SP-Nursing Week_May 4

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nation al nursing week

The Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association sees the roles of registered nurses continuing to expand into the future, offering even more opportunities for them and more benefits to society. Ph o t o : SR NA

Shift change: Registered nurses’ role continues to evolve

by Carol T odd

The manner in which registered nurses do their jobs continues to shift and change to meet health care needs.

Cindy Smith, the new executive director of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association (SRNA), says the roles and responsibilities of registered nurses constantly evolves to meet the changing health care needs of the public. “It has shifted so much, so SRNA has endeavoured, on behalf of registered nurses, to keep up with those changes,” she says.

The SRNA, with 11,500 members, is the professional self-regulatory body for the province’s registered nurses (RNs), registered nurses with additional authorized practice – RN(AAP) – and nurse practitioners (RN(NP)s). It marked its 100th anniversary in 2017 and Smith says it continues to work on the evolution of the roles of nurses, what is termed the scope of practice. The organization’s 2020 strategic plan states: “Our focus is to deepen our capability in ensuring RNs, RN(AAP)s and RN(NP)s practice safe, competent, ethical and culturally-appropriate individual and family-oriented care.”

Smith says that means a constant tweaking of an on-

Cindy Smith is the new executive director of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association.

Ph o t o : SR NA

This past March, the SRNA Council approved policies enabling nurse practitioners who regularly see people with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) or who require methadone for pain, to apply for approval to prescribe methadone, an opioid drug used to replace shorter-acting opioids. Ph o t o : SR NA

going process that she’s experienced firsthand over the course of a 30-year nursing career. While the overall role of nurses is outlined in The Registered Nurses Act, the SRNA, through its by-laws and policies, works to update the range of services and activities that nurses are allowed to perform and ensure they receive the appropriate

education to do so.

She says the most recent change has been that to the role of nurse practitioners.

For example, just this past March, the SRNA Council approved policies enabling nurse practitioners who regularly see people with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) or who require methadone for pain, to apply for approval to pre-

scribe methadone, an opioid drug used to replace shorteracting opioids, such as heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl or hydromorphone. Previously, only physicians could prescribe the drug. “It increases nurse practitioners’ scope of practice,” says Smith. “It also increases access to the public for those who might need it.”

At the same time, registered nurses and nurse practitioners are working to address the overall issue of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

Smith says the SRNA is working collaboratively on this matter with its health care partners, such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, pharmacists and

others. In February, the Government of Saskatchewan launched an awareness campaign to encourage people to learn the signs of an opioid overdose and is offering take-home naloxone kits for people at risk. A recent report by the federal government outlines the extent of what has been termed a crisis.

The opioid crisis is one example of ways registered nurses respond to the changing health care environment, Smith says. And while there are numerous other issues that continue to be of concern, such as those affecting Indigenous people and seniors, Smith says it is difficult to focus on any one in particular – they all merit the full attention of health care providers.

Smith sees the roles of registered nurses continuing to expand into the future, offering even more opportunities for them and more benefits to society. One of the advantages of nursing, she says, is the range of those opportunities. “There are many domains of nursing and so many roles, in so many settings. That’s an added benefit of registered nursing,” she says.

At the core is the commitment to patient and public care. “Registered nurses practice in many different settings, but in the end, we’re there to meet the health care

needs of the public and we’re there to make sure that the public is safe,” Smith says, adding the SRNA will continue to set high standards for nursing education and practice as it has done for more than 100 years.

oPIoID CRISIS tAKING A toLL

The Government of Canada recently released a report detailing the numbers of deaths related to opioid abuse in the country over the past three years.

The report, Apparent Opioid-Related Deaths in Canada, details the accidental apparent opioidrelated deaths by quarter, province or territory from January 2016 to September 2018.

It found that in 2016, there were 3,017 such deaths nationally; 83 in Saskatchewan. In 2017, there were 4,034 deaths across the country; 84 in Saskatchewan. And, in the first eight months of 2018, there were 3,286 opioid-related deaths in Canada; 67 of them in Saskatchewan.

The full report can be found online at: https://infobase.phacaspc.gc.ca/datalab/national-surveillance-opioidmortality.html#AORD

THIS SECTION WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION.

