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NATIONAL NURSING WEEK National Nursing Week 2021: #We Answer the Call BY ELIZABETH IRELAND
The theme of this year’s National Nursing Week campaign is #We Answer the Call and it reflects the courage and deep commitment of nurses across Canada. This annual celebration of National Nursing Week takes place from May 10 to 16 and coincides with International Nurses Day on May 12 (also the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth in 1820). Registered nurse Tim Guest, M.B.A., B.Sc.N., RN, is president of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). The CNA is the national and global professional voice of Canadian nursing. The organization represents registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed and registered practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and retired nurses across all 13 provinces and territories. A resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Guest is in his 29th year being a registered nurse. His nursing career has included direct care, clinical nursing unit management, health system executive and now health care consulting. The role of CNA president is a volunteer position and Guest is currently serving a two-year term. “This role has been hugely rewarding and very demanding. COVID-19 has added some unique challenges, including working virtually and our amped-up advocacy efforts. I think it is significant that this is now the second National Nursing Week taking place during the pandemic. We recognize the personal sacrifices that have been made by nursing professionals since March 2020,” says Guest. T h i s y e a r ’s Na t i o n a l Nursing Week theme—#We Answer the Call—was developed by the CNA to showcase the many roles that
We recognize the personal sacrifices that have been made by nursing professionals since March 2020. - T I M G U E S T, president, Canadian Nurses Association
Canadian nurses play in a patient’s health care journey. The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the challenges that nurses work under every day and emphasizes the important role that nurses play in our communities, including now administering COVID-19 vaccines. There are poignant examples of what nurses have been experiencing on the frontlines. Guest notes that the first wave of the pandemic saw instances of inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and outbreaks in long-term care facilities. “Nurses became de facto family members for patients in hospital and long-term care, providing that mental and emotional support that families normally provide. Wearing PPE all day is very taxing. As well, nursing is a predominately female profession and so there is home schooling and childcare to consider. Nurses are experiencing home stress plus stress at work,” says Guest. He describes the third wave of the pandemic that some provinces are experiencing as different, with variants of the virus now a
The pandemic has brought to light the challenges that nurses work under every day and emphasizes the important role that nurses play in our communities, including administering COVID-19 vaccines. GET TY IMAGES
significant factor. The patients are noticeably younger, and the focus of nurses has shifted from long-term care to COVID -specific units in hospitals, public health measures and contact tracing. Interestingly, the nursing profession has experienced somewhat of a “Top Gun” effect in Canada. After the release of the 1986 hit movie, there was a military recruiting boom. Anecdotally, Guest says there has been an increase in enrollment in nursing programs across the country because “the much more public role of nursing has created interest. This is a fantastic profession. We are also grateful for the large number of nurses who have come out of retirement to administer vaccines.” On the flip side of increased recognition of the value of what nurses do,
there is a serious decline in overall mental health in the profession since the pandemic began. The CNA is advocating for the profession in terms of mental health resources now and post-pandemic. “While they are playing such a vital role, this has been an extremely difficult year and Canadian nurses are fatigued. They are facing unprecedented challenges in terms of workload and moral distress. There is also the need for the ability to keep up with changing information on COVID-19 and the virus itself changes almost daily. We are all learning as we go,” says Guest. Beyond mass immunization, what do nurses need Canadians to do to continue to answer the call and continue fighting this deadly pandemic? “I encourage all people living in Canada to continue social distanc-
Tim Guest, M.B.A., B.Sc.N., RN is in his 29th year being a registered nurse. He became president of the Canadian Nurses Association in June 2020. SUPPLIED
ing, masking, handwashing and following public health guidelines and we will all get through this sooner,”
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National Nursing Week May 10-16, 2021
LPNs, RPNs, RNs and NPs stand together on the frontlines of our health care system to serve, care for and protect the people of Saskatchewan. As the COVID-19 virus persists, we remain a part of the primary line of defense against the virus. We thank the public for supporting the vital role nurses play in our health care system.
#WeAnswerTheCall
says Guest. Find out more about the Canadian Nurses Association at www.cna-aiic.ca.
