BC Nurses Union talks nurse-to-patient ratios

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The BC Nurses Union (BCNU) is working with health authorities to bring the province into compliance with minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. 

During the March 13th episode of This Week in the Peace, Raelene Stevenson, BCNU’s regional lobby coordinator from the northeast region, spoke with Moose FM’s Dub Craig about upcoming changes to nurse-to-patient ratios. 

Stevenson spoke with the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) board of directors in 2025 to discuss nurse-to-patient ratios then being discussed by the province. 

The province originally promised minimum ratios in 2024, with a $237 million investment in the cause.

On This Week in the Peace, Stevenson detailed how minor injury departments would see a ratio of one nurse to five or seven patients, while intensive care, life support or trauma wards would have a ratio of between one nurse to two patients or two patients to one nurse. 

“There’s a lot of nuance to it and complexities, especially when you have the changing dynamics of what patient care can look like on a day-to-day basis,” Stevenson stated. 

“It can be very reactionary in the moment, but we try to have that minimum baseline set so that everyone knows coming to work what that should look like.”

The intention of the ratios is to ensure a “consistency of care,” so nurses have time to get to know patients, families and provide wrap-around services versus bouncing from one patient to another. 

These wraparound services and increased ratios would, according to Stevenson, see fewer readmissions, as individuals would have the opportunity to recover and benefit from the extra attention. 

“Part of the mandate of ratios is to make sure that there’s safety, and so not only safe for the patients, obviously, but also safe for the nurses,” Stevenson said. 

“This ratio should hopefully mitigate that, because we know in advance what that ratio needs to be, it gives a fulsome guideline for both the health employer and the nurses to understand, ‘we need to hire more nurses, we need to have a good skill mix, as far as our veteran nurses and our new oncoming graduate nurses.’”

Stevenson explained recruitment and retention efforts across the province were steadily bringing B.C. closer to meeting the minimum ratios. 

“Provincially, we’re doing well, we just really need to support [new healthcare professionals] when they get [to our communities],” Stevenson said. 

“We’re trying to be welcoming and allow these communities to shine for the things that they’ve got. We’re definitely there to support our internationally educated nurses to be successful once they get here.” 

To watch the full episode of This Week in the Peace, see below.