National Nursing Week Join us in celebrating Saskatchewan’s family of nursing.

Each day LPNs, RPNs, RNs and RN(NP)s provide quality care for the people of Saskatchewan.

May6-12 2019 #StrongerTogether SASKATCHEWAN

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Members of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses are drawing attention to Saskatchewan’s addiction crisis. “Addiction touches everyone’s life in the province and it has no barriers,” says SUN president Tracy Zambory, RN. Ph o t o : SU N

Saskatchewan nurses turn spotlight on addiction crisis

by Jonathan hamelin

As an emergency room registered nurse (RN), Ally Beausoleil comes face-to-face with the realities of Saskatchewan’s addiction crisis on a shift-to-shift basis. Saskatchewan has the third highest rate in Canada for opioid-related hospitalizations. More than 11 Canadians die every single day from opioids.

“I work on the frontlines of the addictions crisis. On some weekends, I see up to four overdoses,” Beausoleil said. “As a RN, I’m scared about our addiction crisis because it’s scary to see someone dying – plain and simple.”

Beausoleil is one of the subjects featured in a series of documentaries released by the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) in April to shed a spotlight on the issues of addiction in the province.

“We’re the largest group of health care providers and we really felt like we needed to be brave enough to step forward and bring this situation out into the open,” said SUN president Tracy Zambory, RN. “We want people to acknowledge that Saskatchewan and our country is in the grips of an addictions crisis and people are

dying at an alarming rate.”

When trying to understand the opioid crisis, some people may try to put a face on the issue. But as SUN is stressing through this campaign, this is a mistake. Zambory said a big part of the conversation nurses are starting is about breaking the stigma.

“There’s a misconception that addiction only involves certain types of people,” Zambory said. “Addiction can touch you, me, your next door neighbour and especially our kids.

It touches everyone’s life in the province and it has no barriers.”

The widespread reach of addiction is clear when you hear the story of documentary subject Megan, a 25-year old who has survived three overdoses.

Megan’s mother said she was “the perfect child… every parents’ dream.” Therefore, the family was completely caught off guard by Megan’s addiction problem.

Zambory has a personal connection to the addiction crisis as well. Her son, Wessley, suffered from an opioid addiction that threatened his life before he started taking methadone, a prescribed opiate medication used to treat opioid addictions.

“When addiction lands in

We want people to acknowledge that Saskatchewan and our country is in the grips of an addictions crisis and people are dying at an alarming rate.

- T r ac y Z a m b o ry r N, S a s ka t ch e w a n Un i o n o f Nurses president

Saskatchewan has the third highest rate in Canada for opioidrelated hospitalizations. More than 11 Canadians die every single day from opioids. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses is voicing its members’ concerns in a new series of documentaries focusing on the issue of addictions. Ph o t o : SU N

your lap and someone that you love becomes ill, you realize that they didn’t go out to become an addict; they didn’t have that choice,” Zambory said. “In the case of Wessley, it was something that grabbed him by the throat and said, ‘No, you’re coming with me.’

I’m lucky to have the platform as SUN president to be able to help guide the conversation.”

Through the documentaries, SUN highlights multiple factors that lead to addiction.

One of the problems involves how readily available drugs are on the street. The sad truth, Zambory said, is that many injection drug users are feeding

The opioids crisis is here.

“ON THE FR ONTLINES” – A N EW DOCUMENTARY

Opioids kill 11 Canadians every day. Saskatchewan has the third highest opioid hospitalization rate.

WATCH:

MAKING THE DIFFERENCE.CA/ADDICTIONS

a disease that was sparked by an initial opioid prescription.

Studies have shown that with a five-day opioid prescription, the chance of dependency a year later is 10 per cent; this number increases to 20 per cent with a 10-day prescription.

“Addiction is not a choice; it’s a disease that affects your brain,” Zambory said.

Megan paints a clear picture in one of the documentaries about the difficulties of fighting addiction: “You can be laying on a stretcher with things all over your body trying to keep you alive and you are still defending the disease.”

Harm reduction is one of

the key factors SUN feels can help address the addiction problem. Zambory said harm reduction comprises elements such as safe injection sites, needle exchanges, methadone programs and naloxone kits.

