Nursing students from Nova Scotia say they are pleased after being recruited to assist continuing care assistants (CCAs) amid staffing shortages in long-term care.
They are now well into their temporary work placements, though there was a rough start.
Students at Dalhousie University were informed on Jan. 27 they will work in long-term care instead of doing their scheduled clinical practicums due to a major nursing shortage. A letter said classes will be suspended starting on Feb. 7 for a two-week period “while we all do a two week clinical rotation in long-term care.”
At the time, the province said students wouldn’t be compensated for their work, though it announced a day later they would receive a $1,000 honorarium.
Dalhousie students were joined by student nurses, continuing care assistants and licensed practical nursing students and instructors from St. Francis Xavier University, Cape Breton University, Université Sainte-Anne and the Nova Scotia Community College.
Implementing the placements in less than a week after the idea was formed, and without consultation of the students, left many feeling frustrated and ill-prepared.
“I think it’s anger toward that fact that we weren’t involved in the process,” says Dalhousie nursing student Morgan Landry.
Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long Term Care, admitted there was some oversight in the initial announcement.
“We assumed that it was going to be rolled out in a way that the students would feel like they were involved with the way it would look,” Adams said.
“But unfortunately, we moved so quick that we missed a couple of steps.”
Some students had also expressed concern online about not getting the education they’d receive during practicum — a concern that disappeared for many soon after the placements began.
Several weeks into their placements, students say they are satisfied with the experience.
One Cape Breton University nursing student says they still feel like they are furthering patient care and their education.
“I’ve already done dressings and we’re going to be looking at meds,” said Alexander McRae. “I’m doing research, it’s just a different way of learning than you would in an acute care setting.”
Gail Kaiser, administrator at Nakile Home for Special Care in Argyle, N.S., had six Dalhousie nursing students from the Yarmouth site join her team.
Kaiser said organization was stressful in the beginning but it has been refreshing.
“Someone who is young and open to learning is a real boost. There is hands-on help but there is also a little boost to the morale,” said Kaiser.
Seeing the shortage in long-term care first-hand, Morgan Landry says she worries what will happen when the nursing students return to class.
“I don’t know how they do it without us,” Landry said. “They’re so short-staffed and they’re so amazing and they keep coming back.”
Minister Adams hopes the pay raise for CCAs, announced Feb. 9, will help the province recruit more professionals in the sector.
Nova Scotia is spending $65 million to increase wages for CCAs in the publicly-funded sector by about 23 per cent, making its CCAs the highest paid in Atlantic Canada.
— with files from Alex Cooke and Amber Fryday.
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