nursing Archives | Research & Innovation /research/tag/nursing/ Wed, 29 Jan 2025 19:57:24 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Seniors fare better in acute geriatric care units with function-focused approach /research/2012/11/28/seniors-fare-better-in-acute-geriatric-care-units-with-function-focused-approach-2/ Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2012/11/28/seniors-fare-better-in-acute-geriatric-care-units-with-function-focused-approach-2/ A study led by 91ɫ researchers has found seniors fare better – have fewer falls, less functional decline at discharge and shorter stays – in acute geriatric care units where staff have a function-focused approach to care. The purpose of the research was to determine the effectiveness of care for seniors in the acute phase […]

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A study led by 91ɫ researchers has found seniors fare better – have fewer falls, less functional decline at discharge and shorter stays – in acute geriatric care units where staff have a function-focused approach to care.

The purpose of the research was to determine the effectiveness of care for seniors in the acute phase of illness or injury admitted to acute geriatric units compared to seniors not admitted to these specialized centres.

“It is the first study to quantify the effectiveness of an innovative function-focused approach to older adults' acute hospital care,” says 91ɫ Professor Mary Fox of the graduate program in nursing in 91ɫ's School of Nursing, Faculty of Health. She is the first author of the article, “”, published online Friday in the . It will also be published in an upcoming print version of the journal.

Mary Fox

As the principal investigator of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded study, Fox conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 trials involving 6,839 acutely ill or injured octogenarians. Acute geriatric units are those with at least one Acute Care for Elders (ACE) component, either patient-centred care, frequent medical review, early rehabilitation, early discharge planning or prepared environment. The goal of ACE components is to prevent hospital-acquired complications and functional deterioration associated with common hospital medications, treatments and procedures for older adults.

The researchers also found that seniors admitted to acute geriatric units had less delirium and were more likely to be discharged home as opposed to a nursing facility.

“It demonstrated that this approach has significant beneficial effects in improving both patient- and system-level outcomes over usual care,” says Fox. “Hospital administrators may anticipate cost savings of approximately $246 per person, per length of hospital stay (in US dollars, standardized to year 2000) and a reduced length of hospital stay by more than half a day, when compared to usual care.”

Seniors aged 65 and older are considered the “core business” of hospitals. They account for 40 per cent of all hospital care days even though they comprise only 14 per cent of the Canadian population.

“As older adults account for 50 per cent of Canadian hospital expenditures,” says Fox, "this cost difference may represent a significant future source of financial saving to Canada's health-care system while improving patient outcomes.”

It is known that older adults face a higher risk of functional decline, falls, pressure ulcers and delirium when hospitalized, which is associated with increased hospital costs, institutionalization and death. “These poor outcomes are more often not related to their illness, but to other things, like not getting up and walking around while in the hospital or receiving treatments, such as drugs and catheters that make it difficult to move around. There are things that fall through the cracks,” says Fox. Early intervention is crucial in helping to circumvent these risks.

The goal is to develop senior-friendly hospitals by informing and engaging decision makers – clinicians, hospital administrators, policymakers and funders – about the best interventions to prevent physical, cognitive and psychosocial functional decline. Acute geriatric care units would not only save hospitals money, but provide the most beneficial care for seniors.

91ɫ nursing Professors Malini Persaud, Deborah Tregunno and Ellen Schraa, along with 91ɫ librarian IIo-Katryn Maimets, were co-authors of the study, which included a team of researchers from 91ɫ, Ryerson University and the University of Toronto.

The study was also supported by a 91ɫ Faculty of Health Junior Faculty award.

By Sandra McLean, YFile deputy editor

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Talk looks at filling in puzzle of social justice framework for health /research/2012/11/16/talk-looks-at-filling-in-puzzle-of-social-justice-framework-for-health-2/ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2012/11/16/talk-looks-at-filling-in-puzzle-of-social-justice-framework-for-health-2/ 91ɫ nursing Professor Sannie Tang will talk about a social justice framework for critical health research at the next Women’s Mental Health and Well-Being Speakers Series. The talk, “Filling in the Puzzle of a Social Justice Framework for Critical Health Research: Lessons Learned from Iris Young and Paulo Freire,” will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20, […]

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91ɫ nursing Professor Sannie Tang will talk about a social justice framework for critical health research at the next Women’s Mental Health and Well-Being Speakers Series.