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NATIONAL NURSING WEEK Saskatchewan nurses answer the call BY PAT REDIGER
“We Answer The Call”—these words represent the essence of what nurses do every day, says Tracy Zambory. “It’s what we do for our patients, our families, and our communities—answering their call is our calling, it’s in our ‘DNA’ as registered nurses,” says the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) president. #We Answer The Call is this year’s theme for National Nursing Week. Zambory says it’s appropriate because nurses answer the call in every corner of the health care system and in every community across the province. From acute care, mental health and community nursing to home care and longterm care, registered nurses have a critical relationship of trust with the public and play a vital role in people’s lives from birth until death. “Registered nurses touch our lives in so many profound ways from the time we enter this world until we leave it, providing care and support during many of our happiest and saddest moments,” says Zambory. “What’s unique about registered nursing is our holistic approach to our patients. We see people as individuals and believe we can best answer the call if we look at the whole picture, from a person’s mental and physical wellness to housing, food security and many other social factors that could impact our overall health.” After 14 months of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, many registered nurses are feeling exhausted and anxious, and this year’s theme serves to recognize the important role they play during the crisis. As caseloads increase and new, highly transmissible, and more dangerous variants spread, there is increased anxiety among the public, registered nurses, and the entire health care community. The trusting relationship between registered nurses and the public is now even more important than ever before. “The best way to say thank you to a registered nurse this National Nursing Week, and to ease the extreme anxiety many are feeling on the frontlines, is to hear our
The best way to say thank you to a registered nurse this National Nursing Week, and to ease the extreme anxiety many are feeling on the frontlines, is to hear our pleas to follow the public health orders, and to trust our professional advice and get vaccinated when your turn is up. - T R A C Y Z A M B O R Y, p r e s i d e n t , S a s k a t c h e w a n Union of Nurses
Tracy Zambory, president, Saskatchewan Union of Nurses
Nurse Practitioner Jeannie Coe treats some of the province’s most vulnerable people, working from a clinic she helped create at the Lighthouse Supported Living shelter in Saskatoon.
Saskatchewan nurses answer the call in every corner of the province. Rosalina Bacus is a Registered Nurse in the northern community of La Loche. PHOTO: SNA
P H OT O: S NA
pleas to follow the public health orders, and to trust our professional advice and get vaccinated when your turn is up,” says Zambory. Although the public recognizes how important registered nurses are in dealing with COVID cases as patients arrive at emergency rooms, registered nurses are answering the call in other ways as well. Chief among these has been the fact that registered nurses have always played a lead role in any vaccination rollout program, whether for measles, mumps, rubella or other dangerous diseases. Registered nurses are now, once again, answering the call for Saskatchewan on the prov-
ince’s COVID vaccination program. “Registered nurses are a very important part of the vaccination team and play a central role in vaccine rollout programs. We strongly support the science and evidence behind vaccine safety, and view vaccines as a critical tool alongside other public health measures to help us emerge from this pandemic sooner. We are asking people to get vaccinated and to take the first one offered to them as quickly as possible,” says Zambory. Although vaccines offer a glimpse of a return to normalcy, Zambory says that the call for registered nurses will still be there even when the
pandemic ends. “Once we wind through the pandemic and it’s more of a normal path, we will see registered nurses dig right in and answer that call again because that’s what we do every day—whether it’s a COVID-19 related illness, a chronic illness or an emergency—we will be there,” says Zambory. “Registered nurses will never stop answering the call for Saskatchewan, but firstly, it’s important to remember we are all in this pandemic together, and that our only way through this is by working together.” To learn more about Saskatchewan’s 10,000 nurses, visit makingthedifference.ca.