“Harm reduction is about meeting people where they are at in their addiction,” she said.

“These methods may seem counterintuitive at first, but we have to realize that addiction is a disease and those suffering are going to use whether we say they can or not; the key is to try and keep them alive until they are ready to seek help, and keep everyone else in the community safe in the meanwhile.”

SUN believes that community partnerships are crucial to fully engage the problem of addiction. In addition to health care providers, SUN’s documentaries feature interviews with members of the police and educators.

“This is a community problem that affects all of us and it’s going to take a community, working together to solve it,” Zambory said. “With such a complex disease that has fallout in so many areas of society from law enforcement to health care, the solution is not a simple one.”

Zambory said that SUN is proud to celebrate National Nursing Week and continue driving conversation about the province’s addictions crisis. In recent months, SUN has also sparked conversation about other pressing social and health issues in the province: Saskatchewan’s HIV epidemic, youth mental health, rural and remote health care accessibility.

“One of the key roles of registered nurses is to advocate for patients and their families – to be their voice when they cannot speak for themselves,” Zambory said.

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nation al nursing week UCAN nursing program leads the country

by PaTriCia daWn roberT Son

University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing student Collette McArthur was cruising along nicely with her life.

She had a steady job working as a hotel desk clerk at Bear Claw Casino and Hotel when she decided to return to school at age 27.

Like most big life changes, it was a personal milestone that shifted McArthur’s career goals. “When I had my baby, a daughter, I knew that I wanted more for her. I wanted her to have a mother with a career. And for her to think nothing of going to university to get her own degree when she grows up,” says the Cree-Nakota woman.

McArthur’s family is from White Bear First Nation in the southeast corner of the Moose Mountain region. As the first person in her family to attend a university, McArthur was treading on unfamiliar terrain.

The prospect of pursuing a higher education was daunting but McArthur’s ambition won out over her fear of the unknown and she applied to the Bachelor of Nursing program and was accepted and attended classes at the Yorkton site.

McArthur’s career trajectory is not uncommon. In 2018, 19.9 per cent of undergradu-

As an Aboriginal Nursing Advisor at the Saskatoon campus, Trudy Unger helps students access UCAN’s comprehensive series of support programs: financial assistance, childcare referrals, housing referrals and one-on-one tutoring.

SU PPL I eD Ph o t o

Collette McArthur changed her career path by enrolling in the University of Saskatchewan Bachelor of Nursing program. Through the University of Saskatchewan Community of Aboriginal Nursing (UCAN) program, McArthur was able to attend classes close to home in Yorkton. Appreciative of the support she received through the UCAN program, McArthur is now looking forward to completing a one-year work term in acute care or long-term care. SU PPL I eD Ph o t o

ate student nurses enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan were Indigenous. As of March 2018, the retention rate for Indigenous students enrolled in the bachelor of nursing program was an impressive 90 per cent.

These hard-working undergrads are enrolled in a unique program, the Native Access Program in Nursing (NAPN),

established in 1984. Its sole aim is to increase the number of First Nations and Métis people working in the nursing profession. The innovative program has launched more Indigenous graduates into the nursing profession than any other program in Canada.

Now called The University of Saskatchewan Community of Aboriginal Nursing

(UCAN), this trailblazing program plays a key role in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous nursing students.

UCAN nursing students can choose to study in Regina, Saskatoon, La Ronge, Prince Albert, Ile-a-la-Crosse or Yorkton. This way, the students can opt to study closer to home and reduce the economic burden of relocation.

Trudy Unger’s mission as an Aboriginal Nursing Advisor at the Saskatoon campus is to recruit and advise nursing students.

“It’s my job to remove any barriers the students may encounter in our program,” says Unger. In recognition of her outstanding work, Unger

received a 2018 award for advisors.

Unger provides valuable information and encourages students to utilize UCAN’s comprehensive series of support programs: financial assistance, childcare referrals, housing referrals and one-onone tutoring.

“When I was struggling with a course,” says McArthur, “My advisor lined me up with a tutor. It made a big difference to me and I passed.”

McArthur was the lone Indigenous student in her Yorkton nursing class. “It was hard for me at first as the only First Nations person.

