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Medical Staff Education3

Continuing Education for Oncology Nurses

By Medical Staff Education
Keeping up with the latest knowledge in any discipline can be a challenge and medicine is no exception. We are committed to helping the incredible medical staff at NRGH provide the best patient care possible by funding participation in eligible workshops, conferences and other educational opportunities. The Hospital Foundation and medical staff are grateful to our donors who help us fund this important investment in healthcare for our community.
“On behalf of Rachel Gaskell and myself, Mercede Lander, we send a deep felt and appreciative thank you to the foundation for supporting our participation in the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO) conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba Oct 20-23, 2019.
The annual CANO conference provides us with valuable and applicable education and professional development specific to oncological care. Rachel and I were able to learn the latest best practice from experts in all aspects of oncology nursing, which in turn we are providing in service presentations to our colleagues at the Nanaimo Cancer Clinic leading to better care for our patients.”
Photo, from left to right, Mercede Lander, RN, BScN, CON (C); Linda Watson, President, CANO; Rachel Gaskell, RN, BScN

Investing in Nurse Education

By Medical Staff Education
Ongoing education is an important component of patient care. The Hospital Foundation is delighted to share an update on our latest investment in education for our amazing paediatric nursing staff at NRGH.
“I would like to thank the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation for their generosity in supplying 8 tickets for Nurses to attend this year’s Parent Child Conference in Nanaimo. This is the first year it was opened up to nursing and we were well represented thanks largely to the Foundation.
The topics and speakers were phenomenal. There were two fully packed days with talks from the role of antimicrobials in Asthma, harm reduction, implementing skin to skin contact at caesarian births, antibiotic use during pregnancy and lactation, hyperglycemia in Newborns to name only a few. All of the topics were so relevant to our every day practice and were well received and attended by our perinatal staff and providers from all over Vancouver Island.
We had 16 nurses total attend the conference 8 of those tickets were funded by the Foundation. Each of those staff are sharing the knowledge they gained with their peers who were unable to attend so our whole team has benefited.” Trina Knight, Manager, NRGH
Left front: Elizabeth O’Keef-Batta, Erin MacDonald, Pam Gardiner, Kathy Clark, Elizabeth Carlson, Joelle Pattern
Left back: Juanita Parsonage, Kristina Maguire, Melissa Gasson, Iris Halbach, Katherine Robinson, Alisha Pelletier, Trina Knight
Missing in the photo : Janice Bertoia, Jennifer Duncan and Jenny Williams

Excellence in Care Through Ongoing Education

By Medical Staff Education

The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation supports leading edge care by funding professional development for medical staff. Whether it is a broader toolkit to assist patients in psychiatric or palliative care or advancements in post-surgical care, the Hospital Foundation is committed to funding relevant, transferable and innovative learning to support better health outcomes for patients.

With constant advancements in healthcare knowledge and techniques, continuing education is essential in all areas of care. For example, emergency nursing care of a child with an acute illness or injury requires special knowledge and skills. Wanting to be able to deliver the best care possible to young patients, RNs at NRGH recently took an Emergency Nursing Paediatric Course (ENPC). The ENPC, an intensive two-day course with an expert instructor, provides the core-level paediatric knowledge and psychomotor skills (skills where movement and thinking are combined) needed to care for paediatric patients in the emergency setting. And the staff appreciate the impact of ongoing learning including the greater depth and breadth of knowledge that improves the care they can provide to patients on a daily basis.

“ENPC provides an opportunity to practice hands on skills and also offers valuable information and education specific to caring for Paediatric patients and their families. This course and the instructors offered great examples and suggestions that I will be able to implement in my nursing practice and share with other Paediatric team members. It was a truly valuable course experience and I am grateful for the opportunity to be included.”  Carly Tarr, RN, NICU/Paediatrics

As a Pediatric nurse, the ENPC course is extremely important in our continued learning. For me personally, I feel more confident in the care that I give my patients along with feeling more prepared for emergent situations.  Nikki Adshead, RN, Paediatrics

I have been a nurse for 10 years, with the past 4 years at NRGH. ENPC is an excellent course with lots of hands-on practice. It has helped me feel more prepared and confident in recognizing and treating an acutely ill child.  Eileen Bergstreser, RN, Paediatrics

The Hospital Foundation is grateful to our generous donors whose gifts enable the funding of such important continuing education.

Photo: Andree Lineker, Leslie Sundby (instructor), Andrea Bertulli, Jamie Derksen, Clayton Brocklehurst, Eileen Bergstreser, Nikki Adshead, Carly Tarr, Jill Holt, Shannon Scarisbrick