriginal peoples.”
The BCNU Aboriginal Leadership Circle was established to provide a safe space for members who identify as aboriginal to address the historic and systemic discrimination faced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
The BCNU campaign bus was also on hand at the post-walk celebration with nurses performing free blood pressure and blood glucose testing for the public.
The Walk for Reconciliation was organized by Reconciliation Canada, a charitable project born from the vision of Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, Gwawaenuk Elder, and established as a col-laboration between the Indian Residential School Survivor’s Society (IRSSS) and the Tides Canada Initiatives Society (TCI).
PROMOTING RECONCILIATION Front row (l-r), Marlene Goertzen, Alison Stockbrocks, Lisa Walker, Katrina Relova and back row, Rhonda Bennett and Jonathan Karmazinuk at the September 22 Walk for Reconciliation. BCNU members braved torrential rain with some 70,000 others at the downtown Vancouver event.
TAKING ACTION WHEN RIGHTS ARE AT RISK
LGBT RIGHTS
WHEN NORTH VANCOUVER’S KA TH-ANN TERRETT heard the media stories about Russia’s recently-passed anti gay laws that are putt ing gays and lesbians at risk and
diminishing their human rights she headed straight to her computer. By the time she was fi nished she had writt en lett ers to over 300 of
Canada’s Members of Parliament asking them to speak out. “All of us need to take action when laws take away peoples’ rights
to simply be loving and aff ectionate with their partner,” says Terrett . “A very real consequence in Russia has been to send a message to thugs and hooligans that abusing and att acking gays is OK, because they are second class citizens.”
Terrett , who is chair of BCNU’s Coastal Mountain region, was not content with just soliciting responses from Canada’s parliamentarians (she has received over 80 responses so far). She’s also taken her concerns to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics spon-sors and writt en to the top executives of Coca-Cola, VISA and McDonald’s. She says she may even close her lifelong Royal Bank account if the bank, also an Olympic sponsor, doesn’t show some visible support for human rights or say something publicly against the discriminatory actions of the host country.
Russia’s new laws even threaten to take children away from their gay and lesbian parents. Organizations and individuals who are fi ghting back within Russia are being intimidated, threatened and censored at almost every turn. Russian activists still want people to come to their country but they want them to be “loud and proud” and encourage their own country’s leaders to speak out about the repression and abuse these laws promote.
Human rights organizations around the world are hopeful that collective actions will make a diff erence. One such group, All Out, says that, “as a direct result of the global pressure, UK Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to raise the anti-gay laws with Russia’s President Putin face-to-face.”
When asked why one busy nurse in British Columbia should take on an issue like this, Terrett was clear: “Because our brothers and sisters are suff ering, and if we sit idly by all of our rights are at risk, ultimately everyone will be aff ected.” UPDATE P
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RIGHTS DEFENDER Coastal Mountain Chair Kath-Ann Terrett is taking her opposition to Russia’s anti-gay laws directly to the corporate sponsors of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 9
EDUCATED MEMBERS MAKE for a strong, eff ective union. And as BCNU enters the next round of bargaining, it’s impor-tant that members understand
the powerful contract provisions that were gained during the last round of negotiations to address workload issues.
Members across the province are just starting to make these new contract provisions a reality. Th ey’re being vigi-lant and assertive – and fi ling grievances if their employers are not following the new replacement language in the Nurses’ Bargaining Association contract, and failing to provide backfi ll whenever acute and long-term care nurses are off from a shift (to give just one example).
BCNU’s Education Department has been front-and-centre in helping support stewards and members in their eff orts. Th is spring the department led a series of province-wide steward training workshops to ensure that the union is ready to assist members in truly making a diff erence to improve workloads and nurses’ ability to provide quality care.
Th is summer, the Education Department
SAFE STAFFING CAMPAIGN
rolled out a series of four animated videos that illustrate when and how the new NBA replacement language rights apply. And this fall, a series of quick refer-ence “Rights Cards” were mailed to all members. Att ached to a retractable lan-yard for members to wear at work, the cards remind them of the replacement language gains – and help show employers that members know their rights. Stewards are encourag-ing members to wear their Rights Cards at work and use them to engage and educate nurses at the worksite.
Th e Education Department will be pro-moting its next safe staffi ng action tool this fall: an interactive contract interpretation infographic that will off er in-depth informa-tion on the replacement language to help
nurses manage their workload and ensure a safe work environ-ment for everyone. Be sure to log into the BCNU website Members’ Portal to access these and other Safe Staffi ng campaign materials. UPDATE
SHOW AND TELL BCNU’s Safe Staffi ng campaign “Rights Cards” are attached to a retractable lanyard for members to wear at work and remind them of the replacement language gains. They also help show employers that members know their rights.
KNOW THE CONTRACT. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.BCNU’s Education Department develops tools for taking action on workload
ANIMATED VIDEOS produced by BCNU’s Education Department illustrate when and how the new NBA replacement language rights apply. View the videos at www.bcnu.org and on BCNU’s YouTube channel and Facebook pages.
aour
at when he new acement
hSHOW AND TELL
BCNU’s Safe Staffi ng
RACT. S.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN COLLABORATING with academic researchers in helping to identify innovative and effective uses of overcapacity protocols at your worksite?
BCNU is encouraging nurses who work at Vancouver General Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital
or Mount St. Joseph’s Hospital to par-ticipate in a new study that will measure the impact of Overcapacity Protocols (OCP) on safe and quality care provision within nurses’ work environments.
To date, most OCP research has been done in the US and in EDs only. And no research exists that specifi cally examines OCP with respect to nurses’ work environ-ments and nurse and patient outcomes. This will be the fi rst Canadian study to look at OCP in EDs and other acute care settings, and study results could inform healthcare policy and practice both nation-ally and internationally.
This project is a practice-academic research collaboration between University of British Columbia (UBC) health services researchers and practice-based leadership from the three Metro Vancouver health authorities.
Starting in October, project research-ers will be conducting nurse focus groups and nurse surveys in EDs, general medical and general surgical areas in each hospital. The following hospitals are included in the survey:
Vancouver Coastal Health: Vancouver General Hospital
Fraser Health Authority: Surrey Memorial Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital
Providence Health Care: St. Paul’s Hospital, Mount St. Joseph’s Hospital
Interested? Look for fl yers in your units for more details or contact Research Director, Dr. Khristine Carino at [email protected]
OVERCAPACITY PROTOCOLS RESEARCH UNDERWAYPARTICIPATE TODAY!
10
COMMUNITY EVENTS
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THE PEOPLE 1. Blood Pressure and blood glucose testing in Castlegar August 31, Jessie
Renzie monitors a member of the public while West Kootenay chair Lorne Burkart looks on. 2. Vancouver Pride August 4, (l-r) Alida Fernhout (white shirt), Simon Fraser Steward Liaison Jereme Bennett and Kevin Sargent at the BCNU booth. 3. Members fl y the fl ag at Vancouver Pride. 4. Penticton Peachfest Parade Aug 10, (l-r) BCNU President Debra McPherson, Deb Duperreault, Gail O’Grady, Interior Health LPN rep Janet Elizabeth Van Doorn, Pat Skwarok, Okanagan-Similkameen chair Laurie Munday, Okanagan-Similkameen Lobby Coordinator Kevin Barry and Mary Lynn Entz. 5. Clinton Health Centre (l-r), Thompson North Okanagan chair Tracy Quewezance, BCNU President Debra McPherson and Meghan Nairn. 6. Ovarian Cancer Walk September 8, (l-r) Winnie Yuan, Mary Taylor, Sara Fatehifar, Annelise Henderson, Vancouver Coastal LPN rep Marlene Goertzen and RIVA chair Lauren Vandergronden. 7. Chase Health Centre event (l-r) Thompson North Okanagan chair Tracy Quewezance, Janet Jones, BCNU President Debra McPherson, Ann O’Donnell along with lab technicians Claudia Rinnaldi and Dora Gagne. 8. Men In Nursing member Gabriel Zamorano provides blood glucose testing at BC Lions Game. 9. Preparing for Pride in Nelson, (l-r) Nelson City Councillor Robin Cherbo, West Kootenay chair Lorne Burkart, Tracy Mailey-Baur, Jessie Renzie, Jeannie Todd, and nursing student Jill Todd.
Th e BCNU Campaign Bus crisscrossed the province this summer, with the union on hand at
many community events from Victoria Day to Labour Day. BCNU members provided free blood pressure and blood glucose testing and participated in parades and rallies.
BCNU President Debra McPherson att ended many of these activities and was grateful for the opportunity to meet with so many members one-on-one. “It’s clear that our members love their communities, and it was wonderful to see how much the public respect and value the work our members do,” she says.
Do you have a picture from a community event you’d like to share? Send it to [email protected] and we might use it in a future issue of Update Magazine.
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ACROSS THE PROVINCE
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 11UPUUUUUUUUUUUUUU DATE MAGAZINE October 2013 11
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Vancouver Coastal Health has a Bed Bug Policy which provides up to $500 for treatment of an employee’s home if it has become infested as a direct result of work and up to $100 for cleaning a car which has bed bugs.
Th e policy states that staff must take precautions so that bed bugs are not taken from the workplace and spread to vehicles, home or other worksites/locations and staff must be aware of methods to minimize the likelihood of being bitt en.
Bed bugs have become a pesky problem in Metro Vancouver. One pest control company says the number of calls it receives for bed bug infestations has doubled in the last three years.
Although bed bugs don’t pose any serious health risks they do live and hide in the areas where we sleep – mostly in bedding, matt resses, headboards, bed frames and box springs. Bed bugs can easily go undetected because of their size and nocturnal nature. Dark spots and small blood stains may indicate the presence of bed bugs. Th ey also give off a sweet musty odour and oft en leave their eggs and molted skins near areas they have infested.
