A $10,000 donation recognizing National Nursing week will help jumpstart an important program for nurses at Boundary Trails Health Centre. The grant, from the RBC Foundation will support nursing education at the regional hospital.
According to Joel Nelson, Director of Health Services at Boundary Trails, they plan to focus the education on obstetrics, palliative care, surgical care, and critical care.
In addition to covering certification fees, the donation will enable Boundary Trails to provide honorariums for speakers on topics like palliative care, medical management of elderly patients and acute medical emergencies. Other continuing education opportunities will include casting techniques, wound education, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Pediatric Advance Life Saving.
“Nurses here are craving the opportunity to get back in a learning environment in order to work towards providing excellent care for our clients,” said Nelson.
Kim Ulmer, RBC Regional President, says RBC recognizes the impact nurses have in our healthcare system is unparalleled. "Dedicated, committed, and always answering the call no matter the sacrifice, they are our caregivers and comforters during our deepest times of need,” said Ulmer.
National Nursing Week is coming up May 8th to May 14th.
Held in honour of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, National Nursing Week is designed to increase the awareness of the many contributions nursing makes to the wellbeing of Canadians.
Meanwhile, this show of support by the RBC Foundation comes at a critical time. Recent Statistics Canada data shows Canadian frontline healthcare workers are feeling strained and overloaded.
In July, Statistics Canada reported 23,620 vacant nursing positions in the first quarter of 2022 (up 219% from 2019), and an all-time high of 136,800 job vacancies within the health sector throughout the first quarter of 2022. Recent data released by Mental Health Research Canada also shows that healthcare workers, and nurses in particular, were profoundly impacted by the pandemic.