Fourteen emergency-room nurses completed their final shift at the National University Hospital of Iceland (Landspítali) yesterday, RÚV reports. The departures are “a cause for worry,” Director Runólfur Pálsson stated, although he remains confident that brighter days lie ahead.
“A long time coming”
Speaking to RÚV yesterday, Soffía Steingrímsdóttir, who’s been employed as an emergency room nurse at the National University Hospital (Landspítali) for almost eight years, explained why she and 14 of her colleagues had decided to quit their jobs:
“It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been trying to call attention to stressful work conditions and the threat to the safety of our patients for years now. Over these past two years, especially – where conditions have been unacceptable.”
According to Soffía, the 14 nurses who completed their final shifts yesterday will not be easily replaced; experience and competence only come with time. A similar number of resignations are expected to be tendered next month.
Trying to break the vicious cycle
Speaking to RÚV, Runólfur Pálsson, Director of the National University Hospital, stated that hospital administrators would do everything in their power to reverse this trend. “The work conditions are extremely difficult. There’s a lot of stress, which means that people resign, which leads to staff shortages, which makes things even more difficult. It’s a vicious cycle that we’ve been trying to break.”
Runólfur stated that he was hopeful that resources designed for patients who have completed treatment at the hospital but cannot leave on account of disabilities would help lighten the load: “And we’ve been waiting for hospital and rehabilitation rooms, which we hope will be available in September. We have high expectations for these new facilities. They will help lighten the emergency room’s load.”
Soffía stated that the nurses were sad and disappointed that no measures were taken in response to their resignations: “I certainly hope that I haven’t completed my last shift at the emergency room, that I’ll return when an acceptable work environment has been created.”