Th ere is no way to prevent bed bugs entirely. However, experts agree that early detection is the best way to prevent them from establishing themselves. Orkin Pest Control, which is sometimes contracted by Vancouver Coastal Health to deal with bed bug infestations at its worksites, claims a bed bug dog is the best tool for early detection.
Meet Frankie, a perky, adorable Jack Russell Terrier. Once a rescue dog, Frankie now works fi ve days a week, sniffi ng out bed bugs with his human handler, Heidi Bradford of Orkin’s Canine Detection Unit. Together they inspect rooming houses, healthcare facilities, apartment buildings and private homes between Whistler and Chilliwack.
Much like drug sniffi ng dogs, Frankie is trained to pick up the scent of bed bugs. “He’ll stop and sit or lay down. Sometimes if gets really excited, he’ll bark” says Bradford, who adds that in fi ve years of service, Frankie has become quite popu-lar with some of the nurses who see him regularly.
A LIDA FERNHOUT NO longer jumps when she sees a bed bug. A registered nurse at Vancouver’s Downtown Community Health Centre,
she oft en works with clients who walk in the door covered in them.
“I was taking blood work from a patient and they started crawling out of his jean jacket. I couldn’t move because I had a needle in his arm, and he started slapping them away,” says Fernhout, who just carried on with the job.
She says some nurses protect themselves from carrying home unwanted critt ers by keeping work clothes at work, or by putt ing clothing in a Ziploc bag at the end of the day, but sometimes the tiny blood suck-ers go undetected, until there’s an itching problem at home.
Fernhout recalls a colleague who recently
had to take four days off work to rid her home of bed bugs which had hitched a ride to her home. “To prepare for pest control to come in, you have to pull everything away from the walls. Th e matt ress has to be thrown away or treated. It can be quite laborious and costly.”
COMMUNITY NURSING
ALL IN A
DAY’S WORK
Downtown Eastside com-munity health nurse Alida Fernhout is used to dealing with bed bugs and says it’s important to avoid stigmatiz-ing clients who are carrying the insects in their clothing and belongings.
A NOSE FOR BUGS Frankie the bed bug-sniffi ng dog, along with his han-dler Heidi Bradford inspect healthcare facilities from Whistler to Chilliwack.
VANCOUVER COASTAL NURSES KEEP ON TOP OF BED BUGS
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 13
Bed bugs are small, oval insects that feed by sucking blood from humans or animals. Bed bugs do not f ly.
Bed bugs can live anywhere in the home. They can live in cracks in furni-ture or in any type of textile, including upholstered furniture. They are most common in beds, including the mat-tress, box springs, and bed frames.
Bed bugs are most active at night. They may bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping. Common locations for bed bug bites are the face, neck, hands, and arms.
A bed bug bite is painless and is gener-ally not noticed. The bites may be mistaken for a rash of another cause. Small, f lat, or raised bumps on the skin are the most common sign. Symptoms include redness, swelling, and itching.
Typically, no treatment is required for bed bug bites. If itching is severe, steroid creams or oral antihistamines may be used for symptom relief.
“We do a lot of proactive work where go in on a monthly basis in high risk areas – like the Downtown Eastside. Sometimes we’ll go in twice a month and go through a whole building. We don’t always fi nd anything, but if they’re spott ed early enough we can get a jump on it.”
Back in the Downtown Eastside, Fernhout says that she and her colleagues take it all in stride and try to ensure that clients who have bed bugs don’t feel any more uncomfortable than they already do.
“We’re prett y used to it. We don’t stigmatize, it’s embarrassing for the clients.” UPDATE
BED BUG FACTS
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
www.vch.ca/your_environment/pest_management/bed-bugs/
www.health.gov.bc.ca/protect/bed-bugs
The 2014 Canadian Nursing Students’ Association’s National Conference takes place January 24-25 in Vancouver. The event will be attended by over 600 nursing students and nurses from across Canada who will gather to develop professional knowledge and lead-ership skills.
Langara College is hosting the conference, and Langara nursing students are already hard at work organizing next year’s event. The conference theme – “Envision. Create. Innovate.” – reflects the orga-nizers‘ goal of empowering nursing students to create an impact in their communities, both nationally and internationally.
BCNU is proud to be a conference sponsor, and the union is pleased to fund a limited number of reserved spots for nursing students from across BC.
APPLY TODAY!
Completed forms must be returned via email no later than November 3. Applications will be reviewed and applicants will be notif ied if they have been selected for BCNU funding shortly thereafter. Funding includes conference reg-istration (including pre-conference and social activities), and when applicable, travel and accommodations.
QUESTIONS? Email [email protected] for more information on how to register.
Registration opened on September 3 and closes January 13, 2014. The early bird registration is October 18. ($150 + tax for CNSA mem-bers and $290 + tax for non-members)
The CNSA is the voice of nursing students in Canada and repre-sents over 25,000 nursing students. For more than 30 years, the CNSA has represented the interests of nursing students to fed-eral, provincial and international governments and to other nursing healthcare organizations. The CNSA is an associate member of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and an aff iliate member of the Canadian Nurses Association.
For more information visit www.cnsa.ca
ENVISION. CREATE. INNOVATE.CNSA 2014 NATIONAL CONFERENCE NURSING STUDENTS REGISTER NOW!
Download BCNU Funding Application.
14
CDMR
VANCOUVER ISLAND NURSES TURN UP THE HEAT IN THE FIGHT TO ENSURE SAFE PATIENT CAREIsland Health Authority refuses to provide evidence to support its claim that care restructuring won’t negatively aff ect patients
THE OVER 60 VANCOUVER Island nurses rallied around the BCNU campaign bus at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) on Septem-
ber 13 to represent the intensifying fi ght against a health authority care model that replaces RNs and LPNs with care aides and is now spreading from Nanaimo to Victoria.
Friday September the 13th was the unlucky day that the Island Health Authority chose to launch its fl awed care-delivery model redesign (CDMR). And nurses wearing red tops and black pants in protest of the 26 nurse displacements at NRGH were on hand to applaud speeches by BCNU leaders who vowed to continue fi ghting to stop Island Health’s scheme to cut costs by taking nurses away from patients.
“Nurses know you can’t multiply the num-ber of patients they oversee without cutt ing the time available for patient assessment,” said BCNU President Debra McPherson. “We know that directly observing patients and noticing signs of change is how negative outcomes are prevented, and that’s why we fundamentally oppose a plan designed to remove nurses from the bedside.”
“Numerous studies show that nurses cannot be replaced by unregulated assis-tants who are not trained or licensed to perform core nursing functions”, she said. “Whenever that’s been tried, patient safety has suff ered due to missed nursing care – and that’s just what CDMR will do here if we don’t stop it.”
Nurses are deeply concerned that CDMR
generates new gaps in nursing care, such as failure to complete head-to-toe patient assessments or to get daily medications out on schedule, which put patients at serious risk of complications.
“It’s clearly impossible for one nurse to oversee a care team serving twelve patients and still have any sort of direct relationship with those patients,” BCNU Pacifi c Rim Chair Jo Salken told the rally. “If nurses can’t assess their patients within an hour aft er surgery, signs of things going wrong are bound to be missed.”
“CDMR will severely disable the hos-pital’s early detection system, which can only multiply lapses in patient safety and increase the likelihood of failures to rescue.”
McPherson pledged to redouble BCNU’s eff orts to stop the spread of CDMR across Vancouver Island and to force Island Health to agree to an independent expert assess-
ment of the risks posed to patient safety. Th e health authority has so far refused to provide any evidence supporting its claim that CDMR won’t negatively aff ect patient safety or health outcomes.
BCNU has vigorously con-tested CDMR since it fi rst became clear that the scheme wasn’t about improving care for an aging population with more complex illnesses, but rather about saving money. CDMR had always been sugar-coated as a plan to use regulated nurses more eff ectively. However Island Health’s “Section 54” restructuring notice issued last May revealed that 26 nurses would be replaced on four key units.
Once it became clear that CDMR comes at the expense of patient contact with nurses, BCNU began demanding it be put on hold so its safety impacts could be evaluated by an independent process. “It’s absurd to claim that replacing the professional expertise of nurses with unregulated care aides is some sort of response to an aging population’s higher-acuity needs,” said McPherson. “What’s needed is more bedside nursing, more trained eyes on older patients, not less.”
In July, nurses collected over 3,000 names on a petition calling on Island Health to halt the scheme and agree to an
Send a message to Island Health’s CEO and chief nurse! They have implemented their scheme at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Plans are in place to introduce it at Victoria hospitals and move it throughout the Island. Help Vancouver Island nurses push back!
Tell them that when patients have increased care needs, they need more of the skills and knowledge of nursing professionals.
VISIT THE BCNU WEBSITE. Sign our petition and join us in demanding that Island Health keep the promise of safe patient care. Island Health
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Stop Island Health from cutting nurses at the bedside
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 15
independent expert review. Stacks of petitions were delivered in person to the July Island Health board meet-ing in Duncan, where nurses from Nanaimo and Victoria crowded the microphones to make the board aware of patient safety issues att ribut-able to CDMR.
Nurses were treated courteously at the meeting and promised a writt en response to their concerns by Island Health President Dr. Brendan Carr.
RED ALERT BCNU President Debra McPherson addresses over 60 Vancouver Island nurses rallied around the BCNU campaign bus at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) on September 13, the day the Island Health Authority launched its fl awed care-delivery redesign model.
EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING SHOULD be the cornerstone of good public policy and there is no shortage of evidence to show that the UK’s recent attempts to “redesign” care models by cutting nursing staff levels have often led to tragic results.
