No ER doctors, no problem: Just get a nurse to call 911

A chronic shortage of doctors has prompted one British Columbia health authority to come up with a “mitigation plan” in the event the emergency department at one of its hospitals found itself with no physicians on shift. “Phone 911 if the person presenting is in immediate medical distress,” was the directive for nurses in a memo sent by B.C. Northern Health to doctors and administrators at the Bulkley Valley Hospital in the rural community of Smithers. Nurses should be able to”provide comfort measures and some first aid” to patients coming into a doctor-free ER, according to a story by CTV News, which got a leaked copy of the memo. Read: Just how bad is BC's rural emergency room crisis? Northern Health also stated in the document that it expected family physicians to respond to any code blues for any patients attached to their practice, when these emergencies happen during an ER physician coverage gap. However, a spokesperson for the health authority said in an email that the unfilled shifts at the hospital are now covered. “Recruitment and retention in rural communities continues to be a challenge, and we recognize that shortages of staff – especially those are trained in providing emergency department care – is affecting many communities across B.C.,” the spokesperson added. Read: Lack of staff forces Saanich, B.C., hospital to close ER overnight for two months This is not the first time B.C. health authorities have had to react to doctor shortages in their hospitals. Just recently, some hospital patients in Nanaimo got a letter informing them they would be looked after solely by nurses because there were no hospitalist doctors to oversee their care. “That is shocking news to me,” said Aman Grewal, president of the B.C. Nurses Union, which now plans to canvas members to see if anyone has had to call 911 for patients in ER. “It’s the first I’m hearing of this and I will be looking into it further.” Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, a former pediatric heart surgeon and current deputy leader of the BC Green Party reacted with alarm to Northern Health’s mitigation plan. “It’s lunacy,” he said. “It's not something that should ever happen in the Canadian medical system.” Read: Retired healthcare professional volunteers support patients in emergency waiting room

No ER doctors, no problem: Just get a nurse to call 911

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