More than 50% of Sask. nurses surveyed considering leaving profession

A survey of Sask. nurses shows that 50 per cent of workers are considering leaving the healthcare field.

According to a new survey from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), more than 50 per cent of Saskatchewan nurses are considering leaving the health-care industry.

The findings are from an April 2025 survey – which saw 1,791 registered nurses participate. The survey was conducted on behalf of SUN by Praxis Analytics.

According to SUN, just over 53 per cent of nurses surveyed said they would consider leaving the profession while about 46 per cent said they intend to stay in their line of work.

At total of 96 per cent of those surveyed said there have been times when short staffing has led to longer wait times for services.

“Nearly 80 per cent say short staffing has unnecessarily led to patients’ health deteriorat[ing]. These are just a few of the findings, and I encourage everyone to read through the report,” NDP MLA Jared Clarke said in a news conference Monday.

“It’s shocking and proved just what we’ve been hearing from frontline health care workers. The system is broken.”

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Speaking to reporters at the legislative building, Clarke criticized the current government’s handling of the health care system after 18 years in power.

“It’s no way to run a health care system, and we see that in these numbers. In fact, the Sask. Party has driven so many health care workers out of Saskatchewan that they have now broken their election promise and U-turned on the promise of 24/7 urgent care,” he said.

Clarke says a nursing task force needs to be implemented – to bring health-care workers’ concerns to the forefront and push for improving the system as a whole.

“This is a promise that the government made in the election. It’s been ten months, and the nursing task force hasn’t happened yet. Why?” Clarke asked.

“I mean, another solution is signing the deal with health-care professionals. Health-care workers have gone three years without a without a raise. How does that show respect to your frontline health care workers?”

SUN President Bryce Boynton says the numbers from the survey are alarming.

“That is scary and on top of that, one in four of our members could retire today if they wanted to,” he told CTV News.

Boynton says a lack of resources is leading to chronic short staffing.

“They’re burnt out, they’re tired. They came into this profession looking to make a difference, provide that, you know, light to people that are going through tough times and they’re just not able to do that,” he added.

In a statement to CTV News, the government claimed that the province’s nursing workforce is growing thanks to its Health and Human Resources Action Plan.

“The lost, reckless and dishonest NDP continue to prioritize running down our province and our healthcare system while offering no alternative solutions or plans,” the statement read.

“In fact, the NDP’s 2024 election platform called for hundreds of millions of dollars less in healthcare investment this year compared to what our government is currently investing. Our government is committed to delivering results to strengthen healthcare for Saskatchewan families and improve working conditions for nurses and all healthcare workers.”