Introduction:
The perpetual shortage of healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, has become a pervasive issue in both Canada and the United States. This scarcity extends across various roles, including doctors, nurse practitioners, registered practical nurses, personal care assistants, and more. In this article, we delve into the critical aspect of nursing shortages within healthcare settings, emphasizing the substantial role played by agency nurses in addressing this overarching problem.
The Widening Healthcare Gap:
The dearth of healthcare personnel is not a novel predicament, but rather a long-standing systemic challenge. The shortage extends beyond traditional healthcare settings, affecting diverse industries such as IT, engineering, marketing, finance, accounting, and education. The COVID-19 pandemic has not created this shortage but has rather laid bare the already existing gaps in the healthcare system.
Historical Usage of Agency Nurses:
Even before the pandemic, healthcare settings, including hospitals, long-term care homes, home care, and related services, often turned to agency nurses to fill staffing gaps caused by sick leave, parental leave, maternity leave, vacation leave, and unfilled positions. However, the current shortage has forced healthcare systems to increasingly rely on agency nurses on a daily basis.
Changing Dynamics:
The demand for agency nurses has surged, and they now play a pivotal role in sustaining the healthcare system. These agency nurses undergo the same educational training and regulatory oversight as their counterparts employed directly within healthcare settings. Many agency nurses also juggle two jobs, with their primary position in a healthcare setting and a secondary role within the agency, driven by various factors.
Economic Factors:
One significant factor driving nurses towards agency work is the higher hourly wages offered by healthcare agencies. Unlike their counterparts in traditional healthcare entities, agency nurses often do not have access to benefit plans. Consequently, agency nurses leverage higher hourly pay rates to compensate for the absence of benefits, making this dual employment strategy financially advantageous.
Rising Dependence on Agency Nurses:
As the nursing shortage continues to deepen across provinces and the entire country, agency nurses have become indispensable. Healthcare entities increasingly rely on these professionals to bridge the widening gap in staffing. This heightened dependence underscores the integral role that agency nurses now play in maintaining the functionality of the healthcare system.
Challenges and Concerns:
While agency nurses contribute significantly to healthcare delivery, their prevalence raises concerns about the sustainability of this model. Bauman and Create-Arsenio (2023) highlight that Canadian universities and colleges are producing fewer nurses than society requires. Forecasts from the pre-COVID-19 era predicted a shortage of 60,000 nurses nationwide by 2022 and an alarming projection of over 117,000 by 2030.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the increasing reliance on agency nurses in Canada reflects a pragmatic response to the chronic shortage of healthcare professionals. While these nurses serve as a crucial pillar in maintaining healthcare services, there is a pressing need for comprehensive strategies to address the root causes of this shortage. Bridging the healthcare gap requires concerted efforts, not only in bolstering the number of healthcare professionals but also in creating a sustainable and resilient healthcare system for the future.