Ontario is experiencing a nursing shortage crisis, and according to the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), it is only worsening. Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows that as of 2024, there are only 651 registered nurses per 100,000 people, the lowest ratio in the country.
To meet the national average, Ontario needs 25,000 more nurses, according to the ONA.
By looking deeper into what is driving nurses to leave the workforce, Ontario has an opportunity to build a more sustainable future for nurses and the health care system.
Erin Ariss, provincial president of ONA, said that the combination of factors—including Bill 124, which capped nurses’ wages at one per cent annual increases, the pandemic and unsafe working conditions—have pushed many nurses out of the profession.
According to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), nurses continue to leave in 2024 due to high levels of stress, burnout, anxiety and unmanageable workloads.
Statistics reported by the Registered Nurses’ Association (RNAO) reveal that seven in 10 nurses cite staffing shortages and overwhelming workloads as the primary reasons they are considering leaving the profession this year.
“It’s hard to recruit people into a profession in the state it’s in right now,” said Ariss. “It’s hard for the same reasons to keep people in these jobs when the work environment is unmanageable, when it’s chaotic, when it’s unsafe and it’s undercompensated.”
Beyond the effects of the pandemic, Ariss said that another reason for Ontario’s nursing shortage is that new nurses entering the workforce are not receiving adequate mentorship.
“You want nurses to come in and feel supported because they’ll stay longer,” said Ariss.
According to the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (WeRPN), new graduate nurses report having fewer experienced nurses in their workplace to mentor them due to the ongoing shortage. Those who are available are often too overwhelmed by their own heavy workloads to provide adequate support.
Lindsey MacIntosh, program coordinator for practical nursing at Durham College, highlighted that one of the most challenging parts of transitioning from student nurse to working nurse is that “once you’re out there, the responsibility is on you to make the clinical decisions.”
However, MacIntosh said that Durham College’s nursing program is structured to prepare nurses for this transition through hands-on experiences in the college’s nursing lab, clinical placements and a final consolidation in semester five.
According to MacIntosh, the final consolidation is “integral” for student nurses to understand the workload and routine of a practising nurse. MacIntosh said that by having students gain the experience of caring for a full patient load, they become prepared for what they will be doing once they graduate.
MacIntosh said there are also courses that focus on personal development and self-care for nurses, reinforcing the notion of caring for yourself so you can care for others.
“I think embedding that within our culture, within our curriculum, will help to prepare those students so that they won’t be facing as much burnout because we are hopefully instilling those skills,” said MacIntosh.
MacIntosh emphasized that the program is transparent about the realities of nursing, discussing topics like burnout and career progression. Students are made aware that they don’t have to stay in one area for their entire career, which can help prevent burnout.
To work toward fixing Ontario’s nursing shortage, Valerie Grdisa, CEO of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) highlighted the need to support new graduates.
“What we really need to do is invest in our new generation of nurses and make sure they have the best possible workplace conditions and the best possible career choices,” she said.
To address this, the RNAO urges the province to reinstate the Late Career Nurse Initiative, which provided experienced nurses with the option to adjust their schedules and dedicate more time to mentoring rather than direct patient care.
According to the RNAO, reinstating this initiative would keep senior nurses in the profession longer, benefiting new graduates, less experienced nurses and nursing students.
“New graduate nurses and early career nurses bring fresh knowledge but need time and guidance to develop confidence,” the CNA said in a February news release. “Investing in their development leads to better patient outcomes and safer care.”