1 Addressing Ontario’s Nursing Crisis Brock’s role in stabilizing healthcare in our communities
The important contributions and leadership Brock Nursing students and graduates provide to the health of citizens in Niagara, the Province of Ontario and beyond, help to address systemic gaps and improve quality of care for patients. More broadly, the growth of our Nursing program and the learning opportunities we provide enable our graduates to embark on career paths that respond to the changing health needs of Canadians. — Peter Tiidus, Dean, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences “ 2
Our Nursingroots:education in Niagara
Brock University is a dynamic comprehensive university that has a positive impact on the lives of individuals, communities, the Niagara Region and the world. Established in 1964, the University today supports the educational and career aspirations of more than 19,000 students through the efforts of dedicated scholars and staff members across seven academic Faculties and numerous administrative units. Brock offers 130+ undergraduate and graduate degrees, is home to 12 Canada Research Chairs and has the fifth-largest university co-op program in Canada.
As a leader in experiential education, Brock aims to continue teaching using state-ofthe-art nursing learning facilities here on campus. While clinical placements continue to be of importance for nursing students, lifelike simulation training is also a critical component of overall training that mimics real-life scenarios and gives students the opportunity to apply the knowledge they acquire in the classroom. Our Nursing graduates leave Brock with a well-regarded reputation for excellence and the knowledge and skills to be healthcare leaders in Niagara, and beyond.
Home Canada12toResearchChairs co-oplargest5thuniversityprograminCanada Offers undergraduate130+andgraduatedegrees
As part of Brock’s academic portfolio spanning seven Faculties, our Faculty of Applied Health Sciences examines health from a global perspective to make communities better, healthier places to live. Within the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock Nursing has been a leader in nursing education for over 20 years, known for its rigorous curriculum, knowledgeable faculty and demanding standards. Knowledge learned in the classroom is integrated with clinical practice beginning in our nursing students’ first year. Over the two decades of its operation, Brock’s Department of Nursing and its curriculum have adapted to the changes and challenges of the field; the past two years being no different. While nursing students are now taught to master the importance of social media and new technologies and procedures that arose with the pandemic, relationship building and customized care planning is still, and always has been, a foundational concept to Brock’s unique Nursing program.
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Both expansions supported the call to action from the International Council of Nurses to invest in nursing to support secure global health. The important contributions and leadership Brock Nursing students and graduates provide to the health of citizens in Niagara, the Province of Ontario and beyond, help to address systemic gaps and improve quality of care for patients. More broadly, the growth of our nursing program and the learning opportunities we provide enable our graduates to embark on career paths that respond to the changing health needs of our communities.
additional11 full and part-time faculty and staff positions at Brock
Planning for the future: Brock’s Nursing program expansion
In response to this issue, in spring of 2021, the Ontario government announced an investment of $35 million in support of nursing education programs, with the expected outcome being the addition of approximately 2,000 nurses to the healthcare system. With the support from the government, Brock stepped up with an increased undergraduate intake from 80 to 250 students. This increase also led to the addition of 11 full and part-time faculty and staff positions, as well as 23 part-time clinical instructors in the Department of Nursing.
However, as shortages for nurses across the province increase each day, there is a dire call to all educational institutions to further expansions and intake to tackle shortages in our hospitals and communities. In order to further Brock’s expansions, while continuing the tradition of providing exceptional education to future healthcare leaders, there is an immediate need to expand teaching spaces and resources to serve another influx of students for our Nursing programs, as well as provide enhanced student support.
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Simultaneously, Brock announced a new, one-of-a-kind accelerated concurrent Bachelor of Nursing/Master of Nursing program. This 20-month program encapsulates Brock’s excellence in transformative learning for students inside and outside the classroom while addressing the ongoing nurse shortage.
With the demand for nurses across the province soaring, prospective nursing students heeded the call. Over the course of the pandemic, many Canadian nursing programs like Brock’s saw a surge in interest and applicants – all while intake for these programs across the country were at capacity.
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As seen in the media, amid nationally increasing job vacancies, staff shortages in the health-care sector are at record highs, with over two-thirds of those positions represented by nursing roles.
Ontario’s reality: The growing demand for nurses
Ontario had 609 registered nurses per 100,000 residents in 2020, according to data compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information; which is notably lower than statistics for Alberta and Quebec.
Today, close to 30,000 new nurses are needed to reach the average registered nurse-to-population ratio of the rest of Canada.
Even prior to the pandemic, Ontario was struggling with critical healthcare labour shortages as nurses were leaving hospital roles or the profession altogether; a situation that has only been exacerbated during the past two grueling years. With nurses accounting for the single largest group of healthcare workers, Ontario’s healthcare system is intrinsically interdependent with the nursing profession and as a result, is suffering from understaffing and backlogs across the system.