The Francis Inquiry analyzed the causes of 400 – 1200 “needless deaths” at the National Health Service’s Stafford Hospital. Its report, released last February, identif ied failure to ensure adequate nurse staff ing as a central factor.
A UK survey* of nearly 3,000 English RNs pub-lished this summer presents a disturbing picture of the reality of unsafe nurse workloads. Here are some excerpts:
“There is strong evidence to show that lower nurse staff ing levels in hospitals are associated with worse patient outcomes. One hypoth-esized mechanism is the omission of necessary nursing care caused by time pressure – ‘missed care’.”
“The body of evidence demonstrating an asso-ciation between patient outcomes and nurse staff ing is substantial. A systematic review of 102 studies concluded that increased regis-tered nurse (RN) staff ing levels are associated with lower rates of hospital-related mortality and adverse patient events.”
“Nurses are more likely to report care being left undone when they are working on shifts with high numbers of patients per RN.”
“Care that was frequently left undone included adequate patient surveillance, which has been hypothesized as a key mechanism explaining the association between low nurse staff ing and increased mortality.”
“The consequences of poorly informed experi-ments to improve the eff iciency of the nursing workforce can be disastrous.”
*“Care Left Undone” during nursing shifts, Ball et al., British Medical Journal Quality and Safety Online First, July 2013.
However, shortly aft er they received a dismissive response from board chair Don Hubbard.
In August BCNU fi led a Freedom of Information request seeking any internal studies and reports dealing with CDMR and safety impacts, in order to fi nd out whether Island Health was hiding anything. “Island Health’s refusal to disclose their evidence suggests they haven’t done proper diligence on this care model, that they’ve chosen to fl y blind and just see how it plays out,” said McPherson.
BCNU’s stop-CDMR campaign is now developing a second front in Victoria, where Island Health has given notice that it will replace nurses with care aides at Royal Jubilee Hospital (12 units) and Victoria General Hospital (11 units) eff ective January 2014. To date, Island Health has refused to disclose the actual number of nurses aff ected.
McPherson will continue to meet with South Island members to raise awareness of the risk that CDMR poses to safe patient care and engage them in future actions. UPDATE
“Island Health’s refusal to disclose their evidence suggests they haven’t done proper diligence on this care model, that they’ve chosen to fl y blind and just see how it plays out.” BCNU President Debra McPherson.
LESSONS FROM THE UK: NO SHORTAGE OF EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT LOWER NURSE STAFFING LEVELS MEANS REDUCED PATIENT SAFETY
16
EXPLORING THE JOURNEY OF HEALING
VANCOUVER’S YASMIN Winsor is more than familiar with trauma. Th e Downtown Eastside street nurse is one of several nurses, social workers
and community leaders who is bringing her years of professional experience towards the planning of this month’s Wellspring Conference
Winsor is Chair of the conference’s Planning Committ ee. She says that organiz-ers hope to off er conference participants a wide range of experiences during the two-day event taking place October 25-26 at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Th is includes interactive workshops and panel presenta-tions exploring the science of relational and situational trauma, to networking oppor-tunities for those working in the fi eld of trauma management and treatment.
“Most of the people on the confer-ence’s planning committ ee work in the Downtown Eastside and are already familiar with the painful stories of people who are self-medicating or trying hard to rid themselves of the inner pain they are feeling by abusing drugs,” says Winsor. “As a result, we really wanted to host a commu-nity-based conference that addresses the science of trauma and features many of the complimentary therapies out there being used to help support people who are trying to heal from their traumatic experiences.”
Conference keynote speakers include Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Ruth Lamb. Maté is a renowned best-selling author highly sought aft er for his expertise on a range of topics
from addiction to mind-body wellness. His presentation will outline the scientifi c basis for a compassionate view of human dysfunction and healing and focus on how childhood trauma is the most signifi cant risk factor and template for addictions, mental and physical illness. Maté has writ-ten several best-selling books, including the award winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction and his works have been published in twenty
languages. Dr. Ruth Lamb has a background in
healthcare administration, education, clini-cal practice and research, and her career has focused on consciousness-based paradigms for healing trauma. Th e author of Yoga Sadhana of Healing and Human Becoming, Lamb has worked both nationally and inter-nationally with groups, organizations and individuals. Her highly anticipated keynote presentation will deal with the study of complementary and alternative medicine, as well as incorporating ancient wisdom teachings.
Winsor notes the wide selection of infor-mative and interactive workshops that are a feature of the Wellspring Conference, and that give att endees the chance to partici-pate in diff erent therapies such as yoga, meditation and art therapy and experience relaxing and restorative activities over the course of two days.
“It’s important for the nurses and others working in the Downtown Eastside to learn how to take care of themselves so that they
This year’s Wellspring Conference: Encounters with Trauma, Hope and Healing will off er an in-depth look at trauma management and treatment
HELPING HEALTH PRACTITIONERS SERVE
PATIENTS BETTER Vancouver Street Nurse Yasmin Winsor is one of several nurses, social workers and community leaders who’ve come together to organize the Wellspring Conference taking place October 25-26 at St Paul’s Hospital.
“We really wanted to host a community-based conference that addresses the science of trauma and features many of the complimentary therapies out there being used to help support people who are trying to heal from their traumatic experiences.” Yasmin Winsor
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 17
can support people and be kind to those who have been severely traumatized,” she says.
Winsor says this year’s conference will also include an in-depth look into signs and symp-toms of post-traumatic stress disorder, devel-opmental and complex trauma, principles of trauma-informed care for service providers, substance misuse and process addictions, and the role of healing modalities such as music, movement, gardening, meditation and storytelling.
“Maybe we can start pushing the envelope a litt le, as far as treatment goes for people who are dealing with trauma and mental illness because there aren’t a lot of options right now to serve people,” she says.
“Th ere are pharmaceuticals and some cogni-tive therapy that people can access but as a committ ee, we agree there needs to be other things in place to help people with treat-ment. A lot of people living in the Downtown Eastside have severe childhood trauma and they’re coping in very stressful living situa-tions,” explains Winsor.
“It’s sad what’s happened to people in their past. Most people don’t want to be addicts. Th ey just want to feel bett er but they can’t aff ord therapy and they can’t go to private practitioners. We are hopeful the knowledge that this conference will provide will ulti-mately help nurses and health practitioners serve patients bett er.” UPDATE
The Wellspring Conference: Encounters with Trauma, Hope and Healing will run from Friday, October 25th to Saturday, October 26th with talks and workshops taking place both days. For more information on the conference itinerary or to register, visit www.thewellspringconference.ca
RHONDA WELSH FELT ISOLATED and targeted. It was 2010 and the Royal Columbian Hospital RPN had started a new position, working as a consult liaison and outpatient nurse. An RPN since 2000, Welsh has worked in mental health for over 30 years in different roles and has always had a passion for working with marginalized people, including those living with mental illness.
Welsh found she was only one of two nurses who were to be hired for the job, and that Fraser Health held off on filling the second position.
“My new coordinator started harassing me and making life very diff icult at work. I was given demands instead of direction and was not provided with the resources to do the job.”
Welsh, who had never had any disciplinary issues at work, was also subjected to a performance evalu-ation even though standards had not been established for the new position.
“It felt like character defama-tion,” said Welsh, who decided to file a grievance over her treatment. “My HSA Labour Relations Officer never returned my calls to help me prepare. He showed up at the meet-ing and proceeded to make deals with the employer without consult-ing me.”
Welsh decided to connect with a BCNU steward at RCH. “I said sign me up. If we can do it let’s do it.” A campaign was born.
“I started making my own tele-phone calls just to talk to other RPNs both in and outside of RCH that I had worked or gone to school with just to see if there was any interest in join-ing BCNU.”
Welsh and a group of RPNs encouraged enough colleagues to
sign BCNU membership cards in order to trigger a representation vote. And last June the BC Labour Relations Board confirmed that RPNs at Royal Columbian Hospital, along with others at East Kootenay Regional Hospital and Rosewood Manor had voted to switch to BCNU.
Welsh is confident that uniting nurses in a strong, shared union will strengthen nurses’ profession to negotiate better contracts and practice conditions, and improve public healthcare.
“It just makes sense for us to be together so that we can focus on the collective issues that nurses have,” she says. “Each nurse comes to work with unique issues, but our most important challenges are similar – separating nurses is an obstacle to resolving issues.” UPDATE
BC RPNs can sign BCNU mem-bership applications starting this September. When a majority sign up with BCNU, the BC Labour Relations Board will hold a membership vote. BCNU will communicate voting details once the LRB establishes those details.
RPNs ARE MAKING THE SWITCH TO BCNU
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER Royal Columbian Hospital RPN Rhonda Welsh is confi dent that by working together, nurses will be better able to improve mental health services.
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Displaced nurses with decades of experience are being denied access to vacancies they are more than qualifi ed to fi ll. BCNU members and stewards are fi ghting back.
Datm“NOT g gg g
QUALIFIED”
SSWARANJIT DHILLON couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The nurse of 15 years had just been called by her manager and told she was not qualifi ed to fi ll the patient care coordinator position she applied for at the new short stay medical unit opening at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
SWARANJIT DHILLON couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The nurse of 15 years had just been called by her manager and told she was not qualifi ed to fi ll the patient care coordinator position she applied for at the new short stay medical unit opening at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
PHOTO BY CHRIS CAMERON
SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL NURSES Full-time Steward Gail Conlin, Patient Care Coordinator Swaranjit Dhillon and Full-time Steward Doreen Fleming. Conlin helped Dhillon successfully grieve an employer’s decision that the nurse of 15 years was not qualifi ed for the position she now holds.