From acute care, mental health and community nursing to home care and long-term care, registered nurses play a vital role in people’s lives from birth until death. Marla McMillan is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse in Saskatoon. PHOTO: SNA
Registered Nurses
Answer The Call Every Day “As RNs on the NICU transport team, we ensure our province’s tiniest and most vulnerable babies reach their destination safely.” - RNs NICU – Saskatoon
#WeAnswerTheCall
sun-nurses.sk.ca/AnswerTheCall
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NATIONAL NURSING WEEK
U of R nursing alumni share experiences: “It’s so much more than a job to me” BY PAT REDIGER
As a Nurse Practitioner (NP) juggling caseloads in northern Saskatchewan Indigenous communities, and in particular, Stony Rapids, Lana Moffat has seen firsthand the impact that the pandemic is having on patients and their families every day. Although she faces stress and anxiety, she said there’s no place else that she would rather be. “I’m making a difference in the lives of the people I meet. Even when the situation is less than ideal, I feel inspired to do more and to be more. I’m always learning and growing and I feel as though I’ve never had to work a day in my life. It’s so much more than a job to me; it’s who I am,” said Moffat. She has been a Registered Nurse for 13 years and a NP since last October having completed the Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program (CNPP), a collaborative program with the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Moffat is an Indigenous student who became interested in CNPP because it enabled her to pursue her education in her own home and community. She was able to juggle her lifestyle, family and work demands through the program. In addition to online theory, CNPP consists of working with nurse practitioner preceptors and a week-long residency. The strong nurse practitioner preceptors helped
“I’m making a difference in the lives of the people I meet. Even when the situation is less than ideal, I feel inspired to do more and to be more,” says Lana Moffatt, NP, RN. S U P P LI ED
set the foundation for her to build her career and helped develop life-long friends. Last year Moffat convocated with a Master’s Degree in Nursing, which helped give her new tools to deal with the pandemic. While the program was challenging, she said it was also one of her proudest accomplishments. She added that the program’s family atmosphere and clinical experiences helped pave the way for her to cope with the pandemic. “In the beginning it was so new and scary as things changed for us in the blink of an eye,” she said. “As health care workers, we have been both glorified and scrutinized in the public eye. We have been confused, terrified and challenged by a virus that we don’t really understand. One of the most difficult things for me was where we once offered a hug to a grieving or scared family member, we can now only
The Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program is offered through a joint partnership between the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. SU PPL IED
nod our heads and show them the compassion and support in our eyes.” As the pandemic continued, Moffat said she began to see more critically ill people of all ages. Initially, there were no clear cut paths to manage or treat the disease as the virus reacted differently in different people. There was a huge learning curve as health care professionals struggled to find the best options to treat their patients. As a NP in a small community, Moffat knew many of the patients or their family members. Patients were often stabilized and then medically evacuated to larger hospitals that had dedicated COVID-19 facilities. She added there have been many dedicated health care workers who are working directly with affected patients, while others have been administering tests and vaccinations. “I’ve had ebbs and flows during the outbreak. The workload has intensified
and then it stays steady for days then weeks. Then there are times that I can catch my breath, reflect on what worked and what didn’t work, and then plan and prepare for the next wave.” Moffat said she finally saw a positive development when the first vaccines were announced. She felt that a big weight had lifted off her shoulders when she received her vaccination and that it was important for her to lead by example. Despite the challenges of being a nurse in the pandemic, Moffat encourages young people to consider nursing as a career. She has enjoyed her experiences in northern Saskatchewan and became a NP to help bridge the gap in services that some of the communities experience. Another graduate, Dakota Wagner, has experienced similar workplace upheavals due to the pandemic. She completed the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bach-
