HSA supports fight against proposal to have nurses do lab and imaging work
HSA has sent a letter of support to the US Association of Vascular and Interventional Radiographers, whose members are now threatened by policy changes that would allow nurses to perform their laboratory and imaging work.
"As the union representing 75 unique health science professions here in BC, we know that these professions require extensive training and unique skills," writes Val Avery, president of HSA.
"These professions simply cannot be replaced by nurses looking to expand their responsibilities. Proposals to allow nurses to perform lab and imaging work will undermine professional relationships and threaten the quality of care our patients depend upon. HSA lends our voice to your efforts to protect laboratory and imaging professionals in the United States just as we are vigilant in protecting Canadian health science professionals from being displaced by nurses.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
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June 29, 2016
David Nicholson, RT
President, Association of Vascular and Interventional Radiographers
2201 Cooperative Way, Herndon, VA 20171
Dear David,
On behalf of the 14000 health science professional members of the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia, I express our wholehearted support in your efforts to ensure that your members, with their years of skill and experience, do not lose their jobs to nurses who seek to take over work in laboratory and diagnostic imaging.
As the union representing 75 unique health science professions here in BC, we know that these professions require extensive training and unique skills. These professions simply cannot be replaced by nurses looking to expand their responsibilities. Proposals to allow nurses to perform lab and imaging work will undermine professional relationships and threaten the quality of care our patients depend upon. HSA lends our voice to your efforts to protect laboratory and imaging professionals in the United States just as we are vigilant in protecting Canadian health science professionals from being displaced by nurses.
We will be alerting our members and encouraging all of them to speak up as individual professionals, and to immediately report any similar moves by the BC Nurses' Union here in British Columbia.