Dhillon began working at Surrey Memorial in 1998, and since then had worked in the hospital’s medical, surgi-cal, rehab and IV units. She was working as an IV nurse last year when management informed her that the hos-pital’s two IV unit positions were being cut. Dhillon was given six week’s notice of her displacement, and during this time she applied for seven positions at the hospital. Th is
included ambulatory day care, surgical day care and medical day care positions. But her fi rst choice was the new PCC vacancy.
Dhillon was so confi dent she would get her fi rst-choice position that she did not ask for the option of working as a casual if she didn’t get any of the positions she applied for. As a result, she got none of the positions she applied for and now found herself laid off .
20 FEATURE
“I was very, very upset,” recalls Dhillon. “Emotionally, even now, aft er working for 15 years in various positions for Fraser Health, and having so much experience, to hear the words ‘you’re unqualifi ed’ was very hurtful.” She says that at the moment her manager said the word “unqualifi ed” she was not even thinking about the fact that she did not get any posi-tions. “I was just thinking, how could they say that I’m unqualifi ed?”
Unfortunately, Dhillon’s experience is not unique. Across the province, experienced, capable and competent RNs who fi nd themselves displaced are being told by their employers that they do not have the qualifi -cations required to bump into positions or fi ll vacancies. Th e result? BCNU members are being denied their job security and having their opportunities for professional advancement limited.
How could such a situation come to be? BCNU Qualifi cations Offi cer Carmen Pickering says the prob-
lem lies with the way many employers are increasingly abusing job descriptions.
“Over time, employers have made changes to the qualifi cations they require for nurse positions—seemingly for no apparent reason other than a new manager arriving on the scene and wishing to make his or her mark,” Pickering explains. “We’re seeing health authorities reject nurses’ applications for jobs based on a manager’s subjective and oft en cursory assessment of their qualifi cations.”
Pickering says that with the exception of specialty areas identifi ed in the Nurses’ Bargaining Association contract – such as OR, PAR, ER, ICU, CCU nursing – the additional specialty education, including courses and certifi cates, that many employ-ers are now demanding has never been agreed to by the union.
BCNU President Debra McPherson says the issue was a priority during the last round of NBA bargaining, and that
and the acquisition of select certifi cates for many level one positions is oft en an arbi-trary management decision.
“Th e suggestion that Registered Nurses must obtain more education and/or direct experience before being able to apply for a level one position defi es logic and seemingly releases the employer from its numerous contractual obligations to BCNU members,” she says. “Th at’s unnacceptable.”
Rafael Paule is all too familiar with arbitrary management decisions. Th e Surrey Memorial RN trained
in the Philippines and worked in Bahrain as a psychiatric nurse for 10 years before immigrating to Canada in 1990. He worked in residential care in Langley and then went to Surrey Memorial and worked in psy-chiatry while also working as a casual fl oat nurse in the hospital’s medical, surgical, ER, palliative and orthopedic units. One would be hard pressed to fi nd another nurse with Paule’s breadth of experience.
Paule was working full-time in Surrey Memorial’s acute in-patient psychiatric assessment unit in 2010 when he applied for a patient care coordinator vacancy. “I had the interview and they said I wasn’t qualifi ed for the position because I hadn’t done any supervisory work as defi ned in the job description,” he says.
“I also suspected that the manager did not like the fact that I was continuing my educa-tion” (Paule just completed his master’s degree in nursing this summer).
“Th e person who was given the position
the union and health authorities signed a memorandum of understanding last fall to review how employers implement quali-fi cation requirements (see sidebar: “Joint Qualifi cation Review Committ ee: Doing More To Protect Members’ Job Selection Rights”).
“Additional requirements should not be used as a management tool to prevent nurses from applying for a position of interest or as a way to screen out suitable candidates,” says McPherson, noting that demands for additional years’ experience
QUALIFIED NURSE A master’s degree and over 30 years of experience hasn’t stopped the Fraser Health Authority from attempting to deny Rafael Paule a Patient Care Coordinator position at Surrey Memorial Hospital’s new ER.
“I have gott en a lot of commendations from my colleagues for sticking it out – everybody knows I’ve got the experience, education and seniority.” Surrey Memorial Hospital RN Rafael Paule
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 21
Nurses under the NBA Provincial Collective Agreement have gained an important tool in asserting their right to professional growth opportunities and job security. During the last round of negotiations, BCNU had health employers agree to work with the union to review the qualif ications for non-specialty level one jobs. BCNU has grown increasingly concerned about inconsistency across Health Authorities in the requested qualif i-cations for the same job. The union also has a heightened awareness of job descriptions with questionable qualif ication demands. These kinds of employer actions often serve to deny members their collective agreement rights.
BCNU and Health Employer’s Association of BC and its Health Authority representatives recently began meeting to address this issue, as agreed during collective bargaining. The new joint Qualif ication Review Committee has moved forward on a number of process issues, and has confirmed the principles and intent of the committee. Work is ongoing to establish committee goals and pro-vide recommendations to union and employer leadership on how to best ensure that level one job descriptions are fair and consistent.
JOINT QUALIFICATION REVIEW COMMITTEE Doing more to protect members’ job selection rightswas less senior than I am, was less qualifi ed
and had less education,” says Paule, who immediately grieved the decision.
It’s been a two-year process, but Paule and the union were successful, and last March he was fi nally awarded the PCC position. He says that during this time four people cycled through the position. He kept applying while his grievance was unresolved, with each rejection serving as evidence of a patt ern of discrimination.
Paule refl ects on why he encountered such diffi culty. “I can communicate eff ec-tively with patients and hospital staff – but personality-wise managers don’t like me because I have no qualms about speaking my mind. I’m not a ‘yes man’ and I don’t bend,” he says. “Maybe they don’t like that.”
Paule says that he could not have won this fi ght on his own. “My colleagues and previ-ous managers have been instrumental to my case and have given me personal lett ers of references speaking to my compassion and reliability – these made for a stronger case.”
“I have gott en a lot of commendations from my colleagues for sticking it out – everybody knows I’ve got the experience, education and seniority,” he says.
Nurse experience aside, it is impor-tant for employers’ to respect the collective agreement and ensure
that all displaced nurses’ qualifi cations are assessed objectively and fairly.
Just ask Kamloops nurse Chantal McFadden what disappointment aft er dis-placement feels like. Th e recent Th ompson
Rivers University grad had been working in a permanent, full-time DC1 position at Overlander Extended Care when her position was eliminated in April 2012. She decided to apply for a vacant public health nurse position that she felt more than capable of fi lling.
But McFadden’s manager notifi ed her that she did not meet the qualifi cations of a CH1 public health nurse and would not be capable of performing those duties (McFadden had two years of clinical experi-ence as an RN, primarily in acute and resi-dential sett ings). Specifi cally, they wanted her to have “recent experience in a public health sett ing in the last fi ve years”.
“Th ey were saying that I wouldn’t know enough about public health because I hadn’t done a public health practicum,” says McFadden. “If that was the reason I fi gured I’d never have the opportunity to ever work in public health anywhere,” she says. “My steward contacted my nursing school and when they heard about my situation they got off ended because they do provide a good chunk of public health training for us.”
McFadden grieved the decision. BCNU argued that her employer violated the col-lective agreement by not performing a fair, comprehensive and reasonable assessment of McFadden’s capabilities and qualifi ca-tions. Th e union also argued that the job description allowed managers to subjec-tively and unfairly apply its qualifi cation provisions, which predisposed them to hir-ing nurses familiar to them, or those whom they liked on a personal level.
“Additional requirements should not be used as a management tool to prevent nurses from applying for a position of interest or as a way to screen out suitable candidates.” BCNU President Debra McPherson
22 FEATURE
“I didn’t believe them when they said I was not qualifi ed – it didn’t make sense to me at all,” says McFadden, whose grievance was successful aft er the Interior Health Authority – BCNU Tom Hodges Alternative Dispute Resolution process ruled last November that Interior Health unfairly denied her the CH1 public health position.
In his analysis of the case, the arbitra-tor noted that a nurse’s lack of a specifi c qualifi cation as worded in a job description does not mean they are then unqualifi ed for the position. Rather, the question is one of capability: if a nurse is capable of perform-ing the duties of the job description by the end of the qualifying period (90 days in
2012 when she spoke directly to provincial health employers. She had fi led her griev-ance and BCNU’s provincial bargaining committ ee was meeting withprovincial health employers in Vancouver. Job security was on the agenda and her steward sug-gested that it would be a good opportunity to tell her story and let employers hear fi rst hand from a nurse who had been deemed not qualifi ed and how it aff ected her.
“I went to the meeting,” says Dhillon. “I was so upset with them saying I was unqualifi ed and I told them I had to do this for myself – I’ve worked for 15 years and said that they just can’t do this to nurses.”
“Th ree days later I got a call from my steward and she told me I got the PCC position I had applied for.”
Th e result of Dhillon’s and others’ experience has been the negotiated “Memorandum of Understanding—Job Security: Dispute resolution process regarding displacement options” that is now part of NBA provincial contract. Th is MOU places a priority on reaching a conclusion to a nurse’s disagreement if their employer deems them “not qualifi ed” for a position. Th e process is intended to elevate and resolve the issue quickly and require
McFadden’s case) then they are entitled to bump into those jobs or fi ll appropriate vacancies.
And given the fact that McFadden had applied for a level one position, the arbitra-tor ruled that there was litt le doubt that, with her qualifi cations, experience and demonstrated capability, she could fully rise to the demands of the level one public health position within a reasonable qualify-ing period.
In his decision, the arbitrator was critical of what he called the “alarmingly vague” job requirements that Interior Health had cre-ated which, unwitt ingly or not, contained elements that circumvented important collective agreement provisions that require employers to show fair and reasonable con-sideration before depriving a nurse of the qualifying period during which they could become profi cient in the job.
