Image: M. Vanden Bosch / PML / An acute nursing shortage at Chilliwack General Hospital is reducing the daily operating rooms to just two a day, down from a normal allotment of three per day.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Nursing shortage

Acute nursing shortage reduces Chilliwack General Hospital operating rooms to just two a day

Aug 23, 2022 | 12:36 PM

CHILLIWACK — An acute nursing shortage at Chilliwack General Hospital is having an adverse impact on the ability of doctors to perform surgeries and could continue for months if not addressed by Fraser Health or the provincial Ministry of Health.

Fraser Valley Today has learned that multiple nurses have left the operating room (OR) at Chilliwack Hospital, and more nurses will reportedly soon be on maternity leave, reducing the normal allotment of three ORs a day to just two.

One nurse in particular who announced their resignation from Chilliwack General Hospital in the past month will be working at a more desirable medical clinic outside of the hospital, in Chilliwack, where overtime is not mandatory.

The reduction in operating rooms per day has been going on for two months now, according to sources who spoke to Fraser Valley Today. There are concerns from Chilliwack doctors that this reduction to only two ORs a day will continue for several months.

A Chilliwack doctor who spoke on the condition of anonymity said there had been talk of opening up a fourth operating room per day, but chronic staffing shortages have only allowed Chilliwack Hospital to barely maintain three ORs daily, until the recent reduction to two ORs a day.

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This same Chilliwack doctor who works in the operating room reported if nurses had worked the weekend shift on a Saturday or Sunday, they would also have to work Monday through Friday. This required overtime has led to multiple nurses submitting their resignation and accepting similar positions in Abbotsford.

As a result of the lack of the nurses, the remaining OR nurses are now being required to work harder to make up for the shortfall and are mandated to work overtime. Chilliwack doctors are speaking up so that nurses at Chilliwack Hospital are not forced to work outside of their regular shift hours.

Without intervention from Fraser Health, mandatory overtime at Chilliwack Hospital could lead to a further exodus of nurses seeking employment elsewhere in the Fraser Valley, particularly west of Chilliwack, where wages are higher, staffing tends to be more robust, working conditions are optimized, and overtime is not required.

Staffing shortages not only necessitate an OR closure for September, but staffing levels have also been reportedly reviewed by administration. In other words, Chilliwack General Hospital administration are fully aware of the OR reductions.

A joint study commissioned by the B.C. Nurses’ Union, and conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, found that long before the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses working in acute care, long-term care, and community care settings were reporting high levels of mental injury and workplace violence. The study found that in acute care, 57 per cent of nurses reported high levels of burnout, 50 per cent were above the cut-off point for PTSD, and 31 per cent reported moderate or severe depression.

BCNU president Christine Sorensen has previously stated the data highlights the serious need for nurses to be better supported in their workplaces now more than ever, given the unprecedented stress and impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on nurses.