elor of Science in Nursing (SCBScN) program, offered in collaboration with the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. The SCBScN has a presence on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 territories and the homeland of the Métis, and it strives to support Indigenous students to complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The program designates 53 seats for Indigenous students out of the 345 seats available during the first year. Wagner completed her undergraduate degree in 2016 and now works as an oncology nurse at the Pasqua Hospital in Regina. Shortly after the pandemic began, patients were advised that they would have to reduce the number of family members that could accompany them to their treatments. As the pandemic worsened, that was reduced to one visitor and finally no visitors were allowed. Now nurses like Wagner have had to assume the role of family member for these patients. “We’re kind of the nurse, the caregiver, the support person and the social worker,” said Wagner. “It’s kind of exhausting but we’ve really gotten to know the patients, which is my favourite part about nursing.” Although nurses have always played a supportive role for their patients, the pandemic has really accentuated that role. Although nurses have received some additional support to pre-
pare for this role, Wagner said that for the most part they are figuring it out as they go along. There have been other changes at the hospital. Initially nurses were restricted to their wards as the risk of transmission to other wards was considered too high. That’s now been relaxed as the increase in patients has meant that nurses have to be prepared to switch to the areas of greatest demand. Nurses also have to wear face shields, goggles and masks, and keep on top of changing health protocols. Although the new protocols are necessary, they can be difficult for oncology patients. “A lot of our patients are nauseous, fatigued and have high temperatures, which are all COVID symptoms. We have to follow the standard to make sure it’s not COVID so if we have patients who have been here for three months, they might have been swabbed for COVID on multiple occasions. We can’t rule out that it’s chemo-related or COVID-related,” she said. Despite the increase in workload and the stress and anxiety from the pandemic, Wagner said that nursing is still a great career option. “It’s really rewarding to see a patient come in who’s really sick and then you do so many things to help them out. A week later you see them walking around, laughing and ready to go home. It’s challenging, but it’s so rewarding,” she said.
Nurses help expectant moms through COVID isolation BY NADIA MOHARIB
The prolonged global pandemic has shown in the most devastating ways—life doesn’t always go as planned. And in the midst of it, many pregnant women are forced to accept that expectations around how their baby will make its debut just won’t go the way they envisioned. Monica Steenaerts, who worked in labour and delivery for more than a decade until switching to another area of nursing this year, says many aspects of childbirth remain the same at a time when rules to safeguard against the COVID-19 virus have changed so much about the experience. “The pandemic really put a bit of a wrench in the way we care for our population and support them through labour,” the RN says. “None of us has ever lived through something
Nurse Angela Woods, 19 weeks pregnant, hopes her identical twin sister Monica Steenaerts, also a nurse, will be allowed to be with her during the birth of her second child in Calgary. P H OTO : C H RI S T I NA RYA N, P OS T M ED I A C ONT EN T WORKS
like this. I think everybody is doing the best they can.” The most heartbreaking adjustments for some pa-
tients are restrictions on the number of people who can be in the delivery room or permitted to visit the newborn. Steenaerts recalls a time not long ago when a woman could be surrounded by loved ones as the magic unfolded. The Calgarian, who isn’t certain if she will be able to attend the birth of her twin sister’s child this summer, says most nurses empathize with patients. “It can be distressing for people to feel they do not have the support they need. Or (for loved ones) to miss this momentous day — that’s awful. It’s not like they can get a do-over,” she says. “My advice is to go in with no expectations during or out of a pandemic. The most fulfilling births are ones with no plan, no expectations other than a happy, healthy mom and baby. All the stuff
in the middle matters less than you think,” she adds. “So much stress is put on the birth story rather than the outcome. At the end of the day, we can’t control any of it.” Pandemic or not — life goes on. Adjustments to try to provide optimal care for patients despite a pandemic is a realm where labour and delivery nurses shine, says Steenaerts. “I truly believe labour and delivery nurses are made for this,” she says. “We, for the most part, have nailed our bedside manner. There is that surveillance—making sure you’re safe, the baby is safe, the doctor is there when they need to be and if something goes sideways, we always make sure the team is ready in the OR. But we are also there to reassure that mom on a human level. That’s something we do every day.”
