Kris Dutchak SUN President 2025

Kris Dutchak's 2025 is a campaign dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of registered nurses. His mission is to amplify the voices of nurses, address healthcare issues, and work towards a better future for the nursing profession.

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​Saskatchewan is my home and where I have chosen to practice nursing for over 20 years. I am frustrated that registered nurses are working in unsafe environments and cannot practice safely.  Registered nurses can no longer be required to perform work violating their standards and competencies, due to the major challenges in the health system.  For those of you that know me, you know I am ready to take on this role and fight for every single nurse in this province.  Those who don’t know me, I can assure you will have a voice.  Registered nurses are the foundation of the health system, and we need every resource available to support safe registered nurse practice environments. The deterioration of our work environments must cease as patients deserve better.

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I am committed to developing a strategy focused on investments in innovation, wellness initiatives, and employee safety. I have been employed in the emergency departments, long-term care, rural emergency/hospitals, primary care, and occupational health to fully comprehend and advocate for change based on the long-standing challenges in workplaces. In the past 15 years, these challenges have worsened. I have spoken to nurses across the province who are defeated, scared to go to work, feel like they are going to lose their license, suffering from post-traumatic stress/mental health issues, and exhausted from their job duties.  Our workplaces have become an occupational hazard, and this is not what most registered nurses have sought in a career.  My occupational education and experience enhances my ability to fight for a psychologically safe environment for all nurses. 

My mandate within the first 90 days will be to review the current government relationship with SUN to ensure nurses have a voice at the table. My leadership and experience in working with local organizations has given me a deep understanding of how to develop strategic relationships.  We must prioritize registered nurses’ concerns, partner on projects that result in safer practice, and increase staffing that will ultimately lead to better patient outcomes. 

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I will be advocating for legislative nurse-to-patient ratios from day 1 if elected, to ensure the safety of all nurses/patients in this province. In addition, I will create a recruitment/retention working team that reviews all nurses that have retired, left the profession, work minimal casual hours, do not get full time work, or experienced employment loss to find ways to support these professionals back into safe work environments. I will collaborate and lobby our nursing educational institutions and the CRNS in examining student nurse licenses.  There are over 500 students that can be employed on the front lines to assist with care. We must be creative and help with recruitment/retention solutions.

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I would to take this time to thank all the registered nurses for their work during covid as I know many of you have felt devalued, abandoned, and forced to work in unstable environments.  Its not "if" but "when" we will face another one of these dire situations, and I will do my best to make sure the covid efforts are well examined for where the system failed and ensure quality improvements measures are being considered for the future.

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