Or are aging out of the system, etc…& not enough to replace them. Maybe in the 1/2 million new Canadians annually over the next three years will enrol in the four year course, so eventually there’ll be a new crop of truckers….I mean nurses.
At least in Saskatchewan it used to be a two-year course but now it’s a four year course because they have to take two years of medical administration… which doubles their student debt and their time in school… so in order to dig themselves out of debt most try to scramble up into administrative roles so they can utilize their education fully….which in turn leaves a shortage of nurses in the vicious cycle that it is…
The actual truckers…similar story actually. Many and most of the old-school truckers are retiring out because of the cost of trucks and the cost of fuel and the cost of insurance and the cost of repairs and the cost of maintenance and the cost of insurance….vs rates(yes I mentioned insurance twice for emphasis).
That & the whole problematic DEF/DPF systems that really can’t handle cold weather (= Canada for half the year) & don’t like the hot-cold cycle or condensation making everything unreliable, but illegal to remove to make the trucks reliable. Probably 60%+ of service issues tie back to DPF Filter sensors (& they’re in pairs, and there’s usually at least six of them) which just shut you down or put you into limp mode with power reduction (maybe 5mph) until they’re replaced, assuming they are in stock somewhere in these interesting global parts shortages, etc….
You want a new truck? Get on the list because it’s probably 18 to 24 months before you’ll see it ‘cuz that’s sustainable. You had better pre-pay for it also, & be willing to also pay the price increase for when the truck actually arrives eventually potentially two years later. Seriously.
Then since that one guy crashed into the Humboldt bus, to get a 1A (or the equivalent thereof), you pretty much need government sponsorship just to get a license now, as the costs have skyrocketed. The government in its infinite wisdom finances either physically broken people from other trades, or new Canadians that may have never ever ever have seen actual snow except in the distance on top of mountains or on the internet or in movies….& none of them want to actually physically load or unload at truck (just pin to pin). They come out of these trucking schools and they might know how to do a beautiful S turn on dry pavement…but they have no idea how to hook up to or unhook from a trailer. It’s crazy!!
It's similar here in NB.
The RN course has almost two 'levels' now; basic nurse that it used to be, then administrative duties/manager duties. Then there's Practical nurse which along with the higher end manager duty (I think) is a Masters degree requirement.
The big change was for LPN's. When my mom went to tech for it, it was a year course, and they were RNA's (last province in Canada to give the RNA label the boot and switch to LPN). They did the 'grunt/dirty' work the "real" nurses didn't want to do, had no real responsibilities with patient care. Now, it's a two year course, they can do vitals, administer meds, dressing changes and so on; the risk is increased but so is their education. It's also now a jumping off point into getting an RN degree but in both instances, there is waiting. Why? Because with both types of nurses, you have small class sizes and refusal to increase them (years ago the schools DECREASED seats for the RN program despite cries to increase) and because NB has a bad history with its nurses now, many who school here graduate and leave NB, either because of low pay/respect, or because our corporations just don't show up to job fairs to push working in NB, and other provinces do the opposite.
When mom was president of the LPN association they were doing the transition for LPN's to do more things, and a lot of them were not comfortable with it, one because it was a huge jump in responsibility they weren't used to, but the big reason was pay; they did not get a pay increase to match the added duties.
They still don't make enough.
But I think if my mom hadn't gotten sick, she would'a still been working right up to and past retirement. She loved nursing, caring for patients. I always told her I could never do what she did because my patience wouldn't handle it (senior care mostly; just no) but she had more faith in me than I had in me, I guess. At least I can support them in other ways if I can't do their job.
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