World in need of more nurses
Nursing is a rewarding career with many opportunities
The world needs nine million more nurses and midwives in order to achieve universal health coverage by 2030, according to the WHO (World Health Organization). That’s why the World Health Assembly has designated 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
Students come to the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University straight from high school to enroll in the three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSCN), or they can complete the program in two years if they have a previous degree.
The new integrated curriculum includes a mixture of theory and practice, so graduates write an exam to become licensed with the Nova Scotia College of Nursing (NSCN) and are immediately ready to work.
“Nursing is a wonderful profession with so many opportunities for people just starting their careers,” says Dr. Ruth Martin-misener, Director of the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. “Many people are drawn to nursing because it’s a diverse profession with a range of employment settings — hospitals, long-term care facilities, small communities — and there’s the potential to move into leadership and administration.”
But Dr. Martin-misener says what draws people to nursing is simply “the desire to help people.”
“People want to become nurses so they can help people improve their health and well-being, or help them recover from illness,” says Dr. Martin-misener. “They have a genuine interest and capacity for caring.”
Dr. Martin-misener has yet to meet the newest group of students preparing to start in the 2020⁄2021 school year, but she says many current nursing students are finding ways to volunteer during the pandemic and finding it “very rewarding.”
She says it’s “really incredible” to see how nurses are moving from place to place, helping out wherever they’re needed in the fight against COVID-19. Not only are they caring directly for patients, but they’re also providing education, conducting research and creating important policies within health authorities and government — all of which are critical as we move through the pandemic.
“All of our healthcare providers are really going the extra mile right now, and I don’t think anyone should underestimate how much a simple ‘thank you’ means to them,” says Dr. Martinmisener. “Tell the nurses in your life that you appreciate them, whether they’re caring for you or a loved one or they’re just someone you know. Thank them for everything they’re doing.”