There are some cultural differences that I had to adapt to in school. I’m a quiet person and I needed to learn to speak up and contribute.

That way, the teachers knew I was retaining the material,” she explains.

The student success rate within UCAN is also aided by peer support, says Unger. Peer support is fostered through organized lunches and gatherings. And all students have access to Elders for wisdom and encouragement. Students also enjoy access to computer space with a printer and Internet service.

The firm foundation of the program is established in the recruitment phase. Unger and her advisor colleagues – located in Regina and Prince

Albert – provide campus tours and attend career fairs.

To facilitate the entrance process, prospective students are provided assistance with program applications and course registration.

One year of pre-professional classes is required before a student can apply for the program and Unger says that critical year of study “provides the foundation the students need to get established.”

McArthur, who is pregnant with her third child, is completing her final year of the Bachelor of Nursing program and is busy preparing for the professional licensing exam while her partner tends to their young family.

McArthur’s mother was also instrumental to her success: “Mum looked after the kids so I could study. It was a very big help to me.”

The next step for McArthur, when she passes her professional exam, is a mandatory year of work in acute care or long-term care.

Once her work term is completed, McArthur will pursue a career in public health. “I want to give back to my community,” she says. “I learned so much in the program. Now I’m able help my people.”

To learn more about the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing, visit nursing.usask.ca or call toll-free 1.844.966.6269.

Are nurse practitioners the solution to Canada’s health care woes?

Linda Silas is a nurse and has been the president of the 200,000-member Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) since 2003. Ivy Lynn

by linda SilaS and ivy lynn bourgeaulT EvidenceNetwork.ca

Traditional wisdom holds that Canada needs more doctors to ensure timely access to health services. Yet the increase in the supply of doctors in Canada has outpaced Canada’s population growth for a decade. Still, we continue to hear stories about Canadians without access to a family doctor.

Canada routinely underperforms in international surveys of timely access to primary health care, such as access to a family doctor. When this happens, patients often rely on the more expensive health services provided in our acute care system, arriving in hospital emergency rooms. As a result, our acute care facilities are stretched to capacity.

W h aT ’ S T h e SoluTion?

Recent history offers potential lessons.

In response to a perceived doctor shortage in the early 1980s, the Canada Health Act was amended so provinces could allow nurses to practise medicine as nurse practitioners (NP). Nurse practitioners are highly-skilled health care professionals with advanced education. They can diagnose, treat, prescribe medications, order tests, offer referrals and admit or discharge patients.

Nurse practitioners also often go beyond traditional medical care models to provide holistic health promotion and illness prevention through patient education.

In short, they’re very effective.

Decades of rigorous evidence shows that nurse practitioners improve access to personalized, cost-effective, high-quality health care that reduces wait times and costs throughout the broader health system.

This patient-centred approach is well-suited to address multiple and ongoing health conditions. Nurse practitioners are especially critical for providing health services among Canada’s growing population of seniors, Indigenous peoples and those in rural and remote locations.

The designation of Nurse Practitioner (NP) was created to allow nurses to fill a need within the health care system in Canada. NPs can fill a variety of roles within the health care system. These highly-skilled health care professionals can diagnose, treat, prescribe certain medications, order tests and offer referrals for patients. Ph o t o CR eD It : GR e G h U Sz AR At BI R D So NG

We aren’T The f i r S T C o u n T ry T o i n n ovaT e T h i S Way.

The United States began integrating nurse practitioners intensively following the creation of an education program in 1965. Through a concerted effort, the number of nurse practitioners doubled over a decade; there are now more than 248,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the U.S. In contrast, the path towards the integration and expansion of nurse practitioners in Canada’s health system has been rocky. To find answers, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) recently conducted the largest survey of nurse practitioners across Canada.

We found that even though nurse practitioners have the potential to address pressing health access issues, they are largely absent or under-utilized in most parts of Canada.

Barriers due to government legislative, regulatory and policy restrictions, along with financing, funding and reimbursement issues are challenges to the widespread use of nurse practitioners across the country. There is also opposition from certain interest groups, and there are challenges in uptake at the organizational level.

