Canada's Nursing Shortage, 78,000 in 2011

The nurse-to-patient ratio in the province of Ontario is 1 nurse for every 144 patients with its nurse registration of 85,000 for 12.3 million population, and the condition where the number of retiring nurses is greater than the number of new hired nurses is preparing the smooth easy way for a nursing shortage in Ontario.

The nursing shortage is also true in every part of Canada. In 2011, Canada will need 331,000 nurses, but a national shortage of 78,000 within the next 3 years is still expected by the Canadian Nurses Association. The increase in enrollment in nursing schools is still not enough to fill the shortage. The high reduction rate in personnel is partially because of the retirement and also partially due to recruitment that is fewer than retirement. Consequently, the present average age of nurses in Canada is 46.

Because of the increase in population, Royal Victoria Hospital, with its proposed expansion, will require 800 new nurses in the following 3 years. Accordingly, a two-day nurse forum and job fair were directed to recruit more young nurses, but only 42 arrived with their resumes.

It is expected that Canada will only experience the critical shortage level in 2016.

One of the possible ways to prevent the occurrence of critical shortage level is to reduce the whole number of inhabitants in Canada by making the birth rate lower than the death rate. The labor of childbirth must be reduced.

[Via All Headline News]