UPEI nursing grads eager to 'make a difference' in health care
They know nursing can be terribly stressful. They've heard all about staff shortages and burnout. And the hours are … not great.
But the 77 nursing grads from UPEI's class of 2024 are optimistic and ready to work.
"It's definitely an exciting time for all of us," said Jessica Watts, one of 77 graduating nurses who gathered Monday night for the traditional pinning ceremony.
"It's a profession where you get a really good opportunity to make a difference in times that are not always positive — and that's kind of what I hope to be able to do."
The grads can at least be assured of one thing: They're wanted.
Many are expected to fill the chronic staffing shortages on P.E.I. The province has several incentive programs to encourage that, with signing bonuses of as much as $13,000 for taking a full-time job.
A number of these nursing grads already have jobs, while others are still deciding where they want to work.
Christina Murray, the dean of nursing at UPEI, says the grads are well-positioned to enter the health-care field. (Laura Meader/CBC)
Watts hopes to stay on P.E.I. as a neo-natal nurse.
"I think we're in a very interesting time to become a registered nurse," she said. "As the public knows and we all know, there is definitely a shortage in our health-care field. So the jobs are plentiful. As far as getting a job, we're kind of all still in that process right now."
Bianca Roche, who is from Souris, has chosen to take a job in Carbonear, N.L., close to where her fiance lives. She said she's excited, but will miss the people she met during her four years at UPEI.
"It's really sad. It's been such an amazing four years and you develop really good friends with everyone," she said, mentioning both fellow students and teachers. "And even the people that you're paired up with at the hospital, the RNs that are nice enough to take us underneath their wing and let us follow them around for the day and do their job. It's just been a really good experience.
"It's going to be really different to just be a nurse and not a nursing student."
Bianca Roche shows her nursing pin during a ceremony Monday night in Charlottetown. (Laura Meader/CBC)
Gabriel Rahbari said he wants to be the best nurse he can be, and after four years at UPEI, he's well-prepared for what to expect in the workforce — including the possibility of burnout.
"It does come across my mind. I do wonder what it will be like two years down the road, but I'm hopeful that the government is going to reform and come up with new ways to address these shortages… and it's not going to be like this forever."
Christina Murray, the dean of nursing at UPEI, said the 2024 grads have already built up plenty of resilience over the last four years, with COVID-19, a faculty strike at the university and a post-tropical storm among the challenges.
Gabriel Rahbari says he hopes the staffing shortage — and the burnout that can come with it — will be resolved in the near future. (Laura Meader/CBC)
While the market is "incredibly strong," she said too many young nurses are leaving the profession. In some areas of Canada, 25 per cent of nursing grads have left the health workforce within two to five years.
But she hopes the UPEI grads stick with it, despite the challenges.
"You know what? Nursing's always been hard. Nursing has forever been hard," she said.
Despite that, she said, "I believe strongly that our nursing workforce, with this class, [is] going to be well positioned."
