Personal support workers at hospitals across Ontario have been waiting months to receive a wage increase promised by the government, with unions and hospitals saying a delay in instruction from the province had been holding up the payments, even though Premier Doug Ford announced in March that the temporary $2 hourly raise brought in during the pandemic would be made permanent.
Talk to any nurse and they will tell you the biggest challenge keeping them from their dream jobs is finding the time to write a new resume and cover letter or prepare for jobs interviews with their busy schedules and general exhaustion. That's why we recently invited RN and resume writer Sara Fung to the Caring Support Podcast. She has developed a career beyond nursing, helping other nurses put their best foot forward when it comes to the job search.
Increased wait times, temporary emergency room closures and staffing shortages continue to be major issues at hospitals across Ontario this fall. The main reason has been an increase in COVID-19, influenza and respiratory virus cases. Due to this situation, many hospitals have reported to be operating at critical staffing levels.
Canada’s premiers have launched a new advertising campaign through the Council of the Federation, which comprises all 13 provincial and territorial premiers, aimed at ratcheting up public pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with them and negotiate a higher federal contribution to healthcare costs.
Ontario has quietly changed masking rules for long-term care homes, no longer requiring caregivers and visitors to wear them when alone with a resident in their room. Long-term care homes are one of the only places where provincial mask mandates remain after Ontario lifted most such requirements in June.
Some Ontario hospitals are coming up with alternative solutions, including new staffing models and the use of unconventional patient spaces, to deal with high patient volumes and long wait times as cases of COVID-19 and other illnesses rise. The Ottawa Hospital said recent high patient volumes have been straining its capacity, while staff pressures and ongoing COVID-19 cases have made it difficult to manage the issue.
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