Thank You to all Saskatchewan
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NATIONAL NURSING WEEK USask dean of nursing proud of college’s response to pandemic BY ELIZABETH IRELAND
From undergraduates to PhD students, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented learning challenges (and some small victories) for university students around the world. Cindy PeterneljTaylor, interim dean and professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Nursing, is pleased with how the college has responded to the pandemic and adapted to the new COVID-19 learning environment. “I am particularly proud of our faculty and staff. Everyone has gone above and beyond during this pandemic to ensure our students keep on track in their program, so they can graduate on time and when they enter the workforce, meet the needs of patients, families and communities, now and in the future. Our students have been amazing, as they have demonstrated resiliency and dedication, in spite of all changes brought on by the pandemic,” says Peternelj-Taylor. The college has three main locations in the province: Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert. It also uses a distributed learning approach to deliver undergraduate and graduate programs with three additional sites in Île-à-la-Crosse, La Ronge and Yorkton. This approach both allows students to learn where they live and builds local nursing capacity across the province. With heightened awareness of the importance of the nursing profession, this past year saw a three per cent increase in undergraduate applicants to the college. Overall, there were 770 applicants for 345 seats. The total number of students enrolled the undergraduate program is 967. “We have a long history of working with Indigenous communities and the number of Indigenous nursing students we have in our college is something we are extremely proud of,” says Peternelj-Taylor. “Not only are more than 20 per cent of our undergraduate students self-identifying as Indigenous—the highest proportion of any Canadian university—but overall, 22.1 per cent of all our BSc in Nursing grads in 2020 were Indigenous. Upon completion of their programs, many of our Indigenous graduates are health care providers and leaders in their communities. When
Cindy Peternelj-Taylor, interim dean, University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing P H OT O: U SAS K
Our students have been amazing, as they have demonstrated resiliency
More than 20 per cent of the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Nursing undergraduate students self-identify as Indigenous— the highest proportion of any Canadian university. As well, 22.1 per cent of the college’s BSc in Nursing grads in 2020 were Indigenous. PH O T O : U SASK
and dedication, in spite of all changes brought on by the pandemic. - CINDY PETERNELJTAY L O R , i n t e r i m dean, University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing
almost one quarter of our nursing graduates are Indigenous, we are pleased to say we are contributing to the creation of a representative nursing workforce in Saskatchewan.” In terms of graduate programs, the college has a total of 206 graduate students in four programs. There was a remarkable 48 per cent increase in applications and a 58 per cent increase in applicants to the Nurse Practitioner program in particular. “The pandemic has changed the way the world views nursing and for many practicing nurses, it has also been an opportunity to evaluate where they want their nursing career to take them. I think this is the reason behind the large increase in applicants to our graduate programs,” says Peternelj-Taylor. Originally from Ontario, Peternelj-Taylor moved to
This past year, the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing saw a remarkable 48 per cent increase in applications to its graduate programs, and a 58 per cent increase in applicants to the Nurse Practitioner program. PHOTO: USA SK
Saskatchewan as a Registered Nurse in the 1980s to work at a regional psychiatric centre and “two years turned into decades.” She was appointed an assistant professor in 1987 and has been a full professor since 1998. Her own academic research interests include forensic nursing, professional role development and ethical issues. She is also the long-time editor-in-chief of the Journal of Forensic Nursing. There is some interesting
research currently underway at the college. Dr. Don Leidl and his team are using virtual reality as a way for nurses to walk through different simulated Code White scenarios in a safe and secure environment, before experiencing the danger of physical harm in real life. In this way, nurses can safely learn methods of de-escalating patient and family violence. Incorporating virtual care, Dr. Noelle Rohatinsky and her team aim to help improve the quality of life and
care for older adults living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease by taking a patientcentred approach. What’s ahead for the College of Nursing? PeterneljTaylor summarizes, “There are some things we learned and developed during COVID-19 that we will want to keep. One example is the use of virtual care and virtual reality as a way to ensure patients and health care professionals have access to resources and supports they need. Without the dedica-
tion and expertise of our faculty and staff, we wouldn’t have had the ability to pivot to where we are today. It’s really remarkable. Amongst all the uncertainty the pandemic has created one thing I know for sure is that nursing is a dynamic profession. If there is a group of people who can push through uncertainty, adapt well to change and think on their feet, it is nurses.” Learn more about the College of Nursing at nursing. usask.ca.
During uncertain times, nurses are there. Whether it’s working the front lines, educating the health care providers of tomorrow, participating in community practice or conducting research, nursing plays a valuable role. From everyone at USask College of Nursing, thank you to all the nurses who make a difference each and every day.
