Support Zimbabwean nurses arrested and fired for protesting deteriorating pay and working conditions during pandemic

Dr. Denise Gestaldo has brought to our attention the struggle of Zimbabwean nurses. On 6 July, the Zimbabwean government arrested 13 nurses at the Harare hospital. They were protesting their deteriorating pay and working conditions. Those nurses have since been released on bail -- but have been dismissed from their jobs. With the inflation rate hovering around 1000%, the cost of living has risen so rapidly that public sector salaries are now almost worthless.

Nurses’ mental health, leave of absence and return to work experiences: Introducing a new partnership initiative

The mental health and wellbeing of nurses and other health providers is of paramount importance to RNAO. We are delighted to present an article from Abby Ayoub (University of Ottawa), Sheri Price (Dalhousie University), Melanie Lavoie-Tremblay (McGill University), Kelly Lackie (Dalhousie University) and Ivy Bourgeault (University of Ottawa) introducing the nursing case study of the Healthy Professional Worker Partnership.

July 10 2020 COVID-19 report

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Nurses face significant mental health issues from high rates of work-related stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and PTSD. A recent report from investigators at the University of Regina in collaboration with the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions found that 81.7% of nurses surveyed reported experiencing critical incident stress at least once during their career.

Rather than praise, let’s protect our nurses 

The following article was prepared in May on the occasion of Nursing Week but still remains relevant today. It was coauthored by Alex Harris (Manager, Professional Practice at Trillium Health Partners), Doris Grinspun (CEO, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario), Mike Villeneuve (CEO, Canadian Nurses Association) and Judith Shamian (President Emerita, International Council of Nurses).

July 3 2020 COVID-19 report

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This month marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, and is being celebrated by the World Health Organization as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. A pioneering nurse, statistician and social reformer, Nightingale has served as an exemplar for the impact that nurses make across the globe. It seems apt, then, that the spread of a global pandemic should coincide with efforts to recognize the valuable contributions of nursing to health worldwide.