End The Shortages

"Recently, I had 10 ventilated patients to myself in the ICU. This is double the amount I feel comfortable with. Something needs to change."
ANDREA, RESPIRATORY THERAPIST

"We were told we are heroes, yet we are completely undervalued. We lack resources and support."
BRITTNEY, RADIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGIST

"Most mornings it takes everything in me to not cry and make myself get out of my car to go into the hospital for work instead of just starting my car back up and going home and quitting. I love my job but not under these conditions."
JENNIFER, CARDIOLOGY TECHNOLOGIST

There's no health care without specialized health care professionals

Everyone knows doctors and nurses are in dire shortage in today's strained health care system. But most people don't know that over 70 other specialized health professions are part of the health care team keeping you and your loved ones safe.

As the union representing these essential health care professionals delivering diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, we're urging the government to expand efforts to train, recruit and retain lab technologists, MRI and x-ray technologists, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, radiation therapists, social workers, dietitians and many other specialized health professionals.

Help us fight for their fair pay.

In addition to much-needed pay increases, we also need to:

  • Expand and extend existing incentive programs to recruit and retain health science professionals  
  • Offer tuition bursaries and paid practicums for shortage health science professions with a return-of-service commitment to public-sector employment
  • Expand on incentives to encourage health science professionals in the private sector to return to the public system
  • Offer travel and relocation expense reimbursements (as many vacancies are in rural and remote communities) and housing stipends
  • Develop appropriate workload ratios alongside those developed for the nurses of BC to allow for a more integrated approach for supporting the whole health care team

"I fear I won't have enough time to give this patient the best recovery possible before they must be sent home to make room for another patient on a long waitlist from acute. Sometimes I go home and have a cry about the systemic pressures."
JAQUELINE, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

"Everyone is tired. Everyone is burnt out. There were staff shortages before, but it's worse now."
DANIELLE, PHYSIOTHERAPIST