Student-nurses to earn wages, hours under new program

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This article was published 16/11/2021 (1788 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Student-nurses in Manitoba will get an opportunity to earn a wage while learning and logging valuable hours toward seniority.

The province announced a new undergraduate nurse employee program Monday, which would allow third- and fourth-year students to begin working in clinical settings, earn wages and learn directly from experienced nursing staff.

Minister of Health and Seniors Care Audrey Gordon said the program will address gaps in the nursing profession across the province.

“I know nursing students will be excited about this opportunity to have some advanced, hands-on clinical education, working alongside their future nursing colleagues,” she said.

The program is also meant to address the nursing gaps between students just entering the profession and nurses who are retiring or burning out due to the pandemic.

The students will be working as casual staff in patient units across the province. They will be placed in three areas: medicine, mental health and surgery. They will receive approximately $27 an hour, which Gordon called “competitive.”

An overall budget for this program wasn’t immediately released.

Initially, they will be working day, evening and weekend shifts. Over time, they can pick up extra shifts during summer and the holidays as their program hours allow.

Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer of Shared Health and provincial lead of health system integration, explained to qualify for this program, students must have completed 450 clinical practice hours, as well as complete a clinical placement in surgery, medicine or mental health.

Programs like this one exist elsewhere in the country. This one is modelled after a similar program in Alberta. Siragusa said they had been working with colleagues in that province to develop their own.

There are many benefits to this program beyond wages and more bodies on the frontline of nursing, she said.

“This will allow them to build an understanding on how to function within the clinical teams and also gives them an early advantage when they graduate and start looking for a position in the health system,” said Siragusa. “They will be gaining seniority from when they start.”

That seniority will give them a competitive edge when they look for full-time work.

This will be a unique time for students. They will be working and learning from experts in their field. As a nurse herself, Siragusa said she understands how invaluable this program will be for those who qualify. The more they work in a real clinical setting, gain experience and feedback from more experienced staff, and develop mentorships, the more confidence they will have.

“We learn in our labs, placements and practicums, but nothing replaces learning as a team in units with patients,” she said.

Siragusa added the student-nurses will be novices in their training but will be coming in with fresh ideas and perspectives to add to their teams.

This is the latest initiative from the province to help fill in gaps and bolster the overall talent and skillset pool of Manitoba’s nurses. Other initiatives previously launched by the provincial government include adding 400 seats to nursing schools and supporting internationally trained nurses to work in the field.

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com