Enhanced education programs prepare nurses for every challenge
Almost 200 years after Florence Nightingale focussed on the need for proper hygiene, evidence based nursing care and formal education for nurses, the focus is now more than ever on the contributions of nurses and other front-line health care workers.
It couldn’t be more appropriate that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, prior to the emergence of the global coronavirus pandemic. The declaration is in recognition of the fact it’s been 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale.
The theme for National Nursing Week (May 11 to 17) takes on additional meaning this year as the world reels from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The message of “Nurses: A Voice to Lead — Nursing the World to Health” was developed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) to showcase how nurses are central to addressing a wide range of health challenges.
The interim Dean of the University of Regina Faculty of Nursing says there needs to be more awareness of the role nurses play in the health care system. Dr. Robin Evans says the current coronavirus pandemic has brought wider recognition of the complexity of what nurses do and the value they bring. “I think a lot of times the way nurses are portrayed in the media, in movies and television, is not a true depiction of the depth of knowledge and the responsibilities that a nurse has,” she said, adding that events such as National Nursing Week and the dedicated Year of the Nurse and Midwife help raise awareness of the real role of nurses. “It’s a great profession – we have the opportunity this year to make more visible what nurses do and the contributions they make to the health care system,” Evans said.
Here in Saskatchewan, Evans says nurses are prepared to meet the current pandemic and other challenges.
“Nursing has always dealt with crises – although not necessarily global crises like this. Nurses are educated to deal with situations that present on any day which may have major impact or outcomes for the individuals and significant others experiencing them. Fortunately we don’t deal with pandemics that frequently but nurses are prepared to manage them when they do occur.”
The knowledge and skills that nurses need has continued to increase over the years and advanced education is required to meet those needs. Evans, who is a registered nurse, as well as holding a PHD, says the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SCBSCN) program offered jointly by the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic prepares students to become registered nurses ready for any eventuality. The four-year degree program includes a number of options available to the more than 1,200 students who are enrolled each year. “The evolving role of the nurse, combined with required indepth knowledge, and real world experience in a clinical setting makes the four year program challenging for many students.”
The four-year nursing degree program can be completed in three or three and a half years by attending classes during the spring/summer term; an after degree program can be completed in two years. The only bilingual nursing option in the province is an added feature of the SCBSCN program, in which students take 50 per cent of their classes in French. “It seems to me that we have the right number and mix of nursing education spots right now for the needs of the province.
Since the first graduating class in 2014, almost all of our nearly 1,600 graduates have found rewarding careers as nurses in the province,” Evans said.
In this, the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and with the Nursing Week theme of “Nursing the World to Health”, nurses are front and center during this pandemic. So please stay safe, and remember to say a heart-felt ‘thank you’ to nurses and those who educate them. We need you now more than ever.
I think the current coronavirus pandemic has brought wider recognition of the complexity of what nurses do and the value they bring.
- Dr. Robin Evans