It is often said that nurses do not take their place in the public sphere. Although they represent an important player in the health system, we do not hear or see them. In this context, we should be delighted that they are investing in politics.
The current Minister of Seniors is a nurse by profession. Last summer, in a profile, she was reported to have “a bias toward nurses.” Last week, Shirley Dorismond made statements regarding CLSCs. It was said then that she knew the environment better than anyone else, since she had worked there.
If we hear so little from nurses in the public space, unsurprisingly, it is largely due to threats linked to loyalty to the employer. Recently, I attended a lecture given by a lawyer in a class on ethics. An extremely interesting person, visibly driven by a concern to defend users’ rights. But realistically and well-intentioned, these warnings again: never speak to journalists, under penalty of dismissal. Never express yourself publicly on social networks.
Let us add to the table the famous “ top-down “. I always had the impression that no matter how much time I wasted on emails, discussions and meetings, the problems experienced on the ground did not reach decision-makers. And when these problems concern user care, it can be demotivating. No matter how much we criticize the services, many stakeholders have chosen a health profession to help people.
In short, very difficult to communicate the reality on the ground in this context. Perhaps the reason why I still had certain expectations of nurses who became politicians. Expectations which, unfortunately, are currently leading to disappointment.
This week, Shirley Dorismond stated that “while emergency rooms are overflowing, there are CLSC nurses twiddling their thumbs.” That there is no shortage of CLSC staff. For more than a year, the nurses on my home support team had to cover the evenings of the health nursing team by running, because they were out of service. Not having dinner, finishing hours later has always been commonplace for me. We take turns being on call in the evenings and nights, in addition to our normal work days. Due to open positions, the imposition of guards is sometimes very close together.
Last fall, there was a lot of talk about the fact that home support workers spend 70% of their time away from patients. But there was a lot of talk about us, without us. Without trying to find out what all this time could be for. For me, the time spent submitting a request for home help, prioritizing a referral to a colleague from another profession or discussing with a hospital worker to have a user admitted to palliative care will always be as beneficial for my users and their loved ones than the time spent at home. No matter how much we repeat it, the message is clearly not getting across: nurses are more than just hands.
The Minister of Seniors, questioned by journalists, made numerous statements that raised my eyebrows, contributing to the construction of our image as bureaucrats. For example, if I can reassure even one reader, my social worker colleagues do not record their time management by the minute. We all compile statistics for certain procedures only, which takes less than five minutes per day. The OCCI (computerized clinical pathway tool), which has been talked about a lot, is completed directly in software, and is not a 36-page paper questionnaire. On average, a reassessment takes less than an hour with the user. And no, we don’t ask about sex life, with some exceptions.
Sonia Bélanger’s paper-pushing speakers, Shirley Dorismond’s thumb-twirling nurses. The analogy of toothpaste, which cannot be returned to its tube once taken out. Images that are likely to follow us for a long time, based on ignorance of the field. When will we see nursing politicians capable of reporting our reality accurately without contributing to our denigration?