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Continuing collaboration

Value of nurses as health-care system navigators more evident now than ever

NICOLE GNAZDOWSKY

“The value of nurses as navigators of the system has been more than proven.” Barbara Brookins President, P.E.I. Nurses’ Union

Over the past two years, National Nursing Week has looked very different.

It’s typically a week where nursing and health-care professionals gather to share insights, ideas and to celebrate the commitment, dedication and impact of their work in their communities. Now, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means these groups haven’t had the time.

The pandemic has spotlighted nurses’ value within health care and the many ways they give us cause to celebrate their dedication to care. But Prince Edward Island Nurses’ Union (PEINU) president Barbra Brookins says this has also exposed existing issues the profession is facing.

“We didn’t get a chance to celebrate last year or really this year,” says Brookins, who spent the majority of her career working as one of the

province’s emergency room nurses before joining the Provincial Infections Control Program and being elected as

PEINU president.

She now laughs as she recalls her decision to leave the front lines at the hospital — a decision she says was based on a desire for a calmer, slowerpaced work life.

“We certainly have been impacted hard by COVID-19. It has increased the workload for all nurses, no matter the daily case count,” she says. “Countless hours are spent in preparation — policy prep, updated education and precautions.”

And with the shortage in qualified nursing professionals that existed prior to the pandemic, Brookins says these added demands have not only increased workloads, but have also become a major contributor to burnout and stress.

“Even beyond all of that, we have to find extra staff for entry points and screening. You use support services as much as possible, but it still always weighs on people’s minds that someone could come in and spread COVID19 at any time,” says Brookins.

She credits the co-ordinated efforts of health-care professionals across the province and says their ability to collaborate as a team unit has created a powerful network of professionals working towards a collective goal of protecting P.E.I. residents from community spread.

“The communication part is so important,” says Brookins. “Because we’re a small island, everyone coming in can be tracked and traced, so we know it didn’t come from the community here. If everyone continues to be honest about where and when they could’ve been in contact with the virus, we can intervene.”

She says this is especially true right now, as the province navigates its third wave and as neighbouring Nova Scotia grapples with case numbers that are rising daily.

“They’ve been leading by example and have been doing very well — it really just goes to show how we are all just one move away from the same big problem,” says Brookins.

As we continue to navigate COVID-19 in 2021 and into the future, Brookins hopes government officials and policy makers will work towards becoming integral players on this team.

“It’s been quite a year, that’s for sure — if there is any good time to go into contract negotiation, it should be now. The value of nurses as navigators of the system has been more than proven,” she says.

“These are the people who are working in these positions, working in the teams who co-ordinate the care, services, policies and procedures that we all need.”

NATIONAL NURSING WEEK 2021

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2021-05-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-08T07:00:00.0000000Z

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