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CHECK IN
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THE PEOPLE 1. From left: North East region’s Niamh Walsh, Simon Fraser region’s Maria Huertes, Thompson North Okanagan region’s Scott Duvall, Pacific Rim region’s Rosie Chrest, BCNU’s executive councillor for health and safety Adriane Gear, and Coastal Mountain region’s Liz Thompson and Harpreet Hothi. 2. North East region’s Susan Ohlin and Brenda Edwards. 3. Pacific Rim region’s Karen Stephenson, RIVA region’s Liz Goba and Simon Fraser region’s Linda Touch. 4. Victoria General Hospital’s steward team. 5. North West region lobby coordinator Kathy Buell (centre) is joined by members at Terrace’s Mills Memorial Hospital. 6. Prince Rupert Regional Hospital’s OR nurses. 7. Simon Fraser region’s Rina McNary and Thompson North Okanagan region’s Myrna Nichols.
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ANTI-BULLYING DAY
BCNU EMBRACES KINDNESS!
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ORKSITES ACROSS the province were awash in pink Feb. 24 as BCNU members stood up with other Canadians to raise awareness and take action to end bullying and harassment in the workplace. Hundreds of members showed their support by posting photos of themselves with colleagues in pink attire on BCNU’s Our Nurses Matter Facebook album.
Bullying and harassment are prevalent in health care, and workplace bullying is associated with nurses leaving their job or the nursing profession. Some 60 percent of new nursing grads leave their first position within six months, partly due to bullying. Exposure to workplace bullying – whether in person or online – can impact the physical and mental health of workers, permeating all facets of personal and professional life. Not only does the worker suffer, so do their families and co-workers.
This can lead to decreased job satisfaction, motivation and morale, and can negatively affect patient outcomes. WorkSafeBC created new policies in 2013 to address bullying and harassment. Their aim is to define what they are and to explain the duties of employers, workers and supervisors in order to prevent these kinds of acts from occurring in the workplace. Anti-Bullying Day – also known as Pink Shirt Day – was started by two Nova Scotia students who organized a protest to support a Grade 9 boy who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. update