This is a letter written by a former BC Registered Nurse to BC Nurses Union (BCNU) who left when her freedom to choose was taken from her in October of 2021. She’s now a valuable asset in Montana’s healthcare system while our healthcare system is on the brink of collapse.
Dear Ms. Grewal, Ms. Gear and all other members of the BCNU Executive Committee:
My name is Chelsea Bingham and I was a medical/surgical, peritoneal dialysis trained RN, night charge nurse, and nurse preceptor at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital for just short of 3 years before being laid off November 15th, 2021 due to personal medical choices that unfortunately did not align with the provincial health orders set by the BC Ministry of Health. I have since left my family, friends and home behind in British Columbia and moved to Montana where I am able to live and work freely by performing weekly Covid tests. I have quickly become a valuable asset to my hospital as they float me to various units, have me fill in as charge nurse and preceptor new nurses in their new grad RN residency program.
I believe the refusal to hire back unvaccinated nurses to assist with the current staffing crisis in the BC healthcare system is a huge error on behalf of the Ministry of Health. There are healthcare workers who are not only ready and willing to work, they are also already trained in their various positions. There was a time when the transmission of covid and the potential of this virus overwhelming our healthcare system was our biggest perceived threat. But as we, the healthcare community, have learned more about transmission and come close to achieving herd immunity, we realize that time has passed. Right now we have a much more harmful crisis on our hands: a staffing crisis that has the potential to collapse the healthcare system as British Columbians die waiting for care. The biggest priority right now should be hiring as many competent healthcare professionals as possible in order to provide British Columbians with the best possible care.
The BC Nurses Union needs to be held accountable for their lack of push back against the provincial health order mandating the covid vaccine as a condition of employment. How can BCNU attempt to gain public sympathy and support for poor working conditions if they aren’t exploring all avenues? There are hospitals running at overcapacity every single day, patients waiting hours for care, nurses burning out and leaving the profession completely, and unsafe staffing levels leading to pressure injuries, misdiagnoses, falls, and medication errors. At the same time there are capable nurses ready and willing to come back to work because, despite Dr. Henry stating erroneously that “unvaccinated healthcare workers are in the wrong profession”, one could argue that we actually value patient autonomy over their own health and body more than our vaccinated colleagues. The union needs to fight for ALL nurses regardless of vaccination status, just as we as nurses are committed to caring for all patients regardless of their health decisions and beliefs.
Thank you for taking the time to understand another perspective.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Bingham, RN BSN
Vancouver Island University Class of 2019