A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS | THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2017 | VIEW ONLINE AT winnipegfreepress.com/publications
NATIONAL NURSING WEEK 2017 MAY 8-14, 2017 cna-aiic.ca
#YESThisIsNursing
Unexpected places. Real Impact.
CELEBRATING A CARING PROFESSION NURSES PLAY A CENTRAL — AND EVER-EXPANDING — ROLE IN OUR HEALTH SYSTEM
I t’s truly a team effort to provide health care, and nurses are essential to the success of the entire system. National Nursing Week is held each year during the week of May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is credited as being the founder of the nursing profession. The week offers an opportunity to take a moment to celebrate — and to thank — the nurses who are on the front lines of care during every stage of our lives, literally from the day we’re born until the day we die. The national theme for 2017 is #YESThisIsNursing – a hashtag that acknowledges the growing role of technology By Jennifer McFee for the Free Press
in nursing, and promotes opportunities to inform and educate the general public through social media. Check your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram this week. You just might learn something. EXPANDING SCOPE OF PRACTICE The role nurses play in the health-care system is constantly growing and evolving. Katherine Stansfield, executive director of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, outlines the difference between registered nurses and nurse practitioners, which both fall under the oversight of the college. Anyone who aspires to become a registered
nurse will need to take four years of baccalaureate education, followed by an entry-level exam. Nurse practitioners continue their education to complete a master’s program in nursing in preparation for their specific role. Once they pass their exam and register with the college, nurse practitioners can work within an expanded scope of practice. They may prescribe medications, diagnose and treat patients, order diagnostic tests, and essentially fill the role of a primary care provider. “Nurse practitioners provide a very comprehensive first level of health care that most of us need for the whole course of our lives. Very few of us actually have
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IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL NURSING WEEK, the CLPNM would like to recognize the dedication and contribution
LPNs make to the health and wellness of all Manitobans.
The CLPNM is the regulatory body that governs the practice of student practical nurses, graduate practical nurses, and licensed practical nurses in Manitoba.
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complicated health issues that require surgery or intensive care or specialist care,” Stansfield says. “But certainly for those people that do, the nurse practitioner will refer them so that they receive the appropriate care from specialists, who are usually physicians.” Meanwhile, RNs are also able to work within a variety of different areas. In a hospital setting, most people are familiar with registered nurses who work on the front lines, where they conduct initial assessments and triage patients who need less urgent care. Throughout the rest of the hospital, RNs work in every section, from labour and delivery all the way through to palliative care. In addition to working in hospitals, registered nurses work in community settings where they may focus on areas such as public health and community development. Another option is to become an educator to ensure that fellow nurses are up to date with their skills and knowledge. Other RNs might opt to work as health-care administrators or become instructors in an academic setting. “There are lots of ways to shape your career if you go into registered nursing. I can say from my own experience that it’s the best career,” says Stansfield, whose roles have included clinical nurse, clinical nurse specialist, educator and administrator. “Your clinical practice is very broad across all areas. It gives you so many opportunities all in one career.” On behalf of the college, Stansfield expresses pride in the ongoing contributions of registered nurses to health care and protection of the public. As of Dec. 31, 2016, Manitoba was home to 13,634 registered nurses and 187 nurse practitioners. COLLABORATING AND CONTRIBUTING AT EVERY LEVEL Working in collaboration with the entire health-care team, licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are valued contributors in community and hospital settings. A two-year LPN diploma program is offered at three post-secondary institutions in Manitoba: Assiniboine Community College, Université de Saint-Boniface and the University College of the North. Thanks to technological advancements, more options are becoming available in distance education for nurses who want to refresh their skills. For added ease, national entrance exams are now delivered via a computerized test rather than on paper, which allows for more flexibility with dates, times and locations. Cheryl Geisel, president of the board of directors for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) of Manitoba, notes that a multitude of career options are
