May 10, 1999 For Immediate Release

Research conducted at the University of Northern British Columbia has provided a rare glimpse into the working conditions of nurses in rural communities.

The three-year study was conducted by Martha MacLeod, Chair of the UNBC Nursing program, in collaboration with nurses in Fort St James, Mackenzie, and McBride. The aims of the research were to increase understanding of nursing practice in rural areas and devise strategies for improving nurse's work conditions. This study is a first; there has been no similar research on rural nursing in Canada.

"Nursing practice is very complex," says Dr MacLeod. "Nurses care for many types of patients with various needs, and their remoteness from major referral centres means they have a lot of responsibility." Strategies for improving care were developed following the research and include:

• Making education relevant and accessible to rural nurses. This includes offering more clinically relevant university-credit courses, providing outreach courses, and making educational materials (journals and library resources) available on-site or on-line.
• Developing policies and standards of practice that are tailored for small, rural facilities.
• Appointing clinical leaders at each facility to work with community agencies, provide staff direction, and ensure ongoing staff education.

"We're only now starting to understand how we can better educate students to work in northern and rural settings," says Dr MacLeod. "We've heard a lot about the nursing shortage in BC, but understanding what nurses in the North do will help in education, recruitment, and retention."

UNBC and the College of New Caledonia collaborate on a Nursing degree program that emphasizes practice in rural settings. The University is also starting a Nursing Certificate in Rural and Northern Nursing.