This is National Nursing Week, which comes at a time when most jurisdictions are scrambling to find enough of them to run the system.

They’re seen as the glue which holds the health care system together but the shortage is significant with Newfoundland and Labrador seeking hundreds to fill the void.

Yvette Coffey, President of the Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador, says many RNs and nurse practitioners are waiting on the current round of bargaining with government before deciding whether to stay in the system or leave and go with a private nursing agency.

Coffey says, currently, there are over 750 nursing vacancies in the province.

Because of the shortage of nurses, some beds in brand-new long-term care facilities are closed. The reverberations are felt right through the system including the larger hospitals such as the Health Sciences, James Paton and Western Memorial. People, in some cases, are waiting for home care before they can return to their home.