More than two years into the pandemic, wait times all over the province being at a 14-year high is a sign of just how chronically strained the province’s hospitals have become. On average, patients who need to be admitted to the hospital are waiting 20.1 hours in Ontario – more than 12 hours longer than the target time of eight hours. In fact, hospitals across Ontario have continuously had to announce temporary closures to their emergency departments and/or the hospital all together due to staff shortages. There is no doubt that there is a desperate need; an urgent call for help that nurses, our university, and our community need to answer.
Staffing
times so long?
The call for help: province Ontario healthcare ER wait Ceolin, C. (2022, August 1). CityNewsEverywhere long-5647079system-on-life-support-why-are-er-wait-times-so-ottawa.citynews.ca/local-news/ontario-healthcare- Ontario hospitals shutdowns, staffing growing concern Payne, E. (2022, July 08). OttawaCitizen shortages-and-growing-concernsummer-for-ontario-hospitals-amid-shutdowns-staffing-ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/long-hard-crunch hits several Ontario hospitals hard, nurses union raises concerns The Canadian Press (2022, July 29). CTVNews hospitals-hard-nurses-union-raises-concerns-1.6007949toronto.ctvnews.ca/staffing-crunch-hits-several-ontario-
‘Long, hard summer’ for
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Health care in crisis, Part 2: Ontario’s top nursing advocate on a system that’s ‘sinking — and sinking fast’ Gurney, M. (2022, July 19). TVOToday sinking-and-sinkingontarios-top-nursing-advocate-on-a-system-thats-www.tvo.org/article/health-care-in-crisis-part-2‘Significant staff shortage’ forces ICU closure at Bowmanville Hospital Crawley, M. (2022, July 29). CBCNews bowmanville-hospital-icu-closure-1.6535963www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/staff-shortageGTA hospital closes ICU, as staffing shortages strain Ontario’s system Bowden, O. (2022, July 28). TorontoStar closes-icu-as-staffing-shortages-strain-ontarios-system.www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/07/28/gta-hospitalhtml Toronto General Hospital under staffing shortage, critical care bed alert across ICUs Casaletto, L. (2022, August 02). CityNewsEverywhere hospital-staff-shortage-covid19-icu/toronto.citynews.ca/2022/08/02/toronto-general-
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‘Our system will completely collapse’: Nurses’ federation urges support for healthcare workers suffering from burnout Lopez-Martinez, M. (2022, July 11). CTVNews care-workers-suffering-from-burnout-1.5982613collapse-nurses-federation-urges-support-for-health-www.ctvnews.ca/health/our-system-will-completely-
Too few nurses means Mount Forest’s hospital ER will close overnight Saturday and Sunday Bueckert, K. (2022, July 13). CBCNews forest-hospital-reduced-emergency-er-hours-1.6518273www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/mount-
ONA reports more than 20 Ontario hospitals see closures due to staff shortages Goulem, B. (2022, August 01). TheKingstonWhig staff-shortagesmore-than-20-ontario-hospitals-see-closures-due-to-www.thewhig.com/news/local-news/ona-reports‘A nurse can’t be everywhere’: Health care staff shortages prompt Ontario ER closures The Canadian Press (2022, July 05). CTVNewsToronto closures-1.5974512health-care-staff-shortages-prompt-ontario-er-toronto.ctvnews.ca/a-nurse-can-t-be-everywhere-
Turning challenges into opportunities: the future “care” in healthcare
Voices within our institution constantly mirror the important messages we hear in the news; the daily crises in Ontario healthcare that are exacerbated by a shortage of qualified nurses are shared, discussed and mourned within the walls of our university.
While we, as a university, combat the challenges of increased and expedited nursing education, we also recognize the opportunity it presents to shape the future of healthcare for our community. The dire position of hospitals all over the province has compelled our communities, and our faculty to rethink the way, and the speed in which we train those who will look after us and our loved ones in times of sickness.
Karyn Taplay, Chair of Brock’s Department of Nursing echoes the importance of Brock’s role and response to the shortage; “The expansion of Brock’s nationally recognized Nursing program responds to the growing need for healthcare professionals. Brock is proud to support the healthcare system in Niagara and beyond with our talented faculty educating future nurses in modern on-campus learning spaces.”
Building on our history of exceptional nursing education in Niagara and working together with our community of supporters who have continuously helped guide our institution, Brock has identified two primary opportunities to build on and better our existing programs to address the needs of our nurses and our communities.
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Together, we can turn Brock’s program from the most accelerated Bachelor of Nursing/Master of Nursing (BN/MN) program in Ontario to the most successful. Beyond that, we can turn Niagara from the region with one of the longest hospital wait times, to the region with the highest number of new, practicing registered nurses. The opportunities and possibilities are endless –if we work together. “ 9
Advanced laboratory space for learning and research inOPPORTUNITY:Niagara 10
In addition to ensuring all students have access to these vital labs, we must also ensure the labs are outfitted with functioning, stateof-the-art equipment. One of the primary types of equipment in Brock’s labs are simulators, which are culturally diverse and realistic mannequins that breathe, speak, have a pulse and can mimic most acute and chronic health conditions. With constant use, these important simulators are likely to breakdown over time. Without replacement, the lack of this equipment will challenge or pause the lifesaving learning opportunities presented to students and therefore compromise their ability to care for us and our communities.
