The incoming president of the Registered Nurses Union admits she’s got some pretty big shoes to fill.

Debbie Forward is retiring at the end of the year after 24 years at the helm of the RNU.

Yvette Coffey will succeed the long-term leader. Coffey says staffing remains the key issue facing nurses in the province.

She says staffing must be based on acuity – or the patient in the bed, and not just the number of patients in beds.

She believes government would save money in overtime if there were more full-time RNs.

Coffey worked alongside Debbie Forward as Vice-President of the union for the last seven years. She says nurses will be “forever grateful” for the leadership Forward has provided for nearly a quarter-century.