A petition is calling on the provincial government to include in presumptive coverage legislation any nurse that is registered or licensed with a college of nursing in Alberta. (Photo 32154012 © Spotmatik | Dreamstime.com)

By Justin Goulet

Healthcare

Petition supports protection of nurses who suffer psychological injuries

Nov 7, 2023 | 4:02 PM

EDMONTON, AB – A petition is calling for nurses in Alberta to be included in presumptive coverage for traumatic psychological injuries.

The gathering of around 1,000 signatures was spearheaded by United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) member and Registered Nurse Heather Murray. The petition suggests that nurses should have access to presumptive coverage for compensation, meaning that the Workers’ Compensation Board would presume that a confirmed psychological or psychiatric injury happened due to an incident at work.

Heather Smith, UNA president, said, “Through the nature of their work, nurses are routinely exposed to traumatic events in the workplace.”

Smith added, “Nurses should not be forced to wait for – or be denied – access to workers’ compensation benefits after experiencing traumatic events while on the job.”

The petition calls on the provincial government to include in presumptive coverage legislation any nurse that is registered or licensed with a college of nursing in Alberta.

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The petition is worded as follows:

“We, the undersigned residents of Alberta, petition the Legislative Assembly to urge the Government to introduce legislation to amend the Workers’ Compensation Act to extend presumptive coverage for workplace injuries related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other traumatic mental health injuries to all nurses who hold a practice permit or are registered with a college of a regulated profession under the Health Professions Act.”

The UNA stated that nurses are frequently exposed to traumatic situations and are “twice as likely” as members of the general public to suffer a diagnosis like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Smith said, “Nurses are on the front lines of the health care system and should be included with other front-line workers like emergency medical workers, firefighters, dispatchers, police and corrections officers in not needing to provide proof of a causal link to post-traumatic stress disorder and workplace incidents to receive coverage.”

The UNA said the petition is expected to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 by Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview MLA Peggy Wright. If legislation is changed, nurses will have access to Workers’ Compensation programs and treatment initiatives to help them in their recovery.