By Dave Branco

Nurses calling for protection

BC nurses facing rising violence; calling for workplace protection

Feb 7, 2025 | 3:54 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Violence in healthcare facilities across British Columbia has reached alarming levels, particularly affecting nurses who are on the front lines. According to the BC Nurses Union, some healthcare workers are now fearful about going to work due to the potential for attacks or injuries.

According to the BCNU, an average of 26 nurses in the province experience a violent injury at work each month.

For many healthcare workers, the violence at the workplace has a ripple effect.

“ I also think that it’s impeding people from wanting to come into health care. So in a time of a nursing crunch and a nursing shortage, we need to be incentivizing our young people to come into nursing and, or health care. This is a great career. Absolutely a great career. But they need to be able to do so knowing they’ll be safe.”

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Danette Thomsen

Regional Council member North East, BCNU

Thomsen says violence is increasing, and the union is looking for change. Prince George-North Cariboo MLA Sheldon Clare believes that addressing issues at the grassroots level offers a more effective solution.

“Laws make terrible memorials, and it’s much better to be proactive and look at the basics and work on the basics and fix those problems at the basic level, where there are violations of policy or where there are, needs to, deal with basic situations, maybe design flaws in rooms or wards.”

Sheldon Clare

According to BCNU, the number of violent incident reports at healthcare workplaces increased by 52 per cent between 2014 and 2018.

Both say Nurses are now more likely than law enforcement and security workers to have a violent injury claim.

Email: Dave.Branco@pattisonmedia.com

TikTok: @DaveBrancoVJ