The B-C Nurses’ Union is welcoming the first global recognition of its profession during the Year of the Nurse and Midwife as declared by the World Health Organization in honour of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, one of the founders of modern nursing. Union president Christine Sorensen says B-C will need up to 25-thousand more nurses by 2030, based on the B-C Labour Market Outlook from 2018, and she’ll be pressing the provincial government for more resources. Sorensen says health authorities spent 160 million dollars on overtime for nurses in 2018 and the expensive practice contributes to employee burnout. The Health Ministry says it’s working with the union to support professionals and to recruit a new generation of caregivers by increasing the number of educational seats as well as training nurses who want to move into specialty areas.
