Thesis Format
Monograph
Degree
Master of Arts
Program
Anthropology
Supervisor
Clark, Kim
Abstract
This thesis explores Ontario’s current Registered Nurse shortage from the perspective of nurses. Qualitative research was used to gather 18 anonymous survey responses and 8 interviews that were interpreted using an Institutional Ethnography framework. Ongoing stressors identified by nurse respondents are discussed within an evidence-based institution-centered context that enhances understanding of the ongoing reports of increased Registered Nurse burnout. Nurses’ perspectives and lived experiences are foregrounded and their narratives are contextualized in processes drawn from secondary research. The main themes addressed are the current political backdrop and social-economic processes emanating from both institutional and government systems, as well as main stressors on nurses such as workload, patient acuity, short staffing, training and retention, new graduate experiences, managerial systems. Much of the research and respondents’ narratives highlight the institutional factors contributing to decreasing morale and mental health among nurses that has created perfuse burnout within this demographic, contributing to the current shortage in Ontario.
Summary for Lay Audience
From the perspective of Registered Nurses employed in a variety of nursing specialties, responses to a survey and expressed in interviews highlighted current concerns nurses have with their ability to maintain and meet best practice guidelines in context to the current state of health care as an institution in Ontario. Registered Nurses are hired into many ‘institutional’ areas, which are governed by supervising bodies such as the government, hospitals, professional colleges and unions. Respondent excerpts were reviewed for repeated themes, which were very clear through both survey responses and one-on-one interviews. The most commonly reported theme was burnout. Contributing factors to burnout were revealed such as workload, short staffing, high acuity, patient-to-nurse ratios, and relations with management. Research revealed what nurses find supportive as well as what they find detrimental to their ability to function in their professional practice. Through the Covid-19 pandemic and in its aftermath, many news reports highlighted Emergency Department closures and often brought forward the presence of burnout in discussion of the ongoing health professional shortages. This thesis discusses current stressors identified by nurses and systemic institutional processes that underlie how burnout appears. It is my hope that other nurses who, like me, struggled to maintain positive mental health through the wake of Covid-19 waves and ongoing political underfunding and attrition will see that it is not their fault. I hope that the public understands, as well as nurses, that nurses are genuinely attempting their best while being compressed under unrealistic and dangerous work expectations that are taking a terrible toll on their mental health. Supportive suggestions and a list of mental health resources are provided in the final chapter. Registered Nurses or those who belong to the caring professions should reach out to supportive health providers if experiencing symptoms of depression or if they feel anxious or triggered during the reading of this thesis.
Recommended Citation
Mahoney, Kate M., "Running out of Care: Documenting and Contextualizing Ontario's Nursing Shortage" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10555.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10555
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Nursing Administration Commons, Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Commons, Other Nursing Commons, Public Health and Community Nursing Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
