Source: Facebook

Nova Scotia Health is announcing training and retention initiatives for nurses in Emergency Departments.

It includes secondary programs focused on ER’s for nursing students and professional development opportunities and a nursing innovation fund for practicing Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses.

The key programs that have been implemented and will be accelerated for nurses who work in ER’s include:

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A just-in-time program will provide nurses working in EDs with evening and weekend access to consult with experienced nurses online.

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A range of professional development opportunities will be available to optimize scopes of practice for triage nurses working in emergency departments, including the RN prescribing course, leadership and management, clinical competencies and advancing clinical expertise.

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub is providing $150,000 in innovation funding to enhance emergency care. Through a call for applications, nurses can apply for $5,000 to $15,000 grants to develop innovations that focus on workplace improvement and contribute to better work environments.

For new nurses, NSH has implemented and will be accelerating several programs as well:

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The Nova Scotia Health Learning Institute for Health Care Providers offers an emergency nursing program for new nurses and other nurses working within the province to participate in a specialty training program in emergency nursing that provides an employment offer at the end of the program. Five cohorts are currently in place with capacity to support 120 nurses each year, with a goal to increase the number of nurses participating in this program to 200 per year. This education will take place in Halifax, New Glasgow, Sydney and Yarmouth

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ IWK Health is partnering with colleagues from the Learning Institute to create a pediatric-focused emergency nursing program.

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Clinical nurse educators will help nurses settle into their practice setting – one for new nurse graduates, one for internationally educated nurses, and one for nurses with practice experience.

·​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Nova Scotia Health is implementing a peer support program this month for all nurses working in ED settings that will include mentorship, clinical leadership, wellness and professional development support.

“We will continue to work with our nurses in all parts of our healthcare system including in our Emergency Department settings. We are very grateful for their incredible contributions every day and their work throughout the pandemic has been invaluable. This is one way of saying ‘thank you’ and to ensure we bring meaningful supports and resources to improve work experience and working environments for our nurses working in ED and in all care areas across the province.”

– Karen Oldfield, interim CEO and president, Nova Scotia Health

​

“These measures will help ensure that our emergency department nurses are set up for success to practice at the top of their scope, providing appropriate care for patients.”

– Dr. Annette Elliott Rose, vice president clinical care strategy and Chief Nurse Executive, IWK Health

This announcement comes one day after The Nova Scotia Nurses Union said the province’s new plan to improve ER’s was not enough.