The support is immediate, the connections are authentic and the timing is perfect.
The Nursing The Future website and online community launched this week. Led by Dr. Judy Duchscher, associate professor at the School of Nursing, and supported by a team of students, new graduates and expert nurses, the site establishes an online network for new registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and licensed practical nurses to find support, make connections and access professional development opportunities.
The site, supported by a grant from the Canadian Nurses Foundation (CNF), and by administrative assistance from the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), launches at a perfect time, when new graduates are entering into the field at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Easing the transition to practice
“I wanted to find a way to help young nurses change the profession and sustain their values in a very dynamic and somewhat resistant system,” says Duchscher, explaining that the project originally began in 2003, albeit on a smaller scale.
This revamped national network was developed in a time of tremendous need, Duchscher says, adding that nurses can find immediate support, enabling them to make a healthy transition to nursing practice.
“If we want to create and sustain a health-care system that is going to be there for all of us, we need these young practitioners to feel inspired and motivated and supported. We need them to commit to the future of health care, and we need them to feel like we are wrapping our arms around them, because it’s a pretty cold place out there right now, both personally and professionally,” Duchscher says.
Burnout leads to attrition
Studies have shown between 31 and 65 percent of new nurses consider leaving the profession within the first two years; 67 percent of them report experiencing burnout and express a desire to quit.
“I don’t want to focus on throwing people life rafts, I want to help them to develop as they move to the next phase of their practice,” says Duchscher.
Nursing The Future is sponsored by the CNF’s COVID-19 Fund for Nurses until July 31, 2021. The website offers nurses a network of information, education and social connection.
Contact:
Judy Duchscher
TRU School of Nursing associate professor
jduchscher@tru.ca | 306-716-3286 (cell)
Please visit www.nursingthefuture.ca
