ESTEVAN -- Estevan nurses will have more opportunities to deepen their skills, thanks to a recent donation.
The RBC Foundation announced a $10,000 gift to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation on April 24 to support nursing education. The donation enables the nurses to take courses and improve their skills to better serve surrounding rural communities.
“Nurses in rural communities require a diverse set of skills, so ongoing education is important,” said Candace Kopec, St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director. “We also have a particular need to provide training around debriefing for staff following a critical incident. So thanks to RBC’s support, we will be able to provide ongoing expert support to our staff in times of need.”
The gift is part of the RBC Foundation’s overall $6 million commitment this year for reskilling, upskilling and improving the resiliency of nurses and health-care workers at hospitals across the country.
“As we navigate changing and emerging health-care challenges, we at RBC believe that investing in the development and upskilling of nurses is critical to improving the quality of patient care and patient outcomes,” said Kim Ulmer, RBC regional president. “We’re honoured to continue to support our resilient and compassionate health-care workers who take care of us in our deepest times of need.”
In February 2024, Statistics Canada reported that Canada’s health-care workforce is struggling to keep up with demand, resulting in decreased access to primary care for patients. Monthly research from IPSOS also shows that health care is consistently one of the top concerns Canadians have for the country’s future.
Held in honour of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, National Nursing Week is designed to increase the awareness of the many contributions nursing makes to the wellbeing of Canadians. Nurses are Canada’s largest group of health-care professionals, with 400,000 members. National Nursing Week runs from May 6-12 this year.
Check future editions of the Estevan Mercury for more.
