YELLOWKNIFE, NT – During National Nursing Week, May 9-15, 2022, Aurora College is celebrating and recognizing our nursing students, faculty, graduates, community partners and all nursing professionals who have worked diligently to provide high quality care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The College’s current and recent graduates are entering their careers in unprecedented times. During their nursing education, they have taken on responsibilities supporting the territory’s pandemic response by assisting with COVID-19 screening, vaccinating for influenza and COVID-19, working as COVID-19 screeners at hospitals and primary health care facilities, supporting workers at various facilities, and providing support wherever requested within the health care system.
Aurora College is very fortunate to have a nursing faculty and staff who are dedicated and committed to not only their students, but to their chosen profession, and who lead by example, personifying the professionalism and qualities necessary to deliver high quality and compassionate client care.
The majority of Aurora College’s nursing graduates have remained in the North, and have consistently provided first-class care to their patients. Graduates are working in every hospital and in many health care centres, long-term care facilities, and in public, home and community care in the Northwest Territories.
Despite the stress and extra challenges of providing quality health care during a pandemic, the College’s partners have not wavered in their commitment to helping students become their best professional selves. Aurora College’s health programs could not provide the same level and quality of education without their continued support. These include preceptors (experienced nurses who serve as mentors and role models for students); the hospitals, health care facilities and long-term care facilities that provide practicum placements; the various professionals and Elders who share their wisdom through program advising, classroom teaching and on-the-land experiences. Aurora College continues to partner with the University of Victoria, which provides our nursing students with the opportunity to attain a baccalaureate degree in nursing while living in the NWT, using a quality curriculum.
This year’s theme was developed by the Canadian Nurses Association to showcase the many roles that nurses play in a client’s health-care journey. The pandemic brought to light the courage and commitment that nurses bring with them every day and to every situation, and showed the important role that nurses play in their communities.