available to LPNs. “In Manitoba, our LPNs work throughout the entire province. They work in acute care, emergency care, community care and long-term care. Our job is to provide our best care within our skill level and our scope of practice while keeping people’s best interest in mind,” Geisel says. “Nursing Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of LPNs — and all nurses — to the health and well-being of Manitobans. We work as a collaborative team to our fullest scope. Please thank your nurses for the wonderful job that they do.” As of Nov. 30, 2016, there were 3,401 practising LPNs in Manitoba, plus another 406 student practical nurses and 217 graduate practical nurses. MAKING BODY AND MIND CONNECTIONS While you take a moment to recognize the contributions of nurses during National Nursing Week, don’t forget to honour the registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs), whose expertise extends beyond the physical. “We don’t look at mental health in isolation. Instead, we look at the health and mental health of individuals, families, groups and communities,” says Isabelle Jarrin, president of the board of directors of the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba. “It can be really far reaching.” Diverse career paths are available to registered psychiatric nurses. Some might focus on mental health promotion or injury prevention and treatment, tailoring their approach to fit the needs of each client. RPNs might also work as direct care providers or as educators for clients, the public or other health- care professionals. Others choose to pursue careers as university educators or researchers — or both. “A lot of times, RPNs will have dual roles,” Jarrin says. “We’re part of the nursing family because we have a lot of basic principles as well as some education that is very similar. But what sets RPNs apart is the focus on mental health as well as physical health.” As a result, the profession blends communications skills with medical skills. “I might take your blood pressure to see how you’re doing, but I’m also connecting with you and seeing how you’re doing emotionally. It’s not just the physical; it’s the emotional as well — and sometimes one will impact the other,” Jarrin says. “Sometimes the focus might be more emotional and
we’ll still check on the physical, and other times it’s the other way around.” Traditionally, RPNs work in mental health programs within community care and acute care settings, such as a hospital psychiatric unit. In addition, an increasing number of RPNs are making inroads in non-mental health settings. As an example, Jarrin points to one student who recently completed her senior practicum in palliative care, an area that doesn’t typically hire RPNs. “Interdisciplinary care is really important for the health-care system, so we try to determine who are the right providers to provide for the different needs of the population,” Jarrin says. “If you think of someone in palliative care, there might be spiritual and physical health issues but also mental health well-being and emotional issues to work through. A psychiatric nurse can provide some of the physical as well as the mental health component.” “IT’S ALL ABOUT RECOGNIZING WHAT NURSES BRINGTOTHE HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM, AND IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THAT.” Other RPNs provide expertise and knowledge in non-mental health settings within hospitals. “For example, in a medical area, maybe there’s a patient who staff are wondering about or who they need some assistance with,” Jarrin says. “They think that this person could use mental health resources, so RPNs will go and provide assessments and suggestions for the care of the person.” In Manitoba, there are more than 1,000 RPNs, which makes them the single largest group of mental health professionals in the province, Jarrin notes. To become an RPN, students need to complete a four-year degree program. Currently, Brandon University is the only post-secondary institution in the province to offer a psychiatric nursing program, and students can pursue their education in Brandon or at an alternative site in Winnipeg. Additionally, Brandon University recently increased its options by offering a new master of psychiatric nursing program. The only program of its type in Canada, it is open to RNs and RPNs from across the country. National Nursing Week is an ideal time to take a moment to appreciate the contributions of all nurses, in Manitoba and beyond. “It’s not just locally but it’s nationally and internationally,” Jarrin says. “It’s all about recognizing what nurses bring to the health-care system, and it’s an opportunity to celebrate that.” ✚
REGISTERED PSYCHIATRIC NURSES
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Professionally educated to help Manitobans achieve the highest possible level of mental health. Their contributions to our community are vital, and often surprising and unique.
YES, THIS IS NURSING
oui! Where success begins Prepare for your nursing career … And expand your employment opportunity Baccalauréat en sciences infirmières •
The College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba is proud to celebrate National Nursing Week May 8 – 14. The role of nurses is continually evolving and expanding. As education leaders, we are committed to promoting excellence and preparing our nursing students, through hands-on clinical practice and state-of-the-art technology, to bring their best to their patients. It is our honour to grow the profession by educating our province’s future nurses.
