Prince Edward Island’s nursing workforce is under significant and growing strain, with vacancy rates remaining well above provincial targets and frontline nurses reporting widespread burnout, fatigue and frustration. The P.E.I. Nurses’ Union brought those concerns directly to members of the legislature at a standing committee meeting Wednesday, warning that the province’s current approach is not sufficient to stabilize the workforce over the long term.
Union representatives urged Health P.E.I. to develop a concrete workforce strategy that gives priority to retention before recruitment. Their argument is straightforward: attracting new nurses will have limited impact if experienced staff continue to leave because of workload pressures, difficult schedules and deteriorating working conditions.
The concerns raised before MLAs point to a system in which staffing shortages have become self-reinforcing. Vacancies increase the pressure on the nurses who remain, often forcing them to take on heavier workloads, work additional shifts or cover gaps in already stretched teams. That added pressure contributes to exhaustion and burnout, which in turn increases absenteeism and the likelihood that nurses will reduce their hours, leave particular units or exit the public system altogether.
Every departure then creates another vacancy, further increasing the burden on those still working. Health authorities are subsequently forced to rely more heavily on temporary or agency nurses to maintain services, a solution that can help keep units operational in the short term but does little to address the underlying instability of the workforce.
That reliance also raises questions about cost and continuity of care. Temporary staffing can be significantly more expensive than maintaining a stable permanent workforce, while frequent turnover can make it more difficult for teams to develop the familiarity, coordination and institutional knowledge that are important in hospital and community settings.
For the union, the central issue is therefore not simply the number of nurses entering the system, but whether the province can create conditions that make nurses want to stay. Recruitment campaigns, training initiatives and efforts to attract workers from other jurisdictions may all play a role, but they risk becoming a revolving door if the working environment itself remains unchanged.
The union’s emphasis on retention places working conditions at the centre of the debate. Issues such as scheduling, workload, staffing levels, overtime demands and workplace support are likely to be critical in any attempt to stabilize the system. The broader challenge for Health P.E.I. is to move from short-term staffing measures toward a strategy that gives nurses greater confidence that their workloads are sustainable and that the system can offer a viable long-term career.
The timing is also important as negotiations and workforce planning continue. A new agreement that meaningfully improves conditions could help slow the outflow of experienced nurses and make recruitment efforts more effective. Without such changes, however, the province risks continuing to spend heavily on temporary fixes while the underlying staffing problem worsens.
The picture that emerges is one of a health system caught in a difficult cycle: vacancies increase pressure, pressure accelerates burnout, burnout drives departures, and departures create even more vacancies. Breaking that cycle will require more than promotional campaigns or short-term hiring initiatives. It will depend on whether the province can improve the day-to-day reality for the nurses already working in the system and persuade them that staying in Prince Edward Island’s public health service is sustainable.