USASK
NURSING Photos taken prior to COVID-19.
Saskatoon | Regina | Prince Albert | Northern SK | Yorkton
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NATIONAL NURSING WEEK Simulation centres provide key experience for nursing students
BY RAY PENNER
You always wanted to be a nurse, and for years you wondered what it would be like to live in a remote northern community. Now, your first day on the job, within the first hour of your very first shift, you’re about to experience reality. Two hikers bring in their friend, bloodied, disoriented, and screaming in pain. As a member of the medical team, you’re supposed to immediately know your role and spring into action. Suddenly, the accident victim goes into cardiac arrest. What now? What could possibly prepare you for all of this? The answer can be found at Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s School of Nursing. Preparing nursing students through real-life experiences of their profession is a vital component of the School of Nursing, and to help do that, the school has developed simulation centres using the latest in technology. “It’s all about creating confidence and competence, which means greater patient safety,” explains Dan MacKay, the school’s interim dean. The centres, located on the Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert campuses, feature a variety of simulated health care settings including clinical care, home care, labs and a pharmacy. The school uses high-tech mannequins, operated by a simulation technologist from a separate control room. The technologist can make changes at any time, such as adding complications during childbirth, with the student responding directly to the mannequin, just as they would with a real patient. These “high fidelity” mannequins can mimic expanding chests that breathe, variable heart rates, measurable blood pressure and other human characteristics. MacKay emphasizes that simulation can never replace actual clinical experience, and is regarded as an enhancement. However, simulation does offer particular advantages. The instructor can determine the sequence and types of situations to present to a learner, whereas in a clinical setting that would be impossible. Most importantly of all, a mistake in a simulation is something that can be calmly analyzed and corrected, without the stress of worrying about an actual patient’s well-being. “The key is control,” says
The pandemic has made it more difficult to place nursing students into actual clinical situations. The School of Nursing’s simulation centres have helped to bridge the gap between academic and clinical training. SU PPL IED
MacKay. “The learner is in a far better place than they would have been 15 or 20 years ago.” Sometimes, rather than mannequins, actors in full costume and make-up are brought in to create high fidelity situations. “It can look like a Hollywood set,” says MacKay. After the sessions, whether with mannequins or actors, students can review their performance with their instructor, to further refine their ability to respond as quickly and effectively as possible in medical emergencies. The rationale is simple: The closer you can simulate an actual situation, the better prepared the student is going to be when they graduate. As with any kind of training for a profession where the stakes are high— pilot training being a familiar example—investment in the very best simulation technology is well worth it. It’s also why technology companies are vigorously developing new training equipment, with a trend toward virtual reality, where the student wears headgear that plunges them into very realistic experiences. There’s no shortage of students eager to take advantage of this advanced training. Sask Polytech’s School of Nursing is fully enrolled with more than 2,000 students, including 1,302 students in the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science Nursing program,
offered in partnership with the University of Regina. Demand is certain to remain high. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a new light on nursing as a profession, and the heroism of frontline health care workers is inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. The pandemic has also presented the challenges faced by all educational institutions, and made it more difficult to place nursing students into actual clinical situations. Here again, the simulation centres have helped to bridge the gap between academic and clinical training. Nursing students now benefit through expanded on-line learning as well as training equipment they can take home with them, to practice on their own. “Our simulation centres have been really busy, and there’s a safety protocol for each student,” adds MacKay. “They wear full PPE. We’ve had incredible success with our no-spread strategy at our labs.” At the end of their training, Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s nursing graduates can be confident that, even on their first day in their chosen profession, they will be well-prepared to treat their patients safely and effectively. As the School of Nursing’s simulation centres continue to evolve, so too will the ability of our future nurses to provide essential medical services throughout our province.