The CRPNM is the regulatory body for the psychiatric nursing profession in Manitoba crpnm.mb.ca
(Bachelor of Nursing Sciences) Soins infirmiers auxiliaires (Practical Nursing)
•
umanitoba.ca/nursing
ustboniface.ca
TR UBLE SLEEPING CAN’ LIFT KIDS
Find more information on prevention tips for musculoskeletal injuries and sign up for the SAFE Work Matters e-newsletter at safemanitoba.com Sprains , Strains & Tears
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MODEL PATIENTS MANNEQUINS ARE IDEAL FOR TRAINING NURSING STUDENTS
By Holli Moncrieff for the Free Press
New students at the University of Manitoba’s College of Nursing are often startled to see mannequins in the lab. Especially when the mannequins talk!
after working with the mannequins.” These high-fidelity models can blink and breathe. They have heart and lung sounds and can be programmed to display a range of ailments and physiological changes. Instructors can use a variety of prompts and cues to help nursing students diagnose each patient. “Students can see what’s happening on monitors. They can perform CPR on the mannequins, and see how well they’re doing it,” Harder says. “You can keep doing it until you get it right.” Turns out these “living” dolls have far more in common with flight simulators than they do with your average department store mannequin. “A lot of this came from the aviation industry. Through flight simulators, pilots are able to get out and practice their skills before they ever fly a plane.” Currently, the College of Nursing has six of the high-tech mannequins, with two more on the way. This second generation of mannequin is quieter, easier to program, and more realistic than the previous generation, which the university began using in 2006.
Nursing school can be hectic and stressful, so it’s understandable that instructors like to lighten the mood from time to time — especially with green students. “We have the students go through a tour when they’re brand new, and we have to have a bit of fun, so we’ll make the mannequins cough or say hello,” says Nicole Harder, a registered nurse and assistant professor of the College of Nursing. “It’s a little shocking at first when they start talking to you, but by the time we get the students through the program, they (consider the mannequins) buddies.” The mannequins are about so much more than fun and games, though. Harder explains that all health disciplines are using simulations more than ever before to help train students. “It’s all about patient safety. The first time a student goes through a situation, it will be with a mannequin instead of a patient,” she says. “Lots of research has been done that shows it’s an effective way for students to develop their clinical skills early. Our students are a lot quicker to respond to patients’ needs
There are adult models, children around six years old, and a labour-and-delivery duo of a mother and her baby. “The students deliver the baby and do a newborn assessment — the baby is really cool,” says Harder. “The only limit to what these mannequins can do is your imagination.” Aside from the mother, all of the adult mannequins are male. “We have interchangeable genitalia, but there are some limitations,” Harder says. A dedicated team is responsible for making sure the mannequins are always ready to be put into service. Makeup and eyelashes help the mannequins appear more lifelike and realistic, and these have to be reapplied on a regular basis. “We have staff who are responsible for all the mannequins,” says Harder. “The mannequins have to have someone who loves them and takes care of them.” ✚
“IT’S A LITTLE SHOCKING AT FIRST WHENTHEY START TALKING TO YOU, B UT BY THE TIME WE GET THE STUDENTS THROUGH
THE PROGRAM, THEY (CONSIDER THE MANNEQUINS) BUDDIES.”
University of Manitoba College of Nursing assistant professor Nicole Harder and two of the mannequin patients.
PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY
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Nurse Joe Gacheru is the regional co-ordinator for Jordan’s Principle Child- First Initiative.
PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME CARE PROVIDING A PERSONAL LEVEL OF CARING THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN CLIENTS’ LIVES By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Not all nurses work in a hospital or health care facility. For Home Care Visiting Nurse Christine St. George, a typical day is spent largely in her clients’ homes, conducting ongoing health assessments, ensuring that they are coping well within the home, and making sure that family members or caregivers have the support they need within the health-care system. And St. George wouldn’t have it any other way. “Being a Home Care nurse is a wonderful job,” she says. “It’s a very different type of nursing. I have to admit that when it’s -40C and the streets are bad and you’re trudging through snowbanks up to your knees to get to your client’s home, it can be daunting, but if you make it through your first winter with Home Care, you’re usually hooked.” As a Home Care nurse for the past 11 years, St. George has helped people live at home, remaining independent for as long as possible, and thereby avoiding or delaying the need for them to stay in hospitals or long-term care facilities. “Success in this role comes in the form of watching clients become as empowered and as independent as possible. That’s our goal,” St. George says. “I can’t imagine what the world would look like without Home Care. It’s a scary thought. We have seniors living on their own with minimal to no support. We are there to support parents who have children with illness to seniors. We are their advocates … I think hospitals would be overwhelmed with the number of people they would have to treat and find beds for. It would be detrimental for clients and families if they didn’t have our support.” Helping clients maintain their independence often means helping them focus on the positive, St. George says. “Sometimes they get stuck focusing on what they can’t do, so we try to refocus them on what they can do,” she says. “Watching people go from being very dependent to realizing that, ‘Yes, I can do this’ is absolutely fantastic. The flipside of that is that if it’s a diagnosis for someone who is not going to get better, who is going to deteriorate due to a chronic medical condition, it’s knowing that you’ve done everything you can for that person to give them the best quality of life they can achieve, and to be a support for the families. When you walk through the door, and the client is smiling and happy to see you, and the family members are happy to see you, that is very rewarding.” Working in Home Care also offers nurses an opportunity to do what they often do best: Provide a personal level of caring that makes a real difference in people’s lives. “I love that one-on-one with clients,” St. George says. “It’s so much more than just going there and giving a needle or tending to a wound. It’s ensuring that they are doing OK. They are trusting you to come into their home, and so the relationship is quite different. “Quite often, we’re the only people they will see that day. Having a visit while you are taking care of them, making them feel like they are a person and that they matter to someone is really important. Not all of our clients have family or advocates, so for clients to know we’re coming in, they feel at ease. They know that someone with medical knowledge is coming to care for their medical needs, do comprehensive assessments and advocate for them through the health-care system. It gives them peace of mind.” ✚
PHOTO BY DARCY FINLEY
SUPPORTS FOR FIRST NATIONS CHILDREN By Jennifer McFee for the Free Press It’s a matter of principle that First Nations children with disabilities should be able to access the supports and services that are available to other Canadians.
Along with his team, Gacheru determined that 426 First Nations kids in the Manitoba home-care program were receiving minimal respite support. They also discovered that another 3,300 kids could benefit from the initiative. They requested $12 million in funding and received $8 million for the first year of the program. Using a model that was developed at Pinaymootang First Nation, Gacheru asked communities to take the lead in creating dream projects to support their children. Jordan’s Principal coverage is geared for a variety of needs, including respite care, mental health services and rehabilitative services. Other areas could include transportation to appointments, medical equipment and special education supports. “It was a huge opportunity for us,” Gacheru says. “It makes the child at the centre have all the programs work together and create a seamless process.” By the time the fiscal year ended on March 31, the initial $8 million had helped 2,900 kids in 39 communities. In 2017-18, these communities will receive $25 million towards the initiative. An additional nine communities are awaiting funding approval. As the manager for home care and for JP-CFI at Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN), Linda Chartrand is pleased to have the chance to collaborate on a project that will provide better support for children with unmet needs. “When I started working on OCN 15 years ago, one of my goals was to advocate and seek funding for children with disabilities, so this is a huge milestone for me,” says Chartrand, a Métis woman who started her career 22 years ago as an obstetrical nurse. “This is a huge positive for the community in that we’re finally able to access funding, and I’m so proud to able to be part of it.” Similarly, Gacheru is proud that the program has been successful in Manitoba, especially since it creates a compelling business case for accessing additional federal funds. “We want the project to always be First Nation centered and First Nation led because we feel that it’s their story,” he says. “We want to work with them and support them so that it’s their project. We are honoured to be working as agents of change together with them.” For more information on Jordan’s Principle, call 1-800-567-9604 or visit www.canada.ca/ jordans principle. ✚
That’s the idea behind Jordan’s Principle Child- First Initiative (JP-CFI), a federal program aimed at providing community health and social supports for First Nations children. It’s named for Jordan River Anderson, who was born with a rare disorder and hospitalized from birth. He died in hospital before provincial and federal governments could agree on which level of government was financially responsible for his care in a medical foster home. In July 2016, the federal government announced the initiative to put children’s needs first, as well as its commitment to provide up to $382.5 million in funding over its three-year duration. In Manitoba, nurse Joe Gacheru is helping to make sure kids get the care they need in their own communities across the province. At the same time, he is supporting First Nations communities and organizations to maintain a leadership role throughout the process. Originally from Kenya, Gacheru earned a communications degree in his home country before he moved to Canada in 1995, with a scholarship to pursue graduate studies. He then spent several years working in group homes with people with learning disabilities, which led to his decision to pursue a nursing degree at the University of Manitoba. His first nursing job was as a health director for a small First Nations community in northern Alberta, where he witnessed first-hand the need for additional supports for its youth. “I learned there was more to the community than just providing health,” he says. “We need to empower First Nations and provide them with the tools that they need to be able to have more control over some of the situations they’re dealing with.” In 2007, he accepted an offer from Health Canada to become a nurse manager. Five years later, he was appointed to a new role as the regional home-care co-ordinator for all 63 First Nation communities in Manitoba. Since the fall of 2016, he has been the regional JP-CFI co-ordinator. “Our home care is culturally sensitive to the First Nations,” Gacheru says. “From the beginning, the First Nations worked with Health Canada to create the community-led home-care program we have right now.” When he heard about the Jordan’s Principle funding last summer, Gacheru undertook an environmental scan to determine how many Manitoba children might benefit from the initiative.