The issue of employers denying nurses’ access to available vacancies or suitable positions was identifi ed
as signifi cant enough of a problem that it reached the NBA provincial bargaining table last year.
Dhillon recalls the evening in August
“I was so upset with them saying I was unqualifi ed and I told them I had to do this for myself – I’ve worked for 15 years and said that they just can’t do this to nurses.” Surrey Memorial Hospital RN Swaranjit Dhillon
“Is it appropriate that management use a rather vague clause in an employer-generated job description to exercise discretionary authority and thereby not only circumvent fundamental collective agreement principles but further disadvantage an already adversely aff ected employee as well?”
Arbitrator Tom Hodges, regarding Interior Health Authority’s level one qualifi cation requirements.
CAPABLE CANDIDATE An arbitrator ruled that Kamloops RN Chantal McFadden was fully capable of performing the duties of the position she had applied for despite the wording of the Interior Health Authority’s job description.
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 23
IMPROVING NURSES’ OPPORTUNITIESStandardizing employers’ job descriptionsBCNU negotiated a memoran-dum of understanding during the last round of Nurses’ Bargaining Association contract talks that will see health employers decrease their total number of job descrip-tions. It’s all part of the union’s efforts to protect nurses’ vacancy and selection rights. This new MOU compels provincial health authori-ties and Providence Health Care to review and consolidate their nurse job descriptions.
BCNU is concerned about employers having hundreds of separate job descriptions with an equally wide variety in qualif ica-tions required for the same jobs across worksites. Health authori-ties and Providence Health Care are now providing quarterly sub-missions to the Joint Qualif ication Review Committee (see sidebar “Doing more to protect mem-bers’ job selection rights”) and are working to lower the number of job descriptions to 60.
Standardizing employers’ job descriptions further protects BCNU members’ rights to access all available job opportunities – especially those nurses who have been displaced.
“They are giving me hard time again,” he says. “I recently applied for another PCC position that came up in the new Surrey Memorial ER – and again the managers said that I am not qualified to take it.”
Th e position requires three years recent emergency experience, psychiatric experi-ence and one year experience in a supervi-sory/administrative capacity, or equivalent combination of education, training or experience.
“I have all of this and more,” says Paule. “I’m not only an experienced RN. I was a fl oat nurse and worked as an in-charge nurse.”
“I have over 30 years of experience. I graduated in 1978, I have a master’s degree and I am currently working as a PCC.”
Paule reports that the hospital picked an applicant with three years of ER experience who is currently being temporarily replaced by another nurse who has no supervisory experience.
“Th ey haven’t learned their lesson and I’m going to fi ght them again.”
Dhillon agrees that nurses must stand up for their rights. “You have worked for your qualifi cations and you have to know your options,” she says. “Take your time to go through the displacement process, ask questions, talk to your steward and get their support.”
“Be confi dent and believe in yourself. Th e more nurses who stand up the more employers will be aware that they can’t do this.” UPDATE
employers’ further consideration of nurses’ position requests.
McPherson says it’s an important new tool for protecting job security. “We negoti-ated this MOU because we know that nurses are qualifi ed by innumerable means – and an employer’s reliance on specifi c years’ experience or special certifi cates to determine suitability for a role rather than a comprehensive, individual assessment of the nurse does a grave disservice to nursing—a profession centred on the prin-ciple of holism and autonomy of practice,” she says.
McPherson urges nurses not to allow employers to prevent them from exercising their hard-fought seniority rights.
“Don’t let your employer’s misguided qualifi cations request for non-specialties prevent you from trying something new or accessing a position more personally or pro-fessionally suited to you,” she says. “Don’t let a vacancy remain unfi lled. If you’re displaced make your preferred selections, and remember that job requirements are oft en arbitrary.”
“If you are denied a position and told you are ‘not qualifi ed’– contact your steward and demand that your employer look again – either through the grievance process or using the new the MOU,” says McPherson. “When it comes to safe patient care, an RN is nothing if not qualifi ed.”
The new dispute resolution language is something Paule has found him-self using sooner than expected.
“Don’t let your employer’s misguided qualifi cations request for non-specialties prevent you from trying something new or accessing a position more personally or professionally suited to you.” BCNU President Debra McPherson
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WATER ADVOCATE Vancouver RN and nurse continence advisor Naomi Wolfman is keen to share her knowledge on methods for managing urinary and fecal incontinence.
Member Profi leYOUR COLLEAGUE CLOSE-UP
SOME CALL IT A BUCKET list. Others call it goal-sett ing. But when Naomi Wolfman turned 40, she decided there were three things she wanted to do in her lifetime: learn how to play the piano, fi gure out how to ride a bicycle, and study to become a nurse.
All three goals proved to be fulfi lling, but only one would lead to a career. Wolfman’s nursing journey began at Langara College 18 months aft er her 40th birthday. Today, with her studies completed, the RN works in the transi-tional care unit at Vancouver General Hospital, where she is aff ectionately known as the “water advocate”.
Why the label? Wolfman is a Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) who has been keen
solution for many dealing with continence problems. Done on its own, and without a proper understanding of the entire pelvic fl oor, she says that the exercise can lead to frustra-tion for those aff ected. “Many people get disappointed by their lack of progress, lose hope and begin to normalize incontinence into their day-to-day life.”
When Wolfman learned that nearly seventy percent of all cases of incontinence can be treated, if not eradicated, she was more motivated than ever to educate patients and co-workers around the issue. “It’s not only Kegel exercises – there’s more to it. Th ere’s daily habits, there’s bladder training, there’s working with the blad-der and the bowel,” she says.
to share her knowledge on conservative methods for managing urinary and fecal incontinence with colleagues. She has developed lunch-time educationals for co-workers dubbed “Th e Water Works Series” where she talks about the importance of water not only in the overall manage-ment of continence, but to the entire body. She also delves into a variety of related topics, and takes questions from other nurses who are working with patients who are aff ected.
Th e University of Victoria graduate also goes out of her way to equip patients suff er-ing from incontinence with as much knowledge, tools, and confi dence as time permits.
Wolfman says that the Kegel exercise is the most common
CONTINENCE ADVISOR VANCOUVER RN NAOMI WOLFMAN IS PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING PATIENTS REGAIN DIGNITY AND CONTROL OVER THEIR LIVES.
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UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 25
Th e following lett er fr om a group of emergency room nurses at Vancouver General Hospital was published in the June issue of the Canadian Nurse in response to an op-ed piece in the April issue calling for compulsory fl u vaccina-tions for all health care workers.
“Dr. Alison McGeer (Th e Last Word, April) seriously misrepresents
the reasons many nurses oppose compulsory infl uenza vaccinations, particularly when she repeatedly characterizes this opposition as “an emotional response.”
Ours and others’ opposition to the current fl u policy is based not on emotional responses but on the understanding there is no scientifi c evidence supporting the policy’s rationale, that vaccinating health-care workers reduces the transmis-sion of infl uenza to patients.
ALL NURSES DESERVE CREDIT FOR FIGHTING CDMR
OPEN FORUM FOR BCNU MEMBERS
LETTERS
Please join our open forum and send your lett ers to: [email protected].
Th e following lett er by BCNU Vancouver Island LPN rep Barry Philips was published in the August 14 issue of the Victoria Times Colonist. Philips was responding to the paper’s editorial column crediting RNs alone with generating the widely supported public petition against the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s nursing cuts and the negative impacts its new care model will have on patient safety.
Re: “Nursing change is inevitable,” editorial, Aug. 11.Th e editorial focuses on nurses as RNs, and how they att ended the
Vancouver Island Health Authority board meeting to protest VIHA’s new staff -ing plan that will include replacing nurses with care aides. Among those att end-ing the meeting were nurses of other disciplines, including licensed practical nurses and registered psychiatric nurses. Th ese nurses, too, will be aff ected by the new staffi ng plan.
Primarily, it is the RNs and LPNs who practice in the medical and surgical areas where the changes are being considered. Both disciplines are regulated professionals trained to off er skilled and professional nursing care to their patients. Th e care model proposes the introduction of care aides to replace these nurses. Th e HCAs should be employed to augment patient care, not to replace the professional nurses.
Th e level of illness across all our hospitals and health-care systems is high. Patients and residents in acute and long-term care deserve the best quality care available to them. Th is care includes nurses of all disciplines at the bedside. To remove them and replace them with non-regulated caregivers is not in the best interest of the patients.
Nurses of all disciplines are an integral part of our health care system, and belong at the bedside to care for patients and residents.
Barry E. Phillips, LPNVictoria
NURSES QUESTION FLU VACCINE PROPONENT’S OBJECTIVITY
“Th ere are so many myths about the exercise, such as you do it three hundred times per day, twenty minutes at a time – it’s actually a disser-vice if you do it when the muscle is tired!”
Wolfman was fi rst introduced to her specialty in her last year of nursing school, at a time when she and her fellow classmates were being asked to assess their skill set and choose an area of nursing where they feel they could make the most diff er-ence. “Many students were considering special-izing in pediatrics, cardiac nursing, and other more common areas of focus,” says Wolfman. “But I was struck by the potential for new and encouraging research in continence management to help patients regain dignity and control over their lives.”
Why the decision to pursue continence nurs-ing as a specialty? Wolfman says she had just completed course work related to continence management while she was also welcoming a rel-ative to stay with her family for six months. “My course work was done and I decided to att end a public forum hosted by a nurse continence advisor,” she says. “At the same time, the family member who was staying with me also happened to be suff ering from incontinence.” Wolfman says the experience inspired her to choose her path. She has now spent the past seven years learning, practicing, and educating her patients, peers, and colleagues around the science and treatment of incontinence.
