Brandon Lui (left) and Alanna Hanson (right) explain how rural nursing has made them expert generalists.
As nursing students or working nurses, it's easy to overlook the draws of rural practice and simply assume the burden of having to work at a rural site far outweigh any possible benefits. But, as the saying goes, you won't know unless you try-and chances are, you won't want to leave once you do.
Nurses and students alike will attest that rural practice offers rewards far greater than professional fulfillment, and not just because every day is different and full of unique challenges, but day after day, working in a rural hospital just feels right.
"It's an awesome opportunity to learn a variety of skills, see a variety of patients, work with a variety of people," explained Alanna Hanson, who has worked at Wetaskiwin Hospital since graduating from UAlberta's Faculty of Nursing in 2014. "You don't always have the backup and support like bigger centres, so you are forced to learn on your own, which is the best way to learn. It's a great opportunity to be a better nurse."
Hanson, who completed her clinical practicum in Edmonton, believes she wouldn't be the nurse she is today if she didn't jump blindly into rural nursing.
"For some people, it's a great jumping off point to working in a bigger facility as you gain a well-rounded amount of experience. I've never felt a need to look elsewhere because I'm challenged everyday, each day is drastically different, I'm always on my toes working with a wide-range of people, and the support from my co-workers is amazing."
Hanson now mentors nursing students as part of the preceptor partnership set up between the Faculty of Nursing and Wetaskiwin Hospital. She believes preparing young students for the workplace by helping them learn problem-solving and time-management skills-things that you can't learn in the classroom-is imperative to their success.
"No one is born to be a nurse; you can't know everything off the get-go, so it's important to learn how to survive and thrive."
Brandon Lui, who just completed his fourth year and final preceptorship, worked 340 hours alongside Hanson during his placement-and enjoyed every minute of it.
"Since Wetaskiwin is Emergency, instead of having patients that stay for a while, you never know who you'll meet next or what's coming. This type of fast-paced environment is a great place to develop your critical thinking skills, assessment skills, and gain the confidence you need to work independently," said Lui.
Albeit this is a challenging experience, it encourages our nursing students to adopt a mentality of confidence as they become expert generalists with a wide range of advanced knowledge and ability. Like anything, getting to this point takes time and a lot of support.
Hanson reminisces about Lui, and how far he came from the start of his practicum to when he finished.
"Over time, Brandon developed awesome critical thinking skills, began to grasp prioritizations-things you have to learn on the job because you can't learn them in a classroom. He learned how to be efficient and effective. It was lovely to see how he became more confident interacting with different disciplines, such as physicians and paramedics."
Now that he's finished, Lui is ready to make his way back to Wetaskiwin, starting with a casual position. Lui admits that rural nursing isn't for everyone. Smaller facilities tend to have limited resources and personnel; a nurse has to not only be creative, