Canada Expects To Have 78,000 Nurse Shortfall By 2011

March 7, 2008 12:33 p.m. EST

Ottawa, Canada (AHN) - There are more retiring nurses than new hires, paving the way for a health crisis in Ontario. With its 12.3 million population and a nurse registration of 85,000, the nurse-to-patient ratio in the province is 1 nurse for every 144 patients.

The nursing shortage is true not only in Ontario, but throughout the rest of the country. According to the Canadian Nurses Association, by 2011, Canada would need 331,000 new nurses. However, with only 9,000 new nursing graduates in 2007, there must be at least 12,000 new nursing graduates in 2008 to bring the total number of nurses across the nation to 253,000. But given this number, the association is still expecting a national shortage of 78,000 within the next 3 years.

Dr. Kirsten Woodsend, director and associate dean of the University of Ottawa's school of nursing said that while enrollment in nursing schools has been going up, the increase is still not sufficient to cover the gap.

The high attrition rate is partly due to the retirement of baby boomers, including nurses. At present, the average age of nurses in Canada is 46, according to Joanne Watson, a recruitment consultant. Watson is helping the Royal Victoria Hospital to recruit more young nurses by conducting a two-day nurse forum and job fair.

So far, only 42 showed up with their resumes. Royal Victoria Hospital, with its planned expansion due to the rise in population in the area, will need 800 new nurses in the next 3 years.

But Dr. Ginette Rodger, head of Ottawa Hospital's nursing department, believes the nurse shortage is not yet at a critical stage, although she acknowledges Canada is moving toward that direction. Her estimate is that the country will only feel the critical shortage by 2016.