Perhaps, most critically, Canada has a supply of only 14 nurse practitioners per 100,000 Canadians compared to 76 per 100,000 Americans.

And more than half of nurse practitioners work only in Ontario – meaning most of

the country is missing out.

We’re failing to take advantage of the capacity of nurse practitioners to improve health access and reduce costs across the system.

The buzzword in health care is innovation. Often we look to new high-tech devices and computer applications.

But nurse practitioners are a long-standing health care innovation that has repeatedly proven its worth. It’s time for implementation.

There are a few excellent examples that could be scaled up across the country.

Manitoba’s Mobile Clinics, in which nurse practitioners and registered nurses provide on-the-spot primary care for people living in smaller, underserved communities, provide an excellent model.

Ontario’s nurse practitionerled clinics, as well community health centre models utilizing nurse practitioners, are leading practices that could be readily implemented nationwide.

Nurse practitioners represent an innovative opportunity for Canada to address our growing health-care needs, especially within underserved populations, communities and settings.

It’s time for governments and employers to get onboard and remove the remaining obstacles for utilizing nurse practitioners.

We should be investing in the full range of primary health-care services to increase access for all Canadians.

Bourgeault is CIHR chair in Gender, Work and Health at the University of Ottawa and the lead of the Empowering Women Leaders in Health

project. They are both contributors with EvidenceNetwork. ca, which is based at the University of Winnipeg. © Troy Media

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The Canadian Nurses Association is committed to helping the nursing profession achieve its full potential. Photo: Get ty ImAGeS

CNA president: “A Voice to Lead – health for All” by elizabeTh ireland

T h e t h e m e o f t h i s y e a r ’s National Nursing Week campaign was developed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

Based out of Geneva, Switzerland, the organization represents the more than 20 million nurses worldwide.

According to the ICN, “A Voice to Lead” reflects the fact that “every nurse has a story and every story has the potential to improve the health system and enable individuals and communities to achieve their highest attainable standard of health.”

The concept of “Health for All” reflects “not just the availability of health services, but a complete state

I encourage everyone to value and celebrate the nurses in their own lives during Nursing Week and throughout the year!

- c l a i r e b e t k e r, r N , p r e s i d e n t , canadian Nurses association

Claire Betker, RN. Ph o t o : SU PP L IeD

No one chooses to get the flu.

No one chooses to have cancer.

No one chooses to get sick.

No one chooses to have mental illness.

of physical and mental health that enables a person to lead a socially and economically productive life.”

Manitoba-based Claire Betker, RN is president of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). Representing nearly 426,000 nursing professionals, the CNA speaks on behalf of the Canadian nursing profession and a federation of 11 provincial and territorial professional nurses’ associations.

The CNA was founded in 1908 as a voice to recognize nurses and the patients in their care. This was back in a time when being in hospital could be a grim prospect and the Canadian nursing profession was mostly unregulated.

Betker describes her “great career” as a registered nurse (RN) focused on community health in Manitoba over the past 40 years. She has a masters of nursing from the University of Calgary and a PhD in nursing from the University of Saskatchewan. Betker’s role with the CNA is an elected position that includes a two-year term as president-elect and a second two years as president.

Michael Villeneuve became Chief Executive Officer of the CNA in June 2017 (his role is a permanent position). Villeneuve has an undergrad degree in nursing and an MSc; both his degrees are from the University of Toronto. Villeneuve has worked in health care for the past 41 years, including as a RN in the fields of neurosurgery and neuro intensive care.

Given the association’s 111-year history, Villeneuve describes his role as “the best job I’ve ever had. As the twelfth CEO in the CNA’s history, it can seem daunting and a huge responsibility, but I thrive being right in the heart of things and working with our multiple stakeholders to advocate for health care in our country.”

In 1971, the ICN designated May 12 as International Nurses Day. This date falls on the birthday of the his-

Those with mental illness deserve the same understanding and support Registered Psychiatric Nurses, partnering with people and working with those experiencing mental illness, including

those affected with addictions.

Thank you to all the RPNs in this province and beyond that advocate for those with mental illness.

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torical figure Florence Nightingale, who is known as the founder of modern nursing. In the 1980s, Canada’s Minister of Health declared the second week of May as National Nurses Week.

