A $400,000 injection of federal funding announced Tuesday will allow UNBC researchers to take the lead on the next phase of a national study to examine nursing practices in rural and remote regions of Canada.
The ultimate goal of the two-year research project, which will have input from all 10 provinces and three territories, is to try to identify better ways to recruit and retain nurses to tackle the chronic problem of nursing staff shortages in smaller centres.
"We see skills shortages across the country and we, as a federal government, see the need to address these shortages in a big way, especially with health services," said Bob Zimmer, MP for Prince George-Peace River.
"UNBC is leading this study countrywide, which really says something about UNBC and what they're capable of, and how much they are trusted on a federal level. We want to see this study effect change in the future, and it sounds like Northern Health is willing to take that on."
The new study is the continuance of a national research project that started at UNBC 10 years ago, which focused on registered nurses working in rural areas. Headed by Martha McLeod, chair of UNBC's school of nursing, the new study will be broadened to examine working conditions for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, and registered psychiatric nurses. The survey will help develop new policies to make rural and remote positions more attractive to new recruits and has the potential to influence human resources practices across the country.
See Wednesday's Citizen for more