The talk, “Filling in the Puzzle of a Social Justice Framework for Critical Health Research: Lessons Learned from Iris Young and Paulo Freire,” will take place Tuesday, Nov. 20, from noon to 1pm, at 280N 91ɫ Lanes. Lunch will be served.

As an immigrant woman of color who sometimes is still reminded that she speaks English “with an accent,” Tang is interested in issues that concern access to health and healthcare for racialized social groups, including how race and racism operate to reproduce social and health/healthcare inequities in the everyday.

Moreover, Tang of 91ɫ’s School of Nursing in the Faculty of Health feels a commitment to participate in the larger project of social justice in her capacity as a critical health researcher and nurse educator. Her most recent research is a qualitative study that examines how social justice education is perceived and implemented in nursing.

To RSVP, e-mail owhchair@yorku.ca by Friday, Nov. 16. The event is sponsored by the Office of Echo Chair in Women's Mental Health Research at 91ɫ.

For more information, e-mail www.yorku.ca/nkhanlou.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Bee study reveals battle of the sexes is in the brain /research/2011/12/19/bee-study-reveals-battle-of-the-sexes-is-in-the-brain-2/ Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/12/19/bee-study-reveals-battle-of-the-sexes-is-in-the-brain-2/ Why do male honey bees receive the royal treatment, while female bees do the work? It’s all in the brain, according to a new study by bee researchers at 91ɫ in Toronto and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Researchers at the two institutions set out to study differences in how genes are turned […]

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Why do male honey bees receive the royal treatment, while female bees do the work? It’s all in the brain, according to a new study by bee researchers at 91ɫ in Toronto and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Researchers at the two institutions set out to study differences in how genes are turned on and off in the brains of worker bees (females) and drone bees (males), to understand the striking differences in behaviour between the two sexes, and to learn about the genetics behind altruistic behaviours. Their study, published this month in the journal Genes, Brain and Behavior, found massive differences in the brain profiles of male and female honey bees.

“It’s like a bee battle of the sexes. Male honey bees do not help out around the hive. They wait for female bees to feed them and then when they mature, they go out on mating flights,” says Amro Zayed (left), a biology professor in 91ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering. “In a sense, they are the solitary members within highly social societies.”

The research, performed at the University of Illinois’ Bee Research Facility, looked at one-day-old and 21-day-old honey bees, to examine changes in gene expression – how genes are turned on and off – as bees mature. Worker bees spend the first few weeks of their life working inside the hive until they mature and start foraging for pollen and nectar. Male bees also spend a period of time inside the hive before going on mating flights, but do not take part in the division of labour.

The study found that both maturation and sex had huge effects on the brain profiles of honey bees. Workers and drones had expression differences in thousands of genes, many of which are known to affect behaviour, learning and memory. 

“But the biggest surprise was that most of the brain changes associated with maturation were shared by both drones and workers,” says Gene Robinson, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

It was previously thought that most of the changes coinciding with the worker’s maturation were directly associated with the altruistic behaviours of nursing and foraging, but this study suggests that this is not the case, because male bees experience similar changes in brain profiles as they mature but do not nurse or forage. The findings support the concept that altruistic behaviours in the honey bee evolved using existing genetic platforms found in insects.

Genes that are expressed as worker bees mature are most likely to help us better understand bees’ great ability to navigate, says Zayed, as well as to learn and remember the location of profitable flowers and communicate this information to their nest-mates.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Sherry Grace's study shows positive benefits of cardiac rehab participation /research/2011/02/15/professor-sherry-graces-study-shows-positive-benefits-of-cardiac-rehab-participation-2/ Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2011/02/15/professor-sherry-graces-study-shows-positive-benefits-of-cardiac-rehab-participation-2/ Health care practitioners can increase the number of patients referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program by more than 40 per cent, helping them to reduce their risk of dying and improve their quality of life, say researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Researchers explored multiple strategies to increase referrals to cardiac rehabilitation programs at […]

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Health care practitioners can increase the number of patients referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program by more than 40 per cent, helping them to reduce their risk of dying and improve their quality of life, say researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre.

Researchers explored multiple strategies to increase referrals to cardiac rehabilitation programs at 11 hospitals across Ontario, including using a discharge checklist for doctors, electronic referral in medical records and talking with patients at the bedside.

According to the study, “Effect of Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral Strategies on Utilization Rates”, published in the Feb. 14 edition of the journal , a combined approach – a checklist or electronic referral and talking with patients – can increase referrals by 45 per cent. By targeting both health care providers and patients, more than 70 per cent of patients enrol in cardiac rehab.

“Every patient discharged from the hospital with a heart condition should be referred to a cardiac rehab program,” says 91ɫ kinesiology & health science Professor Sherry Grace, principal investigator and director of research for the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation & Prevention Program at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, which is part of the University Health Network in Toronto.

“Cardiac rehab is a key component of the continuum of cardiac care. We shouldn’t just discharge patients from the hospital without ensuring there is a link to these proven rehab services to support patients in their recovery,” says Grace.

Cardiac rehabilitation offers a comprehensive approach to health by combining medical treatments and lifestyle modification. Patients are able to benefit from a variety of services, including: education sessions, nutritional assessment with a dietitian, risk factor treatment (hypertension, cholesterol and smoking cessation) by physicians and nurse practitioners, medication review with a pharmacist, targeted exercise prescription by an exercise physiologist, nurse or kinesiologist and supervised exercise.

indicate that participating in cardiac rehab after a cardiac illness, such as a heart attack, can reduce the risk of death by approximately 25 per cent, a reduction similar to that of other standard therapies such as cholesterol-lowering medications (statins) and aspirin. In spite of this evidence, only 20 to 30 per cent of patients are referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program after hospital discharge, a phenomenon observed in many countries.

Joe Walters, 55, lost 30 pounds through the centre’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) after having being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in August 2009.

“The cardiac rehab program was truly motivational. It opened my eyes to the number of people who have heart problems like me, and it was refreshing to know it came with a built-in support network,” says Walters, who notes work-related stress contributed to his weight gain and heart trouble. “I highly recommend a cardiac rehab program for anyone with a heart condition.”

Walters graduated from the program in April 2010, but continues to attend classes to keep the weight off.

Dr. Caroline Chessex, medical doctor and clinical director of the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation & Prevention Program at the centre, is part of a multidisciplinary team who treats patients like Walters by developing a personalized exercise program tailored to each patient's cardiac risk profile.

“Our goal is to develop strategies for patients to reduce or eliminate their risk of coronary artery disease, prevent or minimize hospitalization, decrease mortality and improve quality of life,” says Chessex, noting that patients can prolong their life and reduce their risk of having a second heart attack, or needing a second heart surgery.

Beyond the physical and psychological benefits, cardiac rehabilitation saves money. Cardiac bypass surgery, the most common type of open-heart surgery, costs approximately $23,000 for each patient, but rehabilitation costs $1,000 to 1,500 per patient.

“The return on investment is obvious. Focusing on expensive cardiac interventions and then discharging patients without a systematic approach for support just doesn’t make sense,” says Grace.  “Cardiac rehab is the right step towards prevention and it saves money.”

The (CIHR) and the   funded this study.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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Professor Myra Rutherdale's new book examines women's role in health and medicine /research/2010/07/13/new-book-examines-the-role-women-play-in-health-and-medicine-2/ Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2010/07/13/new-book-examines-the-role-women-play-in-health-and-medicine-2/ What happens in those places that are apart from the big cities and major hospitals when health care is needed? Who attends a labouring mother involved in a high-risk delivery or a critically ill newborn when a medical evacuation flight is delayed by bad weather or distance? Those questions and more are at the heart […]

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What happens in those places that are apart from the big cities and major hospitals when health care is needed? Who attends a labouring mother involved in a high-risk delivery or a critically ill newborn when a medical evacuation flight is delayed by bad weather or distance?

Those questions and more are at the heart of , a new collection of essays edited by 91ɫ history Professor Myra Rutherdale published this spring by McGill-Queen’s University Press.

The book examines the crucial role women have played in health and medicine as nurses and midwives, particularly in the remote geographical areas that dominate Canada’s landscape. As the book's editor, Rutherdale assembled a national contingent of scholars from nursing, women’s studies, geography, native studies and history to supply the essays and anecdotes that are contained within its pages. The result is a comprehensive volume that provides insight and understanding into the two centuries of history and courage of the women working on the front lines of health care and medicine in Canada’s remote communities.

"I was inspired to gather these works together into one collection because I was made aware that there were many scholars working on the history of outpost nursing and midwivery in rural Canada," says Rutherdale. "It struck me that there would be common themes across the country and across the two centuries explored in this book. Most particularly I thought that the perspective of ‘the periphery’ would be useful to explore."

"Were these women, especially the trained nurses, acting as agents of the state or in the best interests of agencies like the Red Cross? To what extent were they actually autonomous?" asks Rutherdale. "And, were they merely reinforcing the sometimes racist and social inequities that seemed to be part of many of the federal government schemes?"

Left: Myra Rutherdale

"Did they, for example, work with midwives from northern communities, and how did they respond to medical traditions which were already established in the communities before their arrival? What motivated these women nurses and midwives to take up their work in the first place?" notes Rutherdale. "Were they just looking for adventure or were they women who wanted to advance in their chosen careers?"

The essays contained in the book also explore themes of religion, colonialism, social divisions and native-newcomer relations. Special attention is paid by Rutherdale to nursing in Aboriginal communities and the relations of race to medical work, particularly in connection to ideas of British ethnicity and conceptualized meanings of whiteness.

Rutherdale looks at the experience of nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador, northern Saskatchewan, northern British Columbia and the Arctic. The book features essays on topics such as Mennonite midwives in Western Canada, missionary nurses and Aboriginal nursing assistants in the Yukon.

"There were many interesting submissions and several fascinating stories. The Mennonite midwives explored [in an essay] by University of Waterloo history Professor Marlene Epp were especially interesting since they were so integral to the communities in which they worked. Not only were they midwives but they also worked as undertakers and arranged bodies for funeral rites," says Rutherdale.

Right: A nursing station in Iqaluit

What she discovered in compiling the book was that creativity was a key attribute for the women profiled within Caregiving on the Periphery. "The midwives and nurses who worked on the periphery had to work often alone, or sometimes with just one partner, and they had to work quickly to ensure the survival of their patients," says Rutherdale. "They did not necessarily have the opportunity to consult doctors or to speak with teams. They had to do their best under some harsh circumstances. They had to be skilled and confident in themselves. Nurses were trained ‘not to diagnose,’ but they often found themselves having to do just that, and quickly. They were tested in these communities and had to work hard."

That quality of creativity was also a key element for some of the research that went into the book, says Rutherdale, as there were challenges associated with the fact that some of the nurses, midwives and patients did not leave detailed primary source material. "As is evident from this collection, there are some very innovative ways to get around this frustrating lack of evidence," says Rutherdale. She cites an article by Judith Young, professor emerita of nursing at the University of Toronto. "One example of this is the excellent article by Judith Young who researched midwives in 19th-century Toronto. She used directories and land purchase records as well as other official documents to trace the existence of these fascinating midwives – records that might not be turned to for the questions which she ultimately answered. Sometimes one has to be innovative and creative to find traces of the human past."

Rutherdale also drew on the creativity of her 19-year-old son when she was seeking an appropriate title for the book. "I always find titles rather challenging. I had several titles, most of which were not favoured by family, colleagues or publishers," says Rutherdale. "Finally, I hashed it out with my son who has two parents who are historians so he has heard his fair share about Canadian history throughout his life. He thought Caregiving on the Periphery made a lot of sense given what the authors were trying to highlight in their collective works. And how does one disagree with an opinionated 19-year-old?"

Above: Donalda McKillop Copeland with her interpreter and his friends, Southampton Island, early 1950s. Rutherdale is researching the experiences of McKillop Copeland.

Rutherdale teaches Canadian history, with a special focus on 20th-century Canada and native-newcomer relations in the Department of History in 91ɫ's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. She also teaches courses on the history of the body and Canadian women's history.

Her current research project is on the history of the introduction of westernized medicine into northern Aboriginal communities. "I look at the history of traditional medicine and ask what changes took place when doctors and nurses moved to northern communities to establish nursing stations and small hospitals," she says. "Northern Canada is still woefully under-served in terms of access to health care and there are many inequities that still exist in northern communities. The infant mortality rate is high, and women are still being sent to the south to deliver their children. This is ridiculous in 2010."

Caregiving on the Periphery is available online through , and .