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COMPASSIONATE & COMMITTED THE FACE OF HEALTH CARE
AT THE BEDSIDE By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
As a child, Ken Borce was no stranger to the health-care system. But what he learned during those years set his feet on the path to a career in nursing.
It’s a rewarding part of what can, at times, be a difficult job. “I’d be lying if I said there was no stress,” Borce says. “There is always stress from many different factors, but what I can see from my team is that
“We have a great group of people who are really engaged, compassionate, competent, committed, and who look forward to providing the best care to patients and their families,” he says. “I find that inspiring, because we aren’t limited to typical nursing
The IICU is a six-bed unit caring for patients from all ICUs in the city who require intensive therapy to be liberated from mechanical ventilation. These patients are past the acute phase of their critical illness but still require comprehensive care. And while the IICU team uses a variety of the latest medical technologies to care for their patients, Borce says the human factor is still the most important tool for nurses. “We are the constant face of health care at the bedside,” he says. “Even if we have a $10 million piece of equipment at our disposal, if we don’t treat the patient as a person, if we don’t treat them with dignity, if we don’t respect them as a person, that equipment is rendered useless. If we don’t treat the patient as a person, then we’re missing the point of our profession.” That’s something his entire nursing staff understands, Borce adds.
“I was a sickly, asthmatic kid when I was young — a frequent flyer in the pediatrician’s office – and the nurses who helped me really inspired me because they were there to provide quality care and calm me down.” Now, many years later, Ken is Manager of Patient Care at the Intermediate Intensive Care Unit (IICU) at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, leading a team of 35 nurses and health- care support staff. “It sounds fluffy, but what attracted me to nursing is that I really do enjoy helping other people,” he says. “It gets me going when I know at the end of the day that I was able to help save a life. I’m the first health-care provider in my family — I come from a family of engineers and business people — and being in health care is really inspiring. The perceived ‘simple things’ nurses do can really change a life.”
“I WAS A SICKLY, ASTHMATIC KID WHEN I WASYOUNG — A FREQUENT FLYER INTHE PEDIATRICIAN’S OFFICE – ANDTHE NURSESWHO HELPED ME REALLY INSPIRED ME BECAUSETHEY WERETHERETO PROVIDE QUALITY CARE AND CALM ME DOWN.”
they have resilience. Yes, we experience stress, but we know we want to come back tomorrow with a smile because there is a person in that bed who needs our care.” ✚
tasks, but are willing to go that extra mile to talk to patients, talk to the family members, and encourage them to be part of the care team. We make sure the patients are the active drivers of their care.”
NURSING ADOLESCENTS TO BETTER MENTAL HEALTH By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority A NEW LEASE ON LIFE
While you won’t find Diane Kading in “scrubs” at a bedside on a hospital ward, she is still very much a nurse working to improve the lives of the people under her care. For the past 27 years, Kading has worked as a nurse at the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre (MATC), which provides a range of mental health services to children and adolescents who experience mental health challenges. “I work with MATC’s Intensive Community Re-Integration Service (ICRS), which provides services and treatment to children and adolescents on the autistic spectrum or with attention deficits who have been having difficulty in their home or school life,” she says.