To help prepare nursing students through real-life experiences of their profession, Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s School of Nursing has developed simulation centres using the latest in technology. SU PPL I ED
THANK YOU
The Saskatchewan Polytechnic School of Nursing recognizes and thanks the Saskatchewan Health Authority, our many community partners and all of our preceptors for their unwavering commitment to our students’ success during these unprecedented times in our healthcare system. Through their dedication and support to nursing education, our students will be able to safely finish their education and successfully graduate! We salute all nurses and health care workers in the province for their ongoing dedication and commitment to the profession and the people they care for.
@saskpolytechnursing
saskpolytech.ca/nursing
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Public health care frontline workers put themselves at risk to keep us safe
During this pandemic, public health care staff set aside their own fears, concerns and even their families, to be a presence for families, patients, clients, staff and their coworkers. B y BARB CAPE, President, SEIU-West
This past year has challenged us, frightened us, and caused us stress and anxiety. But the one constant sign of hope has been the incredible frontline staff who show up, advocate for and provide hands-on care to our residents, clients, and patients in our health care system (hospitals, home care, and long-term care facilities), retirement homes, group homes, and private care homes. Our members work in the following family of nursing classifications: Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs), Personal Support Staff, and Direct Care Workers.
We have called them ‘essential’, ‘heroes’, ‘angels’… but they are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, daughters, and sons who stepped forward in a crisis to provide calm and a level of professional care that is second to none. They have shared our losses, our sorrows, and our joys. They have answered our questions, provided information and guidance, and stayed to piece us back together when we have been shattered by grief. Their dedication, professionalism and skill have supported a health care system that has groaned under the strain of a pandemic. They put themselves at risk to keep us safe. The work they do
They literally face the daily threat of COVID-19 to do what is best for those in need of care. - BARB COPE, SEIU-WEST PRESIDENT is hands-on, personal, and intimate. It is physically, emotionally and mentally intense at the best of times, but during this pandemic, they set aside their own fears, concerns and even their families, to be a presence for families, patients, clients, staff and their coworkers.
They literally face the daily threat of COVID-19 to do what is best for those in need of care. No one could have known or predicted this past year. And as we try to come out from under a pandemic, they remain on the job to reach out to those in vulnerable health
THIS STORY WAS PROVIDED BY SEIU-WEST FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES.
situations without judgement or question. They didn’t get preferential treatment. They are suffering from exhaustion and burn-out… and still they show up and stand out for facing this battle against COVID-19 from the frontline. T he y do all this and advocate for the end of understaffing in our public health care system which will ensure they can provide the care necessary to improve the health and quality of life for all in Saskatchewan. We a l l s h a r e i n t h e responsibility to do our part and follow the public health orders. Wear your mask. (Yes, you really can breathe with it on; these frontline staff are
SUP P LIED
required to wear a mask for eight, 12, 16 and sometimes 20 hours in a row!) Wash your hands frequently for a minimum of 20 seconds. Stay home whenever possible and stay physically distanced when you are out. I t ’s t h i s g r o u p o f tremendous individuals that has set aside so much in their personal lives to manage daily care needs during this pandemic, along with the rest of the health care provider team. Find out more about your public health care team of frontline heroes at PurpleWorks.ca. On behalf of SEIU-West, I want to thank all members of the nursing team for their incredible knowledge, skill, and compassionate care.
T U E S D A Y, M A Y 1 1 , 2 0 2 1
REGINA LEADER-POST
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NATIONAL NURSING WEEK
The role of nurses has also expanded in recent years throughout the health care system. M ET RO
Nurses are everywhere in the health care system BY CAROL T ODD
Nurses have shone the light on patient care for more than 200 years, while continuing to expand their skills and their roles in health care. From birth to death, often the first and last face someone sees is that of a nurse. “We are everywhere for people when they require our knowledge, skills and caring,” says Barb Shellian, RN, MN, past-president of the Canadian Nurses Association, and currently the director of rural health for Alberta Health. “Because we are in so many different settings, almost everybody has had contact with a nurse or knows a nurse. We are everywhere,” she says. Shellian, who grew up in Yellowgrass, SK and still has family in the province, has worked in nursing for more than 45 years. Her contributions to nursing were recently acknowledged when she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the College & Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta. She points out that nurses provide “people-based” services, rather than those based on location. “What we do is more about people and, as long as there are people, there will be a need for nurses,” Shellian says. And that need has skyrocketed this past year as the
Barb Shellian, RN, MN is pastpresident of the Canadian Nurses Association. S U P P L I ED
deadly COVID-19 virus has decimated populations. While many of us have been cowering under the couch as COVID-19 and its variants run rampant, nurses and other health care providers have stayed at their posts. “I am just so incredibly proud of them,” Shellian says of the nurses who have continued to provide care, including vaccinations. The pandemic has really emphasized the various roles nurses play in the health care system. “COVID is our burning building,” she says of nurses in the pandemic, who, like firefighters, head toward, not away from, danger. “We’ve had to roll up our sleeves and do what’s needed to be done. We didn’t have a choice going into this and I’m really proud of how nurses have answered the call.”
