New CIHI Report Reveals Changes in Canada’s Nursing Workforce: Fewer RNs
per Capita, More Working Full-timeExecutive
Summary (OTTAWA) – Registered nurses (RNs) in Canada are getting older,
more are working in full-time positions but there are fewer RNs per Canadian,
according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health
Information (CIHI). The report shows that while there was a modest increase
of 1.2% in the number of registered nurses over the past five years, this increase
did not keep pace with population growth. As a result, there are fewer RNs per
capita, with 74.3 RNs employed in nursing for every 10,000 Canadians in 2001 compared
to 76.0 in 1997. "While these ratios provide a good foundation for
comparison, they don’t tell the whole story," explains Francine Anne Roy,
RN, Nursing Consultant at CIHI. "Factors such as population health needs,
accessibility to medical services, the distribution and mix of health professionals,
and different models of health care delivery will all affect how many registered
nurses are required in a community." Figure 1. Ten year picture –
Percent change from 1992, Canada
CIHI’s
new report, Supply and Distribution of Registered Nurses in Canada, 2001,
provides an overview of the changes taking place in Canada’s nursing workforce
over the past five years. It also includes information on demographics, education
and employment characteristics of RNs who represent the largest group of regulated
health professionals. In 2001, there were 231,512 RNs employed in nursing.
MORE NURSES WORKING FULL-TIME Full-time employment
rates for RNs are at their highest levels in more than five years. In 2001, 53.2%
of registered nurses were employed full-time in nursing in Canada compared to
51.9% in 2000 and 49.8% in 1997. More than half of new graduates were employed
on a casual basis in 1997; however, by 2001 this had declined to one-quarter of
new graduates. The trend toward casualization witnessed in the late 1990s
is now reversing, with the percentage of RNs employed on a casual basis declining
in each province and territory between 1997 and 2001, and the national rate decreasing
from 18.3% in 1997 to 12.8% in 2001. Registered nurses with casual employment
do not have a fixed number of hours per pay period.
AVERAGE AGE OF REGISTERED NURSES In 2001, for the first time, the
average age of every provincial/territorial RN workforce was 40 years or older,
with a national average of 43.7 years. For every RN aged 39 and under were two
RNs aged 40 years or older, reflecting the continuing rapid increase in the age
of the nursing workforce. Across Canada, the eldest RN workforces in 2001
were, on average, British Columbia (44.8 years), Ontario (44.3 years), Prince
Edward Island (44.1 years) and Saskatchewan (44.1 years). On average, the youngest
RN workforce was in Newfoundland and Labrador, at 40.1 years. "Today’s
report highlights the continued imbalance between the numbers of nurses over 40
compared to new graduates. As many nurses in this country leave nursing before
the age of 65 due to the physical demands of the job and concerns about high workload,
work environments need to be structured to retain all nurses and to attract new
nurses," says Linda O’Brien-Pallas, RN, PhD, an advisor to CIHI.
NEW DATA AVAILABLE ON NURSE PRACTITIONERS For the first time in
2001, CIHI’s report includes data on nurse practitioners in Canada. Nurse practitioners
have advanced practice training with an increased emphasis on health assessment,
health promotion and illness prevention. "The nature of health care delivery
is evolving in Canada, and throughout the world. Nurse practitioners have the
potential to increase public access to quality care while reducing costs to the
health care system," says Francine Anne Roy. Data available for Newfoundland
and Labrador, Ontario, Alberta and the Yukon indicate that there are 620 nurse
practitioners in Canada. Currently, new or amended provincial/territorial legislation
allows for an expanded role for RNs as nurse practitioners in eight jurisdictions
(Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta and Yukon). Other jurisdictions are working on implementing similar legislation. Next:
Managers
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