Wolfman received a bursary from BCNU in 2010 which she used to complete the Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) Distance Education Certifi cate Program off ered through McMaster University’s School of Nursing. Established in 1997, the NCA is a continuing education certifi -cate program that uses a self-directed, problem-oriented approach to developing evidence-based practice in continence care. It is the only university-based program for educating nurse continence advisors off ered in North America.
For Wolfman, the most rewarding part of the job is the moment when someone surprises themselves with their progress and persever-ance. “It’s the moment when you see a person really feel what the muscles do. It’s the moment when the patient comes back and says, ‘Wow! I sneezed! And guess what, there was no leak-age!’” she says. No leakage, no frustration, and no embarrassment – only hope, and perhaps a restored sense of dignity. UPDATE
26
On September 8, 2010 the Cochrane Collaboration reported on fi ve research stud-ies which found that vaccinating healthcare workers who look aft er the elderly in long-term care facilities did not show any eff ect on the specifi c outcomes of interest, namely laboratory-proven infl uenza, pneumonia or deaths from pneumonia. Th e organization concluded there is no evidence that only vaccinat-ing healthcare workers prevents laboratory-proven infl uenza, pneumonia and death from pneumonia in elderly residents in long-term care facilities. (htt p://ow.ly/f F6bW). An October 2012 CIDRA P study arrived at the same conclusion, noting there was no compelling evidence compulsory infl uenza vaccinations reduced HCW-to-patient transmission of the fl u. (htt p://ow.ly/f F6qs). Th ese fi ndings completely contradict the stated basis for the manda-tory fl u vaccination policy; the presumption that vaccinating healthcare workers will reduce the transmission of fl u to patients.
We believe such a policy not only fl ies in the face of values that guide the health-care community, but also fails to demonstrate any grounding in scientifi c evidence, is coercive rather than persuasive, consti-tutes an invasion of privacy and nullifi es informed consent.
Finally, we question Dr. McGeer’s objectivity. She has worked with manufacturers of infl uenza vaccines, received honoraria for lectures, chaired
advisory boards and partici-pated in sponsored clinical trials. Her article did not dis-close this.
For more information, visit our Facebook page, Concerned Nurses.
Tamara Ballard RNChristine Davie RNWill Offl ey RNJohn Tino RNCindy Vanderbyl RNTracy Visser RN
HOME CARE NURSING COMES WITH UNIQUE CHALLENGES, REWARDS
Th e following lett er was writt en by Vancouver Coastal region steward Linda Rumney, RN, Bs, CHPCN.
“Who would be a Home Care Nurse?” It’s just one of the ques-tions I’ve asked during the many conversations I’ve had with myself lately. Having worked in a variety of care sett ings (ER, OR, LD, Gerontology, Dermatology, Orthopaedics, even in manage-ment in the private sector, on two continents, the answer would still most defi nitely be, “I”.
Admitt edly, there are days when I really don’t want to be a nurse of any kind, any more, at all. Recently, for example, when my manager presented his proposal for a new rotation following the reintroduction of the 37.5-hour week or when, as a BCNU steward, nurses who work part-time shared their feelings of utt er disillusion-ment aft er viewing the rotation that had them working shift s
two weeks apart and on nearly every weekend in a 13-week rotation.
“Why Should I Care?” is another question I ask myself. When people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I’m a Home Care Nurse, they oft en say, “Ah, that must be nice!” Nice? I guess it has its moments, but “challeng-ing”, “frustrating”, “stressful”, and “emotionally draining” are words that more accu-rately describe working in community.
Th ere is no other area of nursing where an RN may visit a bereft young husband with two small children to discuss end-of-life care for his wife, teach an elderly woman the care and management of her fecal stoma, perform ABI’s for the assessment of a client’s suitability for compression and then administer IV antibiotics via an ONC you’ve just had to re-site, ensuring the client’s cat stays off your sterile fi eld, all in the course of one morning.
Working in the community relies heavily on teamwork and continuity to cultivate trust-ing relationships with clients and their families. Continuity is no less important for the relationship between nurses who work part-time and those who work full-time. So creating a rotation that steals the part-time nurse’s position within the team and treats her like a “fl oat” is destructive. Th e most worrying concern around the rotation proposals in my work place and in many others I have
discovered is the inevitable col-lapse of good communication, continuity of care and the ethos of team nursing.
Is the problem corporate thinking? I’ve heard all the jar-gon: “People First” and “Home is Best.” Would one think that a move towards more care in the community would include investment in staff morale and work-life balance? Th e reverse appears to be true. And the goal? It would appear to be one of spreading nurses as thin pos-sible, sabotaging systems that are eff ective and chasing into retirement many of the senior nurses who are undoubtedly an amazing and valuable asset to the health service.
What’s next? Th e reality is that there has to be changes to the healthcare system if it is to survive, but don’t expect that the highly skilled home and community care workforce will simply forfeit the respect, acknowledgement and consid-eration aff orded to other areas of care.
For me? I have considered a career change. But like my colleagues in community, achieving excellence in the delivery of care to clients in their own homes inspite of the challenges that corporate thinking presents – will suffi ce, for now. UPDATE
Please join our open forum and send your lett ers to: [email protected].
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 27
RECOGNIZING PATIENTS AND FAMILIES WHO HAVE SPOKEN OUT ABOUT MEDICAL ERRORS
EVERY YEAR, SOME 24,000 Canadians die from prevent-able medical errors. In a 2009 survey, some four million adult Canadians said they had experienced medical errors in the previous two years. It’s fi gures like these that prompted two retired healthcare professionals to collaborate on a book that they hope illustrates what patients can do to help prevent errors.
Th e authors combine impressive credentials: Susan McIver holds a PhD in entomology/microbiology and spent 10 years of her career working as a Coroner in
BC. Robin Wyndham is a for-mer BCNU member who prac-ticed nursing for 34 years. Both had witnessed the emotional impact and legal costs borne by the victims and families who spoke out aft er experiencing a medical error.
Aft er the Error: Speaking out about patient safety to save lives details what went wrong in 16 cases where medical errors were made. Th e book was writt en to recognize the patients and families who took the courage to speak out about their experi-ences and helped to lay the foundation of current patient safety programs. McIver and Wyndam make the case that patients and their families can
be empowered to be eff ective advocates in order to continue to raise awareness, identify problems and provide solutions.
Aft er the Error is McIver’s second book on the subject of medical errors. In 2001 she authored Medical Nightmares: Th e Human Face of Errors which documents medical errors in the Canadian healthcare system. Th e book was prompted by her experience working as a coroner, where she repeatedly saw the results of medical errors. Her job, she says, was “to remain neutral and fi nd fact, not fault.”
When asked why she felt compelled to write Aft er the Error a decade aft er her previ-ous book, McIver says that she and Wyndham wanted to remind people that medical errors continue to happen while giving examples of what people can do to advocate.
McIver and Wyndham started developing the book in January 2010. McIver did much of the research and Wyndham edited and provided clinical experi-ence, making the book a worth-while read for both healthcare professionals and laypeople.
McIver and Wyndham did more than compile medi-cal horror stories, they also propose practical solutions that can be realized once medical institutions move beyond a culture of blame. Says McIver: “When doctors and nurses
are free to disclose medical errors, they then sit down with the patient and clinicians and work out a proper restitution. Th e hospital admits error and then they try to correct it. Th ey ask the patient ‘what can we do to help you?’” She says this approach aims to satisfy the parties involved in these cases more eff ectively than a remedy imposed by the legal system.
Readers may be surprised to learn that in Canada, taxpay-ers pay for malpractice lawsuit defense through the Canadian Medical Protective Association, whose only task is to defend doctors (unlike the US, where doctors pay huge insurance pre-miums for medical malpractice coverage). Th us, when a doctor is sued in Canada, they have almost limitless funding to pay for legal defense, mostly paid by tax dollars.
Wyndham has several sug-gestions regarding the role nurses play in preventing errors. Among these are: pushing for safe staffi ng levels and appropri-ate staff mix, increasing regis-tered nurses in residential care to refl ect the increased fragility of residents, addressing noise and distractions, education and support for refusal of unsafe work, and collaborating with other organizations to promote ongoing education.
“We are not surprised by how widespread the problems are, so many people have unfortu-nate medical experiences,” says McIver. “Errors don’t happen because of bad people,” adds Wyndham. “Th e idea is to work with healthcare profession-als, not to take an adversarial stance.” UPDATE
BOOK REVIEW
After the Error:Speaking out about patient safety to save lives
Susan McIver, PhD and Robin Wyndham2013, ECW Press, Toronto
EVCaabsuadhey
28
CHANGES TO WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ACT HAVE
IMPLICATIONS FOR BCNU MEMBERS
Last year, the Workers’ Compensation Act changed how workers may make claims for mental disorders that occur as a result of work in specif ic sets of circumstances.
Prior to July 1, 2012, workers were only entitled to compensa-tion if their mental stress resulted from an acute reaction to a sudden and unexpected traumatic event that occurred at work. Bill 14 amended the Workers’ Compensation Act to include men-tal disorders resulting from a series of events, including signif i-cant work-related stressors.
WorkSafeBC’s adjudication board has now implemented a pol-icy setting out decision-making principles that must be followed when determining a worker’s entitlement to compensation for a mental disorder under the amended legislation.
BCNU members should note that the criteria for acceptance of claims for mental disorders are different than the criteria for psychological conditions caused or aggravated by compensable work injuries.
For more information about the changes brought in by Bill 14, speak to a BCNU Steward at your worksite. BCNU Stewards and Labour Relations Off icers are available to support members who may be eligible to make a claim under the amended Workers’ Compensation Act.