Betker and Villeneuve are both excited about this year’s aspirational theme of “A Voice to Lead – Health for All.” “In most countries, nursing represents the largest profession in the female workforce. Also, in much of the world, a nurse can be the most educated person in that village or town and have such a large impact on issues like managing fertility or the spread of disease.

Even in Canada, there can be a great disparity in primary health care from a small northern community to an urban, highly technical hospital, and a nurse can make a real difference to health outcomes,” says Villeneuve.

Betker recounts her own experience of nursing in a rural part of Manitoba. “I could not go to the grocery store without being recognized and approached. I was the community’s public health nurse. To them I represented the health system, these encounters became part of making a positive connection with the community.”

In June 2018, members of the CNA voted to include licensed practical nurses (LPNs), registered practical nurses (RPNs) and registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) among the association’s membership going forward.

Today the CNA’s goals include focusing on public health care policy, maintaining the public’s trust in nurses, helping the nursing profession achieve its full potential and encouraging Canadian nurses to contribute to health care advancement globally.

Betker concludes: “I see a tremendous amount of leadership, wherever Canadian nurses might be working. The public places a high level of trust in the nursing profession. I encourage everyone to value and celebrate the nurses in their own lives during Nursing Week and throughout the year!”

More information on this year’s Nursing Week campaign can be found at cna-aiic.ca/en/events/national-nursing-week.

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Collaborative nursing program gives students option to graduate early

by JonaThan hamelin

Post-secondary nursing students in Saskatchewan can fast-track their education and start their careers earlier.

The Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program – offered jointly by Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina – has accelerated options that give students the opportunity to complete their education in less than four years and transition faster into the workplace.

Since the accelerated options were introduced in 2013, nearly 700 graduates have chosen to fast-track their education.

“Students who have chosen the accelerated options have been very satisfied, according to feedback the SCBScN program has received both informally and formally,” said Dr. David Gregory, dean of the faculty of nursing at the University of Regina.

“SCBScN students appreciate having a choice when it comes to how long it takes them to complete their nursing degrees.”

The SCBScN program is offered in Regina and Saskatoon. There’s also a local student intake in North Bat-

Students can complete their nursing education in less than four years through the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program offered by the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Ph o t o : SASKat Ch wAN Po Lyt e Ch NI C

tleford that enables students to complete their fourth year of studies in this community.

The University of Regina and Sask Polytechnic share student education and support responsibilities throughout the degree program.

Students normally complete the SCBScN program in four years over eight semesters. Through the SCBScN accelerated options, students can opt to finish their degree in three or three-and-

a-half years. During the first two years of the program, all students complete their fundamental courses. The SCBScN accelerated option then becomes available to students and they can take courses over one or two summer semester(s). There are 42 seats available in both Regina and Saskatoon for these early exit options.

Sandra Blevins, dean of the Saskatchewan Polytechnic School of Nursing, said the

SCBScN accelerated options satisfies the needs of both students and employers.

“Students are able to graduate in less than four years and this enables them to find employment sooner,” she said.

“The program ensures a supply of qualified graduates who are ready to enter the nursing workforce in Saskatchewan.

“There is a demand for registered nurses (RNs) in Saskatchewan’s healthcare system and the SCBScN acceler-

ated options are helping to meet this demand. Employers are able to hire graduates three times a year to meet the needs of the healthcare system across the province.”

Another benefit of the accelerated option, Blevins noted, is that it alleviates pressure on the clinical placement capacity. Students have the opportunity to work in rural, northern, and urban settings.

“With the accelerated option, clinical placements can be distributed throughout the calendar year and, as a result, there’s reduced demand for clinical placements during high use times like the fall and winter terms,” she added.

Shalla Sharma, a former nursing student who chose the accelerated option during her studies, was very satisfied with the experience.

“My last program day was July 31 and that offered me increased access to many more job choices than if I was applying at the same time as all of the other graduates who were finished in April.

I’d definitely recommend the SCBScN program with its customizable options,” Sharma said.

“I’m so glad I obtained my nursing degree via the SCBScN program. Being a part of

both the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic gave me tons of extra opportunities and a unique perspective, not to mention the amazing support of faculty and staff.”