Shellian says the silver lining is that the pandemic has not only shone a light on the nursing profession, it has also allowed nurses to take a good look at the way the health care system has responded. “We’ve learned a lot about COVID and from COVID,” she says, pointing to long-term care and the vaccine roll-out as examples. Dealing with the pandemic has also encouraged resilience and ingenuity among nurses, while underscoring their ability to work in any environment. “I think it has really brought to the forefront the strength of nursing and our ability to work in teams, to be creative, to be there for the patient, to be prepared,” she says. Shellian hopes that all the lessons learned will not vanish when the virus does. “Shining the light on the importance of nursing knowledge and skills should not just be reserved for pandemics or disasters,” she says, but should be on-going, as should the public’s regard for nurses. “We are often unsung heroes, and I think we need to change that.” While public displays of support for nurses and other health care practitioners have abated somewhat in recent months, overall public support for nurses remains high. A recent Gallup poll in
the U.S. ranked nurses as the most trusted profession for the ninth straight year and a 2018 Canadian poll found almost 90 per cent of Canadians trust nurses. With that kind of public support, Shellian says this is the right time to remind decision-makers of the contributions nurses make and invite nurses’ input into health care policies and strategy. “We should seize this opportunity to influence decision-makers. We have solutions for the crisis in long-term care. We know how to manage a massive vaccination strategy,” she says. The lessons learned this past year will help nurses pre-
pare for the future, a future which Shellian believes will always need nurses. “We’re knowledge workers and the world will always need knowledge workers,” she says. The role of nurses has also expanded in recent years, into pharmacology and elsewhere in the health care system. While continuing to work in hospitals, long-term care and other facilities, Shellian says nurses will also continue to expand their roles in the future, especially into the community. “We’re seeing that bit by bit with the expansion of home care, keeping people at home where in other times they may have had to go to the hospital.”
The recipient of the lifetime achievement award for nursing turns that spotlight back onto her peers. “We’ve been there for people; we’ve been there for our provinces, for our nation. I’m just really proud of what nurses and nursing have contributed in this pandemic,” Shellian says. And, it’s not only nurses that she feels have responded. “As a Canadian, I am really proud that we have come together, aside from little pockets of people that have behaviours that I don’t think are really positive. As a nation, I think we’ve come together; as a profession, I am so proud of nurses and nursing.”
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SOUTHEAST COLLEGE CONTINUING CARE ASSISTANT
CCA graduates continue to be one of the highest demand occupations in the Saskatchewan healthcare sector with 300 new CCA positions by 2023!
Southeast Colleg e Whitewood Campus S e p t e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 2 1 - M a y 12 , 2 0 2 2 Tu i t i o n E s t i m a t e $ 4 4 6 1 M a t e r i a l s E s t i m a t e $ 12 0 0 • Fr i e n d l y, s a f e a n d w e l c o m i n g e nv i r o n m e n t • I n s t r u c t i o n a l a n d s u p p o r t s t a ff t h a t g e n u i n e l y c a r e a b o u t yo u r s u c c e s s A p p l y o n l i n e a t w w w. s o u t h e a s t c o l l e g e . o r g
CUPE LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES AND CONTINUING CARE ASSISTANTS HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC. THANK YOU.