Health & SafetyIN THE WORKPLACE
AT FIRST, DEANNA Jerowsky brushed off the pain she was feeling in her left shoulder, deciding instead to use a few vacation days to rest up and get bett er.
Th e LPN, who works in Keremeos, didn’t think the work-induced injury was serious enough for a doctor’s visit, let alone a phone call to WorkSafeBC to report it.
“I was in pain, but I fi gured taking some time off to let it
KELOWNA
NURSE Wendy Jolly says she didn’t know who to turn to when she suff ered a back injury at work.
didn’t know who to turn to for assistance at the time.
“I was so naïve in the begin-ning and was in denial about how bad my back had become. I was taking muscle relaxants and painkillers to try and deal with the pain,” she recalls. “Aft er work one night, I bent over to pick up something on the fl oor and my back just froze on me. My doctor told me I couldn’t work and I was in excruciat-ing pain. With a large student loan and young family, the time off work resulted in a massive fi nancial strain on my family.”
Filing WorkSafeBC claims can be a stressful and compli-cated process that shouldn’t be left up to members to sort
through alone. Looking back, both Deanna and Wendy admit they should have contacted their union representatives immedi-ately aft er they were injured.
“I tried processing two claims by myself and they were both denied,” says Jerowsky. “When I realized the BC Nurses’ Union was there to help, it was a huge relief. I really didn’t know where to turn aft er dealing with WorkSafe myself. Having the union take over my fi le and fi ght for me is an amazing feeling.”
Members are encouraged to follow a set of steps when processing claims, includ-ing contacting a supervisor or union representative right away, reporting the incident by
GETTING IT RIGHT FAILURE TO PROPERLY DOCUMENT INJURIES MEANS WORKSAFEBC CLAIMS WILL BE DENIED
rest would be adequate,” she says. “It wasn’t until December, when I reclined a patient in a wheelchair and felt my shoulder pop, that I realized the injury was more serious than fi rst thought.”
Last January, Kelowna-based nurse, Wendy Jolly, suff ered a serious lower back injury which resulted in two months off work and $5,000 in lost wages. A recent grad working casual-time, Wendy admits she
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 29
HONOUR IN RECOVERY EARLY INTERVENTION HEALTH PROGRAM HELPS NURSES GET WELL
FOR A NURSE DEALING with addiction or mental health issues, knowing where to turn for help can be one of the hardest fi rst steps in what is oft en a very long road to recovery.
However, Th e Early Intervention Health Program (EIHP), co-developed by Th e College of Registered Nurses (CRNBC) and the BC Nurses’ Union, is a new self-reporting program which off ers BCNU members suf-
fering from various illnesses access to treatment, counsel-ling and specialists.
Deborah Charrois is a Professional Advocacy Offi cer with BCNU’s LEAP pro-gram, (Licensing, Education, Advocacy and Practice). She says EIHP is already making a positive impact on nurses’ lives.
“We’re seeing less com-petency complaints at the CRNBC because more members with addiction and mental health issues are com-
ing forward before it starts to show up in the workplace,” says Charrois, who notes that the program also off ers an incentive to nurses because self-reporting won’t show up on their license.
Established in 2012, the EIHP is the only program of its kind in Canada. It allows nurses to remove themselves from practice and seek help before their illness aff ects their ability to practice safely. Th is will not be noted on their public registration record.
Th e EIHP connects nurses with support groups, pre-serves professional integrity and provides safe patient care. Th e program helps arrange for medical assessments, covers all travel costs to and from treatment, and covers the costs of monitoring during the fi rst year.
BCNU’s LEAP program estimates that 10-17 percent of the general public experi-ence mental health concerns. Statistically, that potential for vulnerability ranges from 3,000 to 5,600 BCNU members.
Aft er self-reporting to BCNU’s LEAP department, the nurse signs a contract with CRNBC and must remain in compliance with all treatment recommendations.
A new video, found on BCNU’s website, tells the personal success stories of BCNU members who’ve batt led addiction and won thanks to EIHP and LEAP. Watch it here: www.bcnu.org/news. UPDATE
LEAPLICENSING, EDUCATION, ADVOCACY AND PRACTICE
HONOUR IN RECOVERY BCNU’s LEAP program has produced a new video that highlights the stories of nurses who have been provided with support and resources for treatment that have helped them maintain their nursing careers.
calling a toll-free number and completing a WorkSafeBC claim for medical treatment and missed time off work.
Failure to properly docu-ment injuries, conditions or diseases can result in claims being denied which can mean a lengthy appeal process where
members can wait up to three years or more to receive pay-ment from WorkSafeBC.
“I wish I had contacted my union representative right away,” says Jolly. “Since my injury, I’ve focused on my health, started going to the gym and have been taking care of myself so I can take care of others.”
For more information on what to do if you’re injured at work, visit the BCNU website at www.bcnu.org/healthand-safety UPDATE
“It wasn’t until December, when I reclined a patient in a wheelchair and felt my shoulder pop, that I realized the injury was more serious than fi rst thought.”Deanna Jerowsky
30
HAVE YOU EVER WORKED for a Municipal or Public Pension Plan employer but didn’t make pension contribu-tions? If so, you may be able to increase your future pension benefi t by purchasing these “non-contributing” service hours.
Non-contributing hours include probationary periods upon hire, any unpaid leaves of absence, or time worked as a casual or part-time employee where you were not contribut-ing into the pension. An unpaid leave of absence also includes time on parental leave.
Timing is important: You must apply to purchase your service within 30 days aft er your employment with the employer with whom the service occurred ends or within fi ve years from the time you fi rst begin contributing to the Plan, whichever is earlier.
Your cost to purchase non-contributory service is based on your current, full-time equivalent salary, multiplied by the current contribution rate for you and your employer, which is then multiplied again by the number of months being purchased.
Th is is an option worth inves-
INCREASE YOUR PENSION BENEFIT BY PURCHASING NON-CONTRIBUTING HOURS
2012 Valuation | Investment News | Preparing for what’s next and more!
Where are we going?Come explore the future of the Municipal Pension Plan at our annual meeting
Taking the long view
Contributing today for a secure tomorrow
Thursday, October 17, 2013Victoria Conference Centre
—Victoria, BC
9:30–11:30 am
MUNICIPAL PENSION PLANANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Your PensionSECURING YOUR FUTURE
When your employment ends, it is referred to in the Plan Rules as “termination” of employment. It does not include situations where you have been laid off and you maintain a right of recall under a collective agreement.
tigating if you think you will be ending your employment in the near future, and you know you have accumulated non-contributory hours in the past fi ve years.
Th e fi rst step is to get a Purchase of Service Application package, avail-able from your pension plan’s website or from your employer. You can also use the Purchase Cost Estimator on the Municipal Pension Plan and Public Service Pension Plan websites to prepare an unlim-ited number of estimates. Th is can help you to determine how much it will cost to purchase the service, how much your pension will increase by and how long it will take for your purchase to be recouped upon retirement. UPDATE
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013 31
Staff Profi leHERE’S WHO’S SUPPORTING BCNU MEMBERS AND LEADERS
LABOUR RELATIONS OFFICERS ELEANOR LONNEBERG AND LIZ HARGREAVES HELP INJURED MEMBERS GET BACK TO WORK
nursing graduation reunion last month – whose path to labour relations seems natural looking back now. “I have a really keen sense of justice and fair play and I wanted to make sure that nurses got treated fairly,” she says. “I’ve always been one to read what’s in the contract, kind of like a Ward Rep on the unit where I worked,” she recalls, adding that it was no surprise when she eventually stepped into the role of Steward at
Mount Saint Joseph Hospital in Vancouver.
Aft er successfully complet-ing LRO training, Lonneberg made the decision to leave the bedside in order to “nurse the nurses.” She says her clinical background helps when she listens to members talk about their work. “I do understand what they mean, so it was a good decision to come here. Th e work is really satisfying.”
Hargreaves came to BCNU on a diff erent path. She began to work in clinical rehabilita-tion aft er completing a degree in kinesiology and worked in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary sett ing, primarily on return-to-work, injury rehabilitation, and disability management cases. “My learning curve right out of university was so steep, but I
learned so much!” she recalls. Hargreaves went on to
work as an adjudicator for the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Board, and then moved to Sun Life Financial, working as a rehabilitation consultant. As a result, she brings a broad perspective on disability management to her work at BCNU. Familiarity with recovery periods, under-standing long-term disability, WorkSafeBC, and how to access community resources is just some of the knowledge she uses daily.
Lonneberg notes the “tri-partite” nature of her work at BCNU, and explains the pro-cess requires the member, the employer and the union to work together to come to a solution. “Everybody, even the disability managers we work with, know it’s good for people to be back at work,” she says. “Nurses strongly identify with their profession, so just gett ing back to work is such a lift to them.”
“We have an aging workforce, and there are a lot of reasons that people require accom-modation,” says Lonneberg. Hargreaves agrees that nurses as a group are very committ ed to the work they do. “Nurses are defi ned by their passion. Th ey love what they do and they just want to keep nursing,” she says. “I want to help them live out their career and enjoy nursing for as long as they possibly can. When I get a call from a nurse saying ‘thank you for helping me,’ that’s all I need. I can deal with the rest.” UPDATE
WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE Two of BCNU’s more recent Labour Relations Offi cers, Eleanor Lonneberg and Liz Hargreaves bring years of experience to their roles.
ELEANOR LONNEBERG and Liz Hargreaves have a passion for their work, and it shows. Th e full-time Labour Relations Offi cers (LROs) are two of the more recent addi-tions to BCNU’s Burnaby offi ce staff , and they are primarily responsible for handling “duty to accommodate” cases for our members.