assistant or other support person because they couldn’t cope in a regular classroom setting. Many of them have been bullied or never had a friend, for example.” The overall goal of the program, she says, is to return the child to their home and community school better equipped to function in those environments. “We provide them with skills and coping strategies that help them navigate difficulties in terms of their social interactions with peers, their ability to focus, and their ability to manage anxiety.” Kading typically works with children ages 11-17 for a period of a year to 18 months. “They participate in a day program where their time is split between a school program and a group program,” she says “The families also attend therapy while their child is in care to help them develop skills to support their child at home.” The results are gratifying, Kading says. “Success means that the child graduates from our program, returns to a regular classroom, and is able to focus on their work and progress in the school system. They also develop a peer group in the community and have better relationships with their friends and families.” Kading says she was first encouraged to pursue nursing by her mother when she was in her early teens. Then, “a good friend of mine had a ‘breakdown’ when we were just 16. I didn’t fully understand it, so I was on a quest to see how I could help her. That was the spark for working in this field; I really wanted to help teenagers who had similar difficulties. It became a passion.” Decades later, she has no regrets. “It’s a joy working with adolescents,” she says. “A lot of our success is relationship-based. Helping them develop their skills and abilities to the point where they believe they can be successful is just so important for these kids. It is a very rewarding place to work.” ✚
“I’m a dual-qualified nurse, so I work as both a registered nurse and a registered psychiatric nurse, which tend to be very different roles,” Kading adds. “Working in an interprofessional team is great as it enables us to blend our perspectives to improve outcomes for our clients and their families.
“Generally speaking, the kids we work with are having difficulty functioning in their community schools and that’s why they’ve come to our program. They either weren’t attending school, or were in a separate room working with an educational
PHOTO BY NATASHA WOLOSCHUK / WINNIPEG REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
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CONSTANT CAREER DIVERSITY NURSING: THE SKY’S THE LIMIT By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority During a lengthy and successful career in health care, Lorraine Avery has seen a lot of changes within the nursing profession.
PHOTO BY NATASHA WOLOSCHUK/ WINNIPEG REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
PLAYING A CENTRAL ROLE NURSES ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF HEALTH CARE By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority As a relative newcomer to nursing with just five years under her belt, Nicole Hibbard may not have seen the amount of change experienced by her more ‘veteran’ colleagues, but she’s seen enough to be sure of one thing: Nurses are central to the delivery of quality care. “Nurses are, I think, pretty much the heart and soul of health care,” she says. “We’re so important to keeping health care together.” Hibbard works as a registered nurse on a neurological unit at Deer Lodge Centre, where she cares for people who have had a brain injury, stroke, or who have a chronic neurological disease such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). “It can be difficult to care for patients with chronic diseases,” Hibbard says. “Their lives aren’t easy and sometimes we’re the only people they have. Their families can’t be there all the time, and that’s to be expected, so you kind of become their family when you work on a unit like mine.” It’s a demanding job that often takes an emotional toll. “I don’t think people realize how difficult nursing can be,” Hibbard says, “Sometimes my friends or family will say that my job sounds depressing, but I feel that I’m part of my patients’ lives. As a nurse you have that caring and compassionate personality. I think the reward comes in being able to express that through your work in support of your patients, and in being there for them when they need you most. “As nurses, we are unrelenting in our care,” she adds. In a constantly changing and increasingly stressful health care environment, the care she provides extends not only to Hibbard’s patients, but to herself and her colleagues. “Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to avoid that feeling of nursing burnout, which is why it’s so important for us to work as a team,” she says. “There are times where you feel like you are running on empty, but you try to avoid that by spending time with your family, laughing, exercising, or engaging in activities that help promote a sense of holistic well-being for yourself. “You also have to have a really good connection with your co- workers,” she adds. “Whenever a nurse is struggling on our team, the rest of us are always there to help. We’re never going to let them sink. As nurses, we try to take care of our own.” For that, they often turn to a tool Hibbard says is as vital to nursing as a stethoscope: a good sense of humour. “If you don’t have a sense of humour, you won’t make it in nursing,” she says, adding that the trait usually comes with the two other indispensable tools of the trade. “Caring and compassion have always been the cornerstones of nursing,” Hibbard says. “You will acquire the technical skills to become competent and confident in this profession, but it’s the caring and compassionate aspects of nursing that will always keep you connected with the fundamentals of nursing. If you lose those personality traits, nursing isn’t where you should be anymore.” ✚