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professors Armstrong and Greenberg to be named Distinguished Research Professors /research/2010/05/20/two-professors-to-receive-distinguished-research-professor-title-2/ Thu, 20 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2010/05/20/two-professors-to-receive-distinguished-research-professor-title-2/ This year, 91ɫ is honouring sociology and women’s studies Professor Pat Armstrong and psychology Professor Leslie Greenberg with its highest award, Distinguished Research Professor, for their outstanding contributions to the University through research. The title will be conferred on Armstrong at the Spring 2010 Convocation on June 16 at 10:30am and on Greenberg during the […]

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This year, 91ɫ is honouring sociology and women’s studies Professor Pat Armstrong and psychology Professor Leslie Greenberg with its highest award, Distinguished Research Professor, for their outstanding contributions to the University through research.

The title will be conferred on Armstrong at the Spring 2010 Convocation on June 16 at 10:30am and on Greenberg during the June 17 ceremony at 10:30am.

A Distinguished Research Professorship is awarded to a professor who has demonstrated scholarly achievement by sustained publication or other recognized and accepted demonstrations of sustained authoritative contributions to scholarship.

Right: Pat Armstrong

Armstrong, who is appointed to graduate programs in health, political science, science & technology, sociology and women's studies, holds a (CHSRF)/ (CIHR) Chair in Health Services. She is also a professor of sociology in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and an executive member of the 91ɫ Institute for Health Research and the Graduate Program in Health Policy & Equity .

She recently received Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada () funding through the program to identify promising practices for understanding and organizing long-term residential health care. Armstrong's project seeks to learn from and with other countries to understand the approaches, structures, accountability practices and ownership arrangements that create conditions prompting respectful and dignified treatment for both residents and caregivers.

Another SSHRC-funded research project looks at the risks nurses face in health care, while a Canadian Institutes of Health Research-funded project compared the workplace conditions and levels of violence faced by long-term care workers to those in Nordic countries.

She has authored, co-authored or co-edited over 20 books, including , , and .

Armstrong chairs Women & Health Care Reform, a working group that crosses the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health, and is acting co-director of the National Network on Environments & Women’s Health. She is currently a principal of the Ontario Training Centre in Health Services & Policy Research, a board member of the 91ɫ Institute for Health Research, and has served as both chair of the Department of Sociology at 91ɫ and director of the School of Canadian Studies at Carleton.

In addition, Armstrong has served as an expert witness in more than a dozen cases heard before bodies ranging from the federal court to federal human rights tribunals on issues related to women’s health-care work and to pay equity.

Left: Leslie Greenberg

(PhD ’76), appointed to the Graduate Program in Psychology, is among the pioneers and is primary developer of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) for individuals and for couples, which is based on the findings that emotions influence thought and behaviour. It is a psychotherapy technique that promotes the resolution of unpleasant emotions by working with them rather than suppressing or avoiding them. Greenberg is interested in couple and individual therapy using EFT, as well as examining how people deal with unresolved emotions and how that affects their ability to forgive. In recent years, he has used EFT to help couples when one person has had an affair. He is also interested in how EFT can help people with depression.

EFT is now recognized as evidence-based treatment for depression as well as couple conflict, and there is also growing evidence of its effectiveness for trauma, interpersonal problems and eating disorders. In a 2002 study, Greenberg and his colleagues studied individuals who had suffered injuries ranging from emotional to physical abuse and found that those who were treated with EFT had much better results than individuals who were treated with psycho-educational therapy. Greenberg has devoted over 20 years to EFT research and has conducted EFT workshops for therapists interested in learning his theory and technique around the globe. Closer to home, he is providing training in EFT for professionals from around the world at the 91ɫ Psychology Clinic.

Greenberg has won many awards, including the Award for Excellence in Professional Training from the Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs, the Carl Rogers Award from the Division 32, the Distinguished Career Award from the Society for Psychotherapy Research and the Professional Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession from the .

His professional publications include more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, 89 book chapters and some 17 books, including , , and .

He is a founding member of the and the Society for Constructivism in Psychotherapy, and a past president of the .

In addition, he is on the editorial board of many psychotherapy journals, including the and the .

For more information about Distinguished Research Professorships, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies Web page. The list of current and past Distinguished Research Professors is available on the 91ɫ Research Web site.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Premier marks Nursing Week with a visit to 91ɫ /research/2010/05/13/premier-marks-nursing-week-with-a-visit-to-york-2/ Thu, 13 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2010/05/13/premier-marks-nursing-week-with-a-visit-to-york-2/ Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was at 91ɫ on Monday to mark the start of National Nursing Week, and chaired a round-table discussion that included undergraduate nursing students and graduate students in the nurse practitioner program. McGuinty, accompanied by 91ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and 91ɫ West MPP Mario Sergio, began his visit with […]

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Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was at 91ɫ on Monday to mark the start of National Nursing Week, and chaired a round-table discussion that included undergraduate nursing students and graduate students in the nurse practitioner program.