Duty to accommodate stems from human rights legislation stipulating that employers may not discriminate against a worker based on a disability. Hargreaves explains that she and Lonneberg focus on the law, human rights and utiliz-ing the Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP), which is part of the Nurses’ Bargaining Association collective agreement and has been formally implemented by health authorities this year. “Our focus is on people that are away from work because of a disability, and require some sort of medical accommodation to return to work,” she says.
Lonneberg and Hargreaves bring years of knowledge and experience to their BCNU portfolios.
Lonneberg is a long-time nurse – she went to her 35-year
32
Richmond Hospital,” she says. Nevertheless, Vandergronden
admits she’s been on a big learn-ing curve this year presenting the changes in the latest Nurses’ Bargaining Association provin-cial contract to the members in her region. “Th e employer implemented a massive change to rotations that community nurses have worked for 30 to 40 years – this has been very diffi cult. Issues around the Pharmacare Tie-in have also been challenging, with many nurses left paying for their medications.”
Vandergronden began her nursing career in 1977 aft er graduating from Vancouver Vocational Institute as an LPN. “I developed an interest in nurs-ing when I visited seniors’ homes while playing in a concert band in high school,” she says.
GENUINE ARTICLE RIVA CHAIR LAUREN VANDERGRONDEN
QUICK FACTS
NAME Lauren Vandergronden.GRADUATED Douglas College in 1994. UNION POSITION RIVA Chair.WHY I SUPPORT BCNU Because BCNU is there to assist us in fi ghting for our rights, job security, benefi ts and safe staffi ng levels in order for us to provide safe patient care.
Council Profi leHERE’S WHO’S WORKING FOR YOU
She found her fi rst job in Edmonton working on a medi-cal unit before moving back to BC in 1979 to work at St Paul’s hospital on a thoracic and vascular surgical unit. In 1980 she moved to Royal Columbian Hospital’s orthopaedic unit working as either an LPN or a Unit Clerk.
It was while she was work-ing as an LPN and unit clerk at RCH that Vandergronden decided to return to school. She graduated from Douglas College in 1994, and worked again at RCH in orthopaedics an acute medicine, this time as an RN. In 1996 she completed the Cardiac Stepdown course at BCIT, and in 2003 she began working at HealthLinkBC. She was working there when she was elected as the RIVA regional Chair
It was Vandergronden’s expe-rience with a chronic injury that actually brought her into union activism. “I had been working at RCH as RN for four years when I had to go off with a signifi -cant injury and was unable to return,” she recalls. “I was on WCB for one year and LTD for three-and-a-half years. When I came back I decided to get involved in BCNU.”
“My own experience prompted me to advocate for people who, like me, were on a leave and coming back on a gradual return to work or with a duty-to-accommodate,” she says.
“I also suff ered from depression which is very common when one is off from work with an injury. My experience helped me to
empathize with other members at HealthLinkBC who were also suff ering with injuries and deal-ing with depression,” she says. “I know what it’s like when you want to get back to work but your body won’t let you.”
Vandergronden has been a steward for 10 years now and says she’s learned a lot. “I have been able to assist many mem-bers with a variety of concerns in their workplaces and it makes me feel good to know that I have helped them and that they have appreciated my help.”
“You have to listen to the members and answer the ques-tions you are able, and if you can’t you just have to let them know that you will fi nd out and get back to them as soon as you can,” she says when asked what makes an eff ective council member.
“Being genuine, listening to the members, gett ing back to them in a timely fashion and keeping them in the loop about what is going on in the union on a regular basis are what’s important.” UPDATE
LAUREN VANDERGRONDEN is one of the newer faces on BCNU Council. Th e Surrey-based RN had been on the RIVA executive for four years, serving as secretary and steward liaison, before her predecessor Marnie Hewlett announced she’d be retiring. “When Marnie asked me to step up I thought. ‘are you nuts?’,” recalls Vandergronden “Marnie had so much experience – the request caught me off guard,” she says.
Hewlett ’s instincts were good. Vandergronden handily won last year’s election for RIVA Chair and has been busy in her role ever since. She says her prior experience as a steward liaison helped prepare her for the position. “RIVA is a diverse region with many sites in com-munity, community mental health and addictions as well as
33
VANCOUVER METRO
Colette WickstromChairC [email protected]
COASTAL MOUNTAIN
Kath-Ann TerrettChairC [email protected]
CENTRAL VANCOUVER
Judy McGrathCo-ChairC [email protected]
Diane LaBarreCo-ChairC [email protected]
SHAUGHNESSY HEIGHTS
Claudette JutChairC [email protected]
RIVA
Lauren VandergrondenChairC [email protected]
SIMON FRASER
Liz IlczaszynCo-ChairC [email protected]
Debbie PiccoCo-ChairC [email protected]
SOUTH FRASER VALLEY
Cheryl AppletonCo-ChairC [email protected]
Lisa WalkerCo-ChairC [email protected]
FRASER VALLEY
Linda PipeChairC [email protected]
WEST KOOTENAY
Lorne Burkart ChairC [email protected]
EAST KOOTENAY
Patt ShuttleworthChairC [email protected]
NORTH WEST
Sharon SpontonChairC [email protected]
NORTH EAST
Jackie NaultChairC [email protected]
OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN
Laurie MundayChairC [email protected]
THOMPSON NORTH
OKANAGAN
Tracy QuewezanceChairC [email protected] SOUTH ISLANDS
Adriane GearCo-ChairC [email protected]
Margo WiltonCo-ChairC [email protected]
PACIFIC RIM
Jo SalkenChairC [email protected]
CONTACT YOUR STEWARDS For all workplace concerns contact your steward. REGIONAL REPS If your steward can’t help, or for all regional matters, contact your regional rep. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE For all provincial, national or union policy issues, contact your executive committee.
BCNU CAN. Here’s how you can get in touch with the right person to help you.
Who Can Help? BCNU IS HERE TO
SERVE MEMBERS
PRESIDENT
Debra McPhersonC [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Christine SorensenC [email protected]
TREASURER
Mabel TungC [email protected]
EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR
Marg DhillonC [email protected]
EXECUTIVE COUNCILLOR
Deb DucharmeC [email protected]
FRASER HEALTH
Jonathan KarmazinukC [email protected]
INTERIOR HEALTH
Janet Elizabeth Van DoornC [email protected]
NORTHERN HEALTH
Louise WeightmanC [email protected]
PROVIDENCE
TBA
VANCOUVER COASTAL
Marlene GoertzenC [email protected]
VANCOUVER ISLAND
Barry PhillipsC [email protected]
LPN REPS
REGIONAL REPS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
34
crop of sweet corn, potatoes, carrots, melons and squash. “Students will help cook in the newly redeveloped school kitchen,” says Young. “What could be bett er than hot school lunches made from food grown at school by the children who are eating it?”
Young’s commitment to this kind of community project comes naturally to the gardener, who started the Naramata Farmers’ Market with his wife 15 years ago.
“Gardening is what I do to energize and relax aft er nursing,” says Young, who has worked on the medical fl oor at Penticton Regional Hospital since 2003. “I fi nd gardening to be very creative. I like to have fresh fruit and I like to
encourage others to grow their own food.”
Young’s enthusiasm is not restricted to his time outside work. He has also developed a roof-top garden at Penticton’s Hospital that has become a refuge for patients and staff .
“When I started on the fl oor we had a patio on the roof that had become a dumping ground for old furniture. I got fed up with seeing it like that, so I removed the furniture and I started putt ing plants up there,” says Young.
“We didn’t have a hose to start with so the patients in the transition unit who were waiting for care would water the plants by hand. It gave them something to do,” he recalls.
“We grow strawberries, black-berries, blueberries, and we’ve got a grapevine, a peach tree, a nectarine tree, some clematis, and kiwis,” he says, noting that some of the plants have been donated by families in memory of loved ones who have enjoyed the garden.
“It’s a place where a lot of patients and staff now come,” he says. “We’ve even had patients come out of ICU to come up in their bed to die on the deck so they can be outside.”
For Young, both nursing and gardening are about nurturing. “You’re nurturing your patients to help them to get bett er and move on with their lives and you’re helping kids discover how their food comes from nurturing soil and nature,” he explains. “It’s all about putt ing something back.” UPDATE
JAMES YOUNG KNOWS a thing or two about nurtur-ing. Th e Penticton Regional Hospital RN is an avid gardener who devotes much of his time to projects at work and in the community.
Young is the volunteer school liaison for the Naramata Community Garden Society. Th e society created gardens at the Naramata Village School three years ago and now sup-ports students at the kindergar-ten-to-grade fi ve school who are responsible for tending to the garden beds.
“I took over the liaison role last year, and I worked with the school teachers to develop a planting and harvesting plan that would engage the students in the spring and fall and allow for minimal eff ort in the sum-mer,” says Young.
Naramata Village School has about 70 students and is an important part of this small community north of Penticton. Th is spring students harvested kale they planted last fall, from which they made kale chips. Th e entire school was involved
in planting potatoes, peas and carrots for Earth Day on April 22 – and the peas and carrots were harvested and devoured by the enthusiastic gardeners.
Young says that students were looking forward to return-ing to school in September in order to harvest and enjoy their
A NURTURING HAND JAMES YOUNG IS AN AVID GARDENER WHO SHARES HIS ENTHUSIAM AT WORK AND IN HIS COMMUNITY
CULTIVAING ENTHUSIASM Penticton Regional Hospital RN James Young helps students at Naramata Village School tend to their crops.
UPDATE MAGAZINE October 2013
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BRINGING RPNs TOGETHER
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RPNs Rhonda and Joseff switched to BCNU in 2012.