diversity of my role — it’s never the same thing, it’s always changing. What helps me is that we have a very strong leadership team in Cardiac Sciences; we’re transparent, we communicate well with each other, and I feel very much supported. But at the end of the day, we’re here for patients. They are definitely my priority.” Avery says she is fueled by a desire to constantly learn and grow, by a thirst for knowledge, by her drive to excel at what she does, and by her ongoing aspiration to help others. “Patient care has become more complex,” she says. “We’ve gone to an interprofessional, interdisciplinary model, where every health- care professional brings their own expertise and competencies to the table and all are equally valued. From an individual perspective, we’re dedicated to improving health outcomes and improving the lives of the people we serve. I know I’m part of that work, so that makes me feel very successful.” While Avery has no intention of retiring just yet, she does have some advice for new nurses entering the health-care system. “For new nurses, one of the most important things to remember is that nurses are viewed by the public as one of the most trusted health-care professionals, and that is
“I’ve been a registered nurse for 30 years,” she says. “Nursing has grown leaps and bounds during my career. There is so much opportunity and diversity, so many different areas in which you can practice. The sky is really the limit.” In her current role as the Regional Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Cardiac Sciences Program, Avery is part of an interdisciplinary team of health-care professionals dedicated to improving patient and systems outcomes. “Really what I’m trying to do is to support nursing care, and help implement the best and latest evidence-informed practices at the bedside,” she says. “The health care environment we live in now is a challenge. We have to maximize efficiency and resources while providing the best care we can. You have to be creative and innovative to help support that important work.” Even after 30 years, Avery finds her enthusiasm for nursing has yet to wane. “I’m still really motivated and interested in what I do,” she says. “The constant
certainly a privilege,” she says. “We have an absolute privilege of being part of patients’ lives, sometimes in their most vulnerable period. It’s important to learn the scientific knowledge and to keep pace with the latest technology and research, but always remember that there’s a human being on the other side, and that caring,
compassion and empathy are really important parts of nursing.” ✚
PHOTO BY NATASHA WOLOSCHUK/ WINNIPEG REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
ACCOUNTABILITY: IT’S IN ALL WE DO
2016 IN REVIEW
MISSION: To protect the public through quality registered nursing regulation.
TOGETHER WITH RNs WE PROTECT THE PUBLIC
REGISTRANTS AS OF DEC. 31, 2016
13,634
RNs
187
RN(NP)s
AGE
GENDER
48
Graduate Nurses
Graduate Nurse Practitioners
0
9 % Male (1,265) 91 % Female (12,604)
30 % 35 and under (4,185) 47 % 36 – 55 (6,493) 23 % Over 55 (3,191)
TOTAL 13,869
WE EXIST TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC
As the regulator for registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (RN(NP)s), we’re here to keep you safe. We ensure registered nurses practise safely, competently and ethically by:
Supporting RNs to meet these standards
Taking action when the standards are not met
Setting education, registration and practice standards
HERE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS WE DO OUR WORK: n We have a registration process to ensure applicants are qualified and competent n We set the standards of nursing practice that all RNs must meet every day
n We approve registered nursing education programs n We receive and handle complaints about registered nursing practice and take appropriate action with fairness and transparency
WE’RE ACCOUNTABLE TO YOU
Nurse Check Online verification system
WILDLY IMPORTANT GOALS We establish “wildly important goals” related to our strategic priorities and set to achieve them by the end of the year. Our complete scorecard tracks our performance and is available on our website throughout the year to provide an update for RNs and the public. ONGOING LEARNING All RNs in Manitoba are required to complete ongoing education each year and document these activities through the continuing competence program. Participating in this program is one of the ways RNs demonstrate to the public their commitment to providing the best care possible.
You can confirm the registration status of an RN or RN(NP) anytime using our online real-time verification system. Visit crnm.mb.ca and click on the Nurse Check logo.
COMPLAINTS PROCESS On the rare occasion where standards are compromised, we take action. We strive to do this with fairness and objectivity, to protect the public and maintain your confidence in the RN profession. In 2016, the College received 76 complaints.
890 Pembina Hwy Winnipeg MB R3M 2M8
P: 204-774-3477 TF: 1-800-665-2027
F: 204-775-6052 E: info@crnm.mb.ca
CONTACT US
crnm.mb.ca
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