B.C.’s leading pediatric hospital says it’s been forced to close 25 per cent of its operating rooms because of a shortage of specialized nurses.

Since the beginning of May, BC Children’s Hospital says it’s cancelled or postponed about 56 cases, and it doesn’t know when the rooms will reopen.

There are normally eight operating rooms in use, but the facility is now only using six.

Chief Operating Officer Linda Lemke says the majority of procedures have been rescheduled, some with a two-week delay.

She blamed the issue on a “sudden change in staffing” in March, including retirements and nurses leaving for other jobs. She hoped the closures would only be short term but admitted finding specialized staff is challenging.

“OR nurses are a difficult position to fill. There’s actually a worldwide shortage of nurses who need specialized training,” she said, adding that the problem is compounded at BC Children’s because it requires staff go through additional training to work on “little people.”

BC Children’s is actively trying to recruit trained nurses, and it’s starting an OR nursing program that is specialized for pediatrics. Ten people are already enrolled.

The union representing B.C. nurses said it’s known about a shortage for some time, and there are currently more than 1,000 vacancies across the province in specialty areas.

"Emergency nurses across the province are in high demand... really any specialty area in nursing we are desperately short of right now,” said B.C. Nurses’ Union President Gayle Duteil.

She says the hospital will have a hard time filling positions quickly, and the problem could drag on for some time.

"It is not a quick fix,” she told CTV Vancouver.

“Specialty nurses do not grow on trees it takes upwards of over a year to educate and train nurses into specialty areas."

The hospital is asking for parents and patients to “be patient” as it tries to resolve the issue.

“My heart goes out to the families that have been impacted by this,” said Lemke.

“I’m sure parents are sitting on pins and needles and want to move their children through the system as quickly as possible.”