McGuinty, accompanied by 91ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and 91ɫ West MPP Mario Sergio, began his visit with a tour of the University’s state-of-the-art Nursing Resource Centre and watched as nursing students practised inserting intravenous lines into patient mannequins. Dressed casually, the premier was openly animated as he chatted with students and spoke about his own undergraduate degree in biology and his youthful dream of entering medicine.

Left: McGuinty (left) is greeted by 91ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and 91ɫ West MPP Mario Sergio

As he toured the facility, McGuinty met and spoke with students enrolled in 91ɫ’s bachelor of science in nursing (BScN), the second entry BScN program, the BScN for internationally educated nurses and the master of science in nursing program for nurse practitioners.

The premier’s visit coincided with this week’s announcement by the provincial government that it was seeking applications to create 14 more nurse practitioner-led clinics, with a goal of having 25 nurse practitioner-led clinics by 2012. (The first cluster of 11 nurse practitioner-led clinics is set to open later this month.) In Ontario, nurse practitioners are able to treat common illnesses and injuries, and order X-rays, lab tests and other diagnostic tests. They can also refer patients to specialists.

Right: The premier chats with nursing students as they practise on a mannequin

Sitting down to begin the round table, McGuinty was greeted by Lesley Beagrie, associate dean of professional & global programs in the School of Nursing in 91ɫ's Faculty of Health. Beagrie thanked the premier for the funding that has made both the Nursing Resource Centre and programs such as the second-year entry and internationally educated BScN programs possible.

Following Beagrie's welcoming remarks, the premier opened the round-table discussion. “I want to take this opportunity to thank the students for pursuing, with passion, a career in nursing as it is a calling,” he said. He described nursing as a profession that cares just not for patients but for mothers, fathers, children, siblings, neighbours and friends. "These aren't just any people, they are really important to all of us," he said.

McGuinty spoke with reverence of the knowledge and skill required by nursing professionals and how far nursing has come since 1949, when his mother was a nurse, eliciting a laugh as he recounted a story about a colleague of his mother's who forgot to cut up a patient's grapefruit and was required, as punishment, to write out 500 times how she would not forget to cut up a grapefruit in the future.

The Ontario premier then talked about his government's vision for health care and the important role nursing professionals would play in bringing that vision to reality. "The first thing our government did was to make sure that there are more of you. As of today, we are up to 10,700 more nursing positions in Ontario," he said.

The government, said McGuinty, through a program based on best practices, is now allowing nursing professionals to conduct tests, including those to detect colorectal cancer. Nurses will also be able to work as surgical first assistants and in long-term care emergency mobile teams. He reiterated his enthusiasm for nurse practitioner-led clinics: “Ontario has the first nurse practitioner-led clinics in North America,” said McGuinty, “with 11 at various stages in terms of being phased in and today the government issued an announcement for the next 14 clinics. So there will be a total of 25 such clinics in Ontario.”

Above: McGuinty, centre, addresses nursing students gathered for a round-table discussion

"Nurse practitioners in Ontario will now be able to communicate a diagnosis, order diagnostic tests such as an MRI or CT scan, cast a fracture and prescribe medications," he said. "We are also talking about permitting our nurse practitioners to admit and discharge patients into and from a hospital, and introduced a new package of reforms that will be important to nurse practitioners. Up to now, hospitals have been required to seek advice on health issues exclusively from an all-physician advisory committee. Now we are going to ensure that nurses and other health professionals can provide that advice on health as well."

The innovations are required, said the premier, to help combat the rising cost of health care in Ontario. The cost has moved from a figure of 32 cents for every program dollar spent by the government 20 years ago, to a current cost of 46 cents per dollar, and is estimated to reach 70 cents of every program dollar spent in 12 years if action is not taken, diverting money from other critically needed areas including infrastructure, schools, environmental protection and services. The nurse practitioner-led clinics and reforms to reduce costs of prescription drugs in the province are two such measures aimed at reducing exploding health-care costs. "Such clinics and nursing education programs form an integral part of the province’s Open Ontario Plan created to strengthen public health care," said the premier.

