National Nursing Week

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2020 11 cna-aiic.ca Your leadership makes a difference every day. Share your story @ canadanurses #VoiceToLead #IND2019 & #NationalNursingWeek NATIONAL NURSING WEEK MAY 6-12, 2019 NATIONAL NURSING WEEK cna-aiic.ca MAY 11-17, 2020 Proud to Support Manitoba's Nurses and Health-Care Workers Proud to Support Manitoba's Nurses and Health-Care Workers Red River College is grateful for the invaluable contributions made by Manitoba's nurses and health-care workers, and for the courage and compassion they've shown as they fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As the primary educator of health-care workers in this province, we're also proud to have played a part in helping prepare them for that fight. Our graduates fill vital roles on the front lines of Manitoba's health-care system, working tirelessly to keep our families and communities safe. Are you interested in joining their ranks? Apply now for Fall 2020 entry to a number of full- and part-time programs in the health sciences. You'll gain the skills and expertise to provide quality health care — now, and for generations to come. rrc.ca/healthsciences 'I 'm really excited to share that part of our mandate is changing and expanding because our members voted to open membership to all nursing designations, including LPNs (licensed practical nurses), nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and registered psychiatric nurses," says Mary Smith, ARNM's executive director. "It really is a historical achievement for nursing in Manitoba and as a nurse with 42 years' experience, I'm thrilled." ARNM was founded in response to the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba's 2014 shift to a strictly regulatory mandate. It supports and empowers nurses and health leaders in all settings, including clinical practice, community care, acute care, long- term care, administration, education, research and public policy. "The goal of that mandate is to advance the profession of nursing and to advocate for improving health outcomes for people living in Manitoba," says Smith. It is an extraordinary coincidence that months before the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization had declared the year 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The ARNM had to shift its focus from promotion to further supporting nurses and providing key connections to information they need. One example is the new weekly online forum Talk Tuesday, which brings nurses from across the province together for a facilitated talk about common issues and questions. Wellness Matters is an ongoing program dedicated to personal well-being. "We all know as caregivers that if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't effectively and adequately provide for others," she says. "So we really want to add those resources and supports so that nurses can gain personal benefits." ARNM supports all aspects of nursing excellence, including leadership, professional development, and advocacy. Nurses are required to maintain continuing competency as part of their certificate of practice. The association provides those opportunities and resources with experts in various areas of research and specialties. A frequent question Smith hears is how can people support nurses at this time. "Stay home. Maintain social distancing. Wash your hands! If you have symptoms or if you have concerns, use the self-assessment and access Manitoba Health and the Manitoba Government for health resources, they are absolutely excellent. "We are doing a good job flattening the curve, so let's keep those numbers low so that our health-care providers aren't getting sick." Smith says nurses are also concerned about families and individuals at risk in the community. "Nurses would very much appreciate support for those populations that are truly having struggles, by donating to food banks and remembering the soup kitchens that are still trying to work to keep these communities well-supported." Right now, there are nurses at the community level who continue to do screening and contact tracing. These are the nurses who also work "upstream." "When we talk about upstream, we're talking about pre-disease, pre-illness, pre- infection and that's the work of community nursing," says Smith. "If we can invest more upstream, I believe we will really be able to help keep flattening these curves so that when we do have other epidemics and outbreaks, we will be able to manage them effectively." Community nursing is where Smith spent most of her career and she says studies show that every dollar spent upstream results in savings multiplied from seven to 10 times downstream. She says nurses would like to see the public asking for more health and wellness promotion through activities, systems and public health nurses or health promotion facilitators. For now, the primary focus is on getting everybody through the pandemic as safely as possible. "Our profession is composed of highly educated and skilled women and men with a unique body of knowledge, who are very well prepared and committed to respond to this pandemic as part of an interdisciplinary team in collaboration with other health professionals," says Smith. "In this International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, instead of celebrating our contributions, the pandemic has become a platform to clearly demonstrate to the world the critical importance of nurses in our society." ✚ "IN THIS INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE NURSE AND MIDWIFE, INSTEAD OF CELEBRATING OUR CONTRIBUTIONS, THE PANDEMIC HAS BECOME A PLATFORM TO CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE TO THE WORLD THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF NURSES IN OUR SOCIETY." > CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE - MARY SMITH, ARNM'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. Nursing the World to Health

• Cover