Iqaluit (Mar 03/03) - Nursing students face a lot of pressures, but they'll do important work for Nunavut once they graduate.

That was the theme of a pep talk given to Nunavut Arctic College nursing students by Health Minister Ed Picco on Feb. 26.

"I don't think there's a more important job in any community than being a nurse," Picco said.

"Why should I have to go to Australia to recruit nurses when I can get the best health care for Nunavut if Nunavummiut are working in the health-care field?" Picco said, perched on a desk surrounded by most of the 15 students enrolled in various stages in the three-year program.

He noted that students face a lot of pressures before they'll reach graduation: there's the classwork for one, but also stress from family commitments and from living away from the home community.

"We've got to keep our sense of humour," he advised.

Nursing today offers "exciting opportunities," Picco said, pointing to public health, community wellness, and home care as well as traditional nursing roles in hospitals.

Students can get a taste of nursing school by taking an "access year" before fully registering for the program.

There are currently five students in their access year in Iqaluit, plus another six in Kugluktuk.

Students were encouraged to hit the health minister with ways to improve Nunavut's nursing program.

One student suggested expanding the entry-level program to other communities, such as Rankin Inlet.

"That's maybe something we should look at," Picco said.

More computers and housing -- access to and maintenance of -- were other hot topics.

Picco acknowledged that housing, especially, is a reason why students drop out of the nursing program.

"I can't say it's going to happen over night," he said of making improvements, including providing better scholarship and bursary funding.

"We've done a lot, but there's a lot more we can do."

One of the challenges is language. Medical knowledge is a hard sled ride for most people, but Nunavut nursing students have to try to learn body parts and medical terms in two languages to be able to communicate to patients.

This could be amusing when Inuktitut words sound the same. A nurse could think a person complained 'I have a pain in my caribou,' when it means something is wrong with their kidney.

"When we started this program (in 1999), some people said we'd never be successful," said Picco, health minister for four-and-a-half years.

"There are always going to be people who'll drop out, but if we can graduate four or five a year, that will be something."