One of the greatest advantages of studying nursing at Brock is our one-of-a-kind, nursing-specific simulation labs. Brock is committed to pairing exceptional faculty with exceptional facilities and equipment to train the healthcare leaders of tomorrow from day one of their studies. Our labs simulate important medical situations such as pediatric asthma or palliative care and medical emergencies, such as cardiac or respiratory arrest. This ensures that when our students and graduates head into hospitals or healthcare settings across the province, they are already equipped with the tools and experience to safely treat us and our families. Recently, to accommodate the increased intake to our Nursing programs, Brock has had to double the class sizes of these vital nursing labs. Even with a new lab space recently completed and used extensively each week, Brock’s labs are at maximum capacity.
In addition to a higher student to equipment ratio, this also means there’s no space for added or innovative academic activities, such as research or pilot simulations – which have ensured the University’s Nursing programs remain competitive and innovative.
Along with replacing existing equipment, the University must also acquire new and innovative tools to remain competitive in nursing education. New apparatuses, such as a simulated barcode medication administration system and/or virtual reality scenario software will develop skill and competency in realistic patient care, contributing to safer and more effective care from Brock-trained nurses for years to come.
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Our students, faculty and community require and deserve additional infrastructure to support the continuation of these important labs and the unparalleled training and education that they make possible. Laboratory equipment acquisition and upgrades
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— Stephen Shears, Nursing Practice Specialist, Niagara Public Health
With the significant enrolment increases for Brock’s Nursing programs, there is an immediate need to establish financial support for these students. Brock remains committed to making postsecondary education accessible to all, particularly students from diverse backgrounds – where financial aid has often proven to be a barrier. By creating additional scholarships to support Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students entering the nursing profession, Brock can offer an accessible and inclusive academic experience to all students, and the guarantee of a diverse future of our healthcare system for our communities.
“ Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services has had a long and valuable relationship with Brock University’s Department of Nursing. Nursing students experience our accredited workplace, focused on high-quality evidenced-informed nursing practice and our staff are invigorated and challenged by the learners. We also benefit from potential recruitment to our workforce while our existing public health nurses develop leadership and experience teaching opportunities that deepen their own learning. ”
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In addition to awards to supplement tuition costs, our students also require funding to support their vital community placements. As Brock experiences the influx in enrolment, the number of community placements required for these students also grows. To continue offering experiential learning opportunities to students, while helping ease the staffing shortages and gaps in health care for our community, more students are being placed in the outer areas of the region, where – without a car - often present transportation challenges. Travel bursary support will ensure that our students do not pay out of pocket to travel to their placement. By removing financial barriers to accessing certain agencies, we anticipate students requesting to be placed in outer areas. These placements will expose them to diverse clinical opportunities which will train them to better serve all communities, while simultaneously providing immediate healthcare support for rural, and often severely underserviced, communities.
One of the solutions to Ontario’s current healthcare crisis is people. Our communities need more people to care for our loved ones in times of need and to relieve existing healthcare providers, combatting burnout, turnover and staffing shortages.
Lastly, additional scholarship support for the larger incoming classes will respond to the increased demand for financial support and provide greater opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds to experience Brock’s rigorous nursing offerings. With increased student financial support, we will remove barriers to education and support inclusivity and diversity in the nursing profession, our community and across campus. The time is unlike any other. With the support of our community of partners and friends, we can support the healthcare system to meet the needs of today and tomorrow in our community and in every community. Together, we can build a sustainable accessible healthcare system.
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Staying competitive with timely and cutting-edge equipment and programming, Brock Nursing looks to continue delivering teaching and research excellence. With community support, Brock’s facilities will train the nursing leaders of tomorrow using new, innovative equipment and increased staff to support hands-on learning, offering competitive instructor-to-student and equipment-to-student ratios.
As a leader in nursing education for over 20 years, Brock aims to expand and accommodate influxes and trends in the profession in order to maintain its reputation for excellence for both students, graduates and our community. For decades, advanced teaching facilities have equipped Brock Nursing students with an unmatched advantage for developing the necessary skills to be successful in their careers as healthcare professionals in our community. Brock looks to continue advancing lab space designed to nurture experiential student learning with state-of-the-art teaching tools and facilities.
Better Together — A mutual commitment to the health of our communities
As one of Niagara Health’s largest academic partners, we are pleased to collaborate with Brock University’s Department of Nursing to provide clinical experiences and experiential learning opportunities to our future nursing professionals. Brock University’s nursing students enrich our team by allowing our staff the opportunity to teach upto-date, evidence-based practices and learn from the current theory, knowledge and skills that the students bring to Niagara Health. We are fortunate to support many Brock University nursing students each year and we value our continued partnership. — Heather Paterson, Interim Executive Vice President, Clinical Services & Chief Nursing Executive at Niagara Health “ 15
16 Brock University Niagara Region 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 brocku.ca/nursing