Left: Student Thomas McCormick talks about why he decided to become a nurse and of his plan to travel to a remote community in northern Ontario to work in a community clinic

Following his comments, McGuinty opened the discussion to students, hearing more about why they had chosen the profession. For master's student Deana Ruddell-Thomson, the experience of watching family and friends cope with illness caused by tainted water during the Walkerton tragedy more than 10 years ago solidified her desire to study nursing.

Fourth-year BScN student Crystal Van Leeuwen said, "Nursing chose me. The moment when I knew when I was going to enrol in nursing came when I was volunteering in northeastern Thailand working with children with HIV and I held an eight-year-old girl who was the size of an average three-year-old Canadian child. She was going to die because she did not have equal access to affordable medications and I knew I needed to join a profession that would advocate for patient rights as well as health."

Another student, Thomas McCormick, spoke about his plans to travel to a remote community in northern Ontario to work in a clinic, while another talked about coming to Canada from Russia where she had worked as a nurse and how she was delighted to be able to continue her profession through her enrolment in the BScN for internationally educated nurses.

At the end of the round-table discussion, Shoukri thanked McGuinty for visiting 91ɫ and presented him with a copy of 91ɫ: The Way Must be Tried by 91ɫ  Professor Emeritus and University historian Michiel Horn. "Thank you very much for choosing 91ɫ to kick-start Nursing Week," said Shoukri. "We see you as the champion of postsecondary education and the champion of health care. We thank you for being that champion and we are committed to working with you to improve both postsecondary education and health care in Ontario."

Right: The premier is presented with a commemorative copy of 91ɫ: The Way Must be Tried by 91ɫ President Mamdouh Shoukri

The premier responded that while he had spoken to everyone, "there is one group I would like to give special thanks to and that group is the teachers who are here today. It is not just the substantive subject matter that you transmit to your students, it is also how you do it and how you conduct yourselves. Your patience, understanding and commitment transcends time. Thank you all."

By Jenny Pitt-Clark, YFile editor.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Premier's visit to 91ɫ attracts media coverage /research/2010/05/13/premiers-visit-to-york-university-attracts-media-coverage-2/ Thu, 13 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000 /researchdev/2010/05/13/premiers-visit-to-york-university-attracts-media-coverage-2/ Premier Dalton McGuinty's visit to 91ɫ's School of Nursing was covered in the North 91ɫ Mirror May 11: To kick-start National Nursing Week and highlight the province’s announcement to introduce another 14 nurse practitioner-led clinics in Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty dropped in on a group of nursing students at 91ɫ Monday, May 10. […]

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Premier was covered in the North 91ɫ Mirror May 11:

To kick-start National Nursing Week and highlight the province’s announcement to introduce another 14 nurse practitioner-led clinics in Ontario, Premier Dalton McGuinty dropped in on a group of nursing students at 91ɫ Monday, May 10.

In a room set up like a hospital or clinic, McGuinty went from bed to bed chatting with students practising different medical procedures before sitting down for a round-table discussion with undergraduate nursing students and graduate students in the nurse practitioner program.

The government announced Monday it is accepting applications to create 14 more nurse practitioner-led clinics, with a goal of having 25 such clinics by 2012. The first 11 clinics are scheduled to begin opening this month.

Meanwhile, students shared their stories about why they are studying nursing.

“Nursing chose me,” said Crystal Van Leeuwen, who decided on her career while holding a girl infected with HIV during a trip to a Thailand clinic.

Deana Ruddell-Thomson said she was a retail manager in Walkerton when the tainted water tragedy struck a decade ago. “I felt helpless watching friends and family becoming ill and I didn’t have any power,” she said.

Thomas McCormick said he will be working on a placement in Toronto before heading to northern Ontario to help more remote communities.

Several international students told McGuinty how thrilled they were to be able to study nursing in Ontario. The premier told the students that they have chosen an important career.

The complete article is .

The School of Nursing’s faculty members are involved in innovative and leading-edge research, and have established national and international reputations in their areas of expertise. Faculty members’ programs of research and scholarly activities contribute to better understanding of current and challenging health and nursing phenomena.

Faculty members’ scholarly activities encompass a range of areas (including, but not limited to, community health, environmental health, global health, health policy, homeless populations, immigrant health, mental health, women’s health) and cross the life span (children, youth, adults, and older adults), using diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Premier's visit to 91ɫ attracts media coverage appeared first on Research & Innovation.

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