Partner Perspectives: Ontario Nurses Association

It was a pleasure to meet with and learn about the Ontario Nurses Association this past week. The OLIP interns had the opportunity to chat with Imreet Kaur, Government and External Relations Specialist; Andre Fast, Government and External Relations Specialist; and Leanne Cooke, Senior Advisor at the Office of the President and Board of Directors. 

Starting as a nurses’ union, ONA now represents thousands of healthcare professionals across the province, ranging from an amalgamation of medical technicians, social workers, respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, administrative staff and much more. With Queen’s Park positioned in the heart of Toronto’s hospital corridor, it was enlightening to discuss the issues impacting the healthcare workers neighbouring us. Anyone who walks up University Avenue has seen the bus station ads titled "Code Black and Blue-" this campaign bringing attention to the workplace harassment faced by their members in hospitals is one of the ONA's most well-known forms of advocacy. 63% of their members face some form of violence at work, with 31% not going through formal reporting channels due to fear of repercussion. This issue is one of the ONA's key advocacy points when speaking to the provincial government, and is constantly developing as the environment of public healthcare evolves.

Following this, we also discussed the post-secondary landscape for nurses in training. For the roughly 18 000 student nurses across the province, financial stress, mandatory unpaid practicums, and the high-stress environments often faced are leading to more and more students dropping out. The group spoke to potential strategies to mitigate these issues, and what could be done for further retention of nurses in training, and those already in the field.

We would like to thank Imreet, Andre, and Leanne for sharing their time with us, and helping us learn more about the role the province plays in determining patient outcomes. Coming from policy and legal backgrounds, it's crucial for us to learn from stakeholders like you and put ourselves in the shoes of those in industries we haven't had the opportunity to experience; better understanding these worlds ensures we can build strong programs and policies in the future to support the diverse needs of our province. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the ONA for your generous support of our OLIP experience- we couldn't do it without you!