NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Despite more northern nursing graduates entering the workforce each year the NWT continues to struggle to recruit permanent community health nurses.

Shaleen Woodward, director for reform and innovation with the Department of Health and Social Services for the GNWT says the North needs more community health nurses. - NNSL file photo Nursing vacancies 16 community health nurse positions 32 graduate development nurse positions 2 home care nurse positions 8 licensed professional nursing positions 5 of nurse practitioner positions 3 professional health nurse positions ( Please note, new nurse graduates would not necessarily be able to fill these vacancies. ) Source: Department of Health and Social Services

Shaleen Woodward, director of reform and innovation for the Department of Health and Social Services, said small communities in the North are in dire need of health professionals.

Woodward, who assists with nursing graduate job placements in the NWT, said this is despite the fact Aurora College's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is consistently full.

The Graduate Nurse Placement Program was originally introduced in 2001 as part of the GNWT's initiative to maximize northern employment, said Damien Healy, the health department's manager of communication.

Woodward said the NWT's current nursing shortage does not stem from a lack of enough nursing students, but where those nurses are choosing to work following graduation.

The (nursing) class enrolment keeps getting larger every year, but many nurses who graduate from the program do not want to move to the smaller regions of the North," she said, adding, many small Northern communities still lack proper medical staff.

"{We have very few vacancies in Yellowknife these days, which is a good thing, but smaller communities have a nurse vacancy rate of 26 per cent, and we need grads in those positions."

Liz Doyle, manager of college relations and communications for Aurora College, said NWT nursing graduates who stay close to their northern roots and are willing to work in more isolated areas of the NWT enjoy a high degree of success when it comes to job placement.

"Of our 14 2010 Bachelor of Science in nursing graduates, 13 are currently employed as nurses in the NWT, and of the 2009 graduate class of seven nurses, all are currently practising in the North," Doyle said.

Woodward said another stumbling block when placing nursing graduates in the NWT is many nurses who are assigned to a small community are "locum," living in those areas for the short term.

"Many nursing grads don't want to leave the bigger centres, especially Yellowknife, because in Yellowknife, a doctor or nurse is not on call 24-7 like they would be in the smaller centres," she said.

To help graduate nurses embrace the idea of working in a smaller community, Woodward says the GNWT offers a number of career related options where new nurses can gain crucial work experience in smaller Northern centres.

"We like to point out to nursing grads that community nurses have more opportunities to refine their assessment skills, and they are able to have more direct contact with their patients, two things that a hospital work environment cannot always provide," Woodward said.

Complicating matters related to the nursing shortage is the GNWT's nursing graduate placement process, which Woodward describes as "complex." Through the placement process, Woodward said the abilities and experience of each nursing graduate are matched up with a location in the NWT, based on community health needs.

She added that the concept of community health needs is different for each region of the North, and that need shifts constantly throughout the year, according to the health concerns of each Northern community.

Woodward also said that because of the unique service delivery model implemented by the NWT's health care system, which emphasizes teamwork and mentorship between veteran nurses and those newer to the profession, finding the right fit between nurses and communities can be a challenge.

"The best part about the service delivery model is that it emphasizes teamwork between all medical professionals involved in the NWT health care system, even though it is complex," she said, adding, working as part of a team is the best way to learn about what working as a nurse is all about.

"We like to match health professionals to patient situations, and we rely on a team oriented mentorship style of learning, where seasoned nurses and doctors help those who are newer to the profession but we struggle with having enough experienced professionals to meet the demand for mentoring," she said.

Currently, the GNWT is in the midst of the graduate nurse placement process for 2011, Healy said. According to Healy, 17 nurses applied to the program this year, and one more will be available this fall.

Healy said 14 graduates applied to the 2010 program, and 11 were placed in the NWT health and

social services system.

And though nursing is a popular career choice for Northerners, Doyle said Aurora College's Environmental and Natural Resources Technology program is becoming more popular. The two-year diploma program gives graduates the skills to succeed as technicians and officers in natural resource and environmental management. "Five out of six graduates from the program last year are out working in the North," Doyle said.

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