While the accelerated option is popular amongst students, the deans note that it’s not the right fit for everyone.

Many students choose to work during the summer months, while other students have family obligations or look forward to time away from their studies. Given demands on their time, some students, including student athletes, are also advised to reduce their course load and consider completing their program in four or more years.

Gregory said that the strong collaboration between the University of Regina and Sask Polytech has benefitted all students when it comes to the quality of programming and the accelerated options.

“The SCBScN program provides students with flexible options leading to a satisfying and rewarding nursing career,” he said. “The degree program is flexible, practice-focused and student-centered.”

To learn more about the SCBScN program and accelerated options, visit: sasknursingdegree.ca.

Sask Polytech students experience scope of nursing in Pelican Narrows by elizabeTh ireland

For those of a certain age, working in medicine in the north brings to mind the 1990s hit television show Northern Exposure and its fictional main character Dr. Fleischman.

In spring 2018, three Saskatchewan Polytechnic nursing students (along with two preceptors) worked at the Pelican Narrows medical clinic for five weeks and had their own Northern Exposure experience. The pilot project was part of the students’ final clinical practical experience and required to complete their programs.

Nurse practitioner Frankie Verville is program head/ faculty of the Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program at Sask Polytech and a graduate adjunct professor with the University of Regina.

Verville’s own areas of professional expertise include critical care, post-anesthetic care, clinical development education and primary health care. She has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years

and served as one of the two preceptors during the Pelican Narrows pilot program. Verville began teaching in 2006 and is currently working on her PhD in nursing.

The three nursing students were from different programs: the Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the Nurse Practitioner program and the Additional Authorized Practice program for registered nurses working in northern communities.

Pelican Narrows is approximately six hours north of Saskatoon by car. Verville describes the spring 2018 clinical practical initiative in Pelican Narrows as “a capstone experience and the first of its kind.”

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses with additional education and experience. According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), “A primary health nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who works in a primary health setting, has additional education and training, writes a national qua lifying exam or

has passed stringent requirements for licensure, and is licensed by the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association as an independent practitioner.”

During their stay, the three nursing students worked intra-professionally with other nurses and inter-professionally with other related disciplines (such as physicians and holistic workers) in a clinical setting. The initiative expanded the students’ knowledge of the roles that different nurses, and other health care professionals, hold in the health care system of a northern community.

The community of Pelican Narrows was very welcoming to the students participating in the pilot project. Pelican Narrows provided housing for the students and instructors during their five-week clinical experience. With a population of approximately 3,000 people, Pelican Narrows is the administrative centre for the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

“The experience was eyeopening and deepened the

students’ knowledge of barriers to timely patient care in a northern community, as well as their knowledge of Indigenous culture. The community of Pelican Narrows relished the experience of having the students there and our stay ended with a big surprise party,” says Verville.

Verville hopes this experience encourages nursing students to consider working in remote, northern and Indigenous communities and that the program develops beyond the initial pilot in Pelican Narrows. In fact, two of

the students that participated in the pilot project have returned to Pelican Narrows to work in a part-time capacity. “ Nu r s e p r a c t i t i o n e r s trained through the Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program play an important role in the delivery of quality patient- and family-centered health care,” says Sandra Blevins, dean of the School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences at Sask Polytech.

“Immersive clinical experiences, like our students experienced at Pelican Narrows, provide invaluable on-the-

job learning and experience.

Thank you to Pelican Narrows for welcoming our students into your community and providing an exceptional clinical experience!” adds Blevins.

The Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program is delivered jointly by Sask Polytech and the University of Regina.

Remote, northern and Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan that are interested in finding out more about the program can email Frankie Verville at vervillef@ saskpolytech.ca.

Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program (CNPP)

Where knowledge & practice meet Advance your knowledge to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses with master’s level education. NPs provide extensive health services and emphasize promotion, as well as injury prevention.

Locations: Distance Learning

sasknursingdegree.ca

Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing students experience hands-on learning opportunities. P h ot o: SASK Po Lyt e Ch

I6

S a t u r d a y, M a y 4 , 2 0 1 9

S a S k at o o n S ta r P h o e n i x

nation al nursing week Association shines light on the history of nursing

by Carol T odd

Although for many people in the western world, the history of nursing is tied to an image of “the lady with the lamp,” Florence Nightingale, nursing in Canada actually predates her work by hundreds of years.

Some days it seems the world is changing so fast we are all in danger of falling off.

While much of the practice of nursing has changed, too, the basic historical commitment by nurses to provide quality health care has stayed the same since even before Nightingale swung that legendary lamp in the hospitals of the Crimea in the mid1800s.

Long prior to that date, Catholic nursing sisters had built a network of nurse-run hospitals in what was to become Canada, beginning in 1637 when three Augustinian nuns established HôtelDieu de Québec, in Quebec City. And, at least hundreds of years prior to that, the Indigenous healers of North America, including those in Canada, provided health care, midwifery and other care in their communities.

In a recent Canadian Nurse article co-written by Vandenberg and her colleague Dr. Lydia Wytenbroek, they cite research which found that Indigenous women healers in western Canada prior to the turn of the 20th century were also nurses and midwives in settler societies.

Helen Vandenberg, RN, PhD Assistant Professor, is president of the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing (CAHN). She says nursing has evolved signifi-

Pictured here, the Regina General Hospital School of Nursing graduating class of 1921. Photo: AC C eS S I oN # 19 9.7 9 -17 7 9, R e GI NA GeNeR aL h o SPItAL SCh o o L o f NU R SI NG fo NDS – ARCh IVeS o f t h e fo R m eR R e GI NA QU ’APPeL L e

Helen Vandenberg, RN, PhD Assistant Professor, is president of the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing (CAHN). S U P PL I eD P h ot o

cantly, especially in the last 100 years or so. Vandenberg herself could well be considered an example of what she believes to be one of the most significant changes to

the practice of nursing in recent years – she’s a registered nurse who is also holding a Master’s and PhD in Nursing.

“One of the biggest changes has been the achievements in education over the past 100 years, especially the provincial requirement for nurses to obtain baccalaureate degrees,” says Vandenberg, who is currently adding to that level of education as an assistant professor at the College of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan.

It was only around the early 20th century that Canadian hospitals started to educate and hire nurses. Prior to that time and the widespread adoption of Nightingale apprenticeship training model, hospital care was uneven and hospitals themselves were considered places to go to die.

With the advent of trained nurses, hospitals were able to

elevate the level of care and treatment provided to patients.

The role of nurses in Saskatchewan has continued to grow and evolve over the years to meet the changing health care needs of the population, including the addition of the nurse practitioner designation with its extended ability to provide services previously only available through a physician.

Saskatchewan has been considered by many as an important place to understand the history of outpost and northern nursing. Many of Western Canada’s first Red Cross outposts were created in Saskatchewan following the first world war.

Vandenberg says that the growth and development of the profession of nursing has also been tied to that of the history of women in general.

Pictured here, nursing sisters provide care aboard Canada’s hospital ship, the Lady Nelson. The nurse on the right is Betty (nee Bateman) Grant, who was aboard the Lady Nelson when it made its first trans-Atlantic crossing in 1943.

Betty’s handwritten notes describe the ship as having 518 beds with an operating room, sterilizing room, orderly room, dispensary, kitchens and a portable x-ray.

Photo: D oRothy BAt emA N

While acknowledging that there have been male nurses as well as women, general hospital nurses in years past were most often women. Vandenberg says they faced the same societal pressures as they did in other professions; for example they had to quit when they got married. The other changes she notes include the unionization of nurses, which helped address issues such as rates of pay and working conditions and the formation of regulatory agencies that gave nurses more control over their education and roles.

While looking forward to the future and the continuing evolution of nursing, Vandenberg says there are benefits to looking back. “Each generation can learn from previous

generations. We are informed by history,” she says.

Vandenberg takes pride in the accomplishments of nurses – past, present and future.

“Nursing is a wonderfully diverse career.”

The history of nursing will be among the topics discussed at the upcoming joint meeting of the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine and the CAHN next month in Vancouver. Formed in 1987, CAHN promotes interest in the history of nursing and develops scholarships in the field.

Next year, an international conference on the history of nursing will be held in Florence, Italy to mark the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth in that city in 1820.

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