Late in July, BCCPA launched a survey targeting nurses (both RNs and RPNs), LPNs and care aides why they chose seniors care as their career path as part of our BC Cares Renewal strategy to address worker shortages in the sector.
To our great delight, the survey elicited an overwhelming response of nearly 1,200 care workers completing the survey!
It is expected that the survey findings will enhance efforts to recruit future seniors care workers. BCCPA have been advocating the B.C. government since 2017 to support a public awareness campaign about career opportunities in seniors care. This month, BCCPA is running a radio and public awareness campaign on career opportunities in the seniors care sector.
“We’re extraordinarily thankful to health care workers who took the time out of their busy lives to share their feedback about working in seniors care,” says Mike Klassen, VP, Communications and Stakeholder relations. “This information, and the comments that accompanied the survey responses, can be used to find the ideal candidates for seniors care career opportunities.”
During the four weeks the survey was active, it received 1,168 responses, including 688 from health care assistants, and nearly 400 from LPNs, RNs and RPNs. Respondents represented the long-term care sector (50%) and community care/home support (36%), as well as acute care (14%) and assisted living (13%). Respondents were primarily from the Lower Mainland (43%), Vancouver Island (36%) and the Interior (18%), and represented diverse ages and experience levels.
“It was fantastic to get such as a strong response from health care workers telling us what they find rewarding about working in B.C.’s continuing care sector,” says BCCPA HHR Analyst Lara Croll. “They not only told us about how working with seniors can be fulfilling work, but also shared their views about many aspects of the job around pay, benefits, workplace culture and scheduling.”
“Care workers are also very aware of the challenges the sector currently faces, given the current staffing shortages and increasingly frail nature of the population they care for. They noted it takes a specific type of person to excel in these careers—people that are caring, compassionate, flexible and hard working,” Croll adds.
As an enticement, BCCPA offered three Tim Hortons gift cards for those who took the survey. The winners were randomly selected from the pool of respondents — and we are pleased to announce our 3 recipients of the gift cards:
$50 Gift Card – Connie Seward, community health worker from Nanaimo
$25 Gift Card – Bhupinder Kaur, health care assistant from Surrey
$15 Gift Card – Michelle Nedved, RN from Kamloops
Congratulations to Connie, Bhupinder and Michelle!
“The success of the survey is due in part to the many organizations that helped to circulate the survey. Our thanks go out to BC Nurses Union, Island Health, SafeCare BC, and our many BCCPA members,” says Klassen.
A report is being developed from the information received from the survey.
