What does one nursing school mean?
A single program for all of the province would work, but it can’t be offered at just one location, says former director of Corner Brook school
CORNER BROOK — What exactly is meant by the Greene Report recommendation of one nursing school for the province needs to be clarified, says Linda Normanrobbins, a former director of the Western Regional School of Nursing in Corner Brook.
“If we were talking about one program, I would say sure, that’s fine, that’s what we have now. But one school absolutely cannot be located in St. John’s. I can’t say that often and loud enough. One school cannot be,” she said.
Norman-robbins is a strong advocate for keeping a school on the west coast. She said it opened in 1971 because of difficulties in getting nurses who had trained in St. John’s to come to the West Coast.
She said many of the nurses who train in Corner Brook stay in the region.
“Can we amalgamate, consolidate, come up with a model that will ensure the delivery of health-care services on the west coast? Absolutely. We did it back in 2012 and they can do it again.”
The Greene report’s recommendation is coming at a time when the future of the school in Corner Brook is already being called into question. There is no space for it in the new regional acutecare hospital being built in the city, and plans to move it to Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus have not materialized.
“The word itself could not be worse, one school,” said Norman-robbins.
“First thing I saw was threat, threat, threat. The people of Corner Brook are going to see it as a threat. The students are going to see it as a threat. The faculty are going to see it as a threat. And, of course, when something is threatened, then everything is disruptive.”
Somebody needs to explain what that one school would mean, and what they’re talking about, she said.
“There is no model to show what this is going to look like on a day-to-day basis to ensure our program stays in Corner Brook,” she said.
“It cannot be a satellite. It cannot be a campus. It’s too easy to just let those things be snipped and gone. … But it absolutely needs to be defined.”
Norman-robbins said she would also like to know where the savings are going to come from with one school.
Gerry Byrne, minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills and the MHA for Corner Brook, said he isn’t concerned that one school means one location.
He said in the Greene report the PERT (Premier’s Economic Task Force) committee tags the recommendations from a 2005 report that suggests having all three schools under Memorial University.
“And that does not call for one brick-and-mortar institution. It calls for two, if not more.”
Byrne said the reality is it would be inefficient to have one location, as that would present fewer clinical studies opportunities for students, which are important to the nursing curriculum.
“The Greene report in this particular case quite rightfully echoes the work that has been underway the last 15 years to consolidate the nursing school into one entity,” he said.
Byrne said the report is welcome and provides reinforcement that this option has its merits, and it is time to get on with it, and the driver of the change is Memorial.
“And Memorial needs to take action, in particular here on the west coast.”
Western Health responded to a request for comment with an emailed statement that said it was too early to comment on specific recommendations presented in the report.
“It is a comprehensive document that will take some time to digest,” said the email.
“We at Western Health are aware the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is facing considerable economic challenges that require transformational change. We appreciate that residents, communities and other stakeholders in our region will have the opportunity to provide input through Engagenl.
“We are pleased that the work being accomplished through the Health Accord NL Task Force will provide insight to help make informed decisions to support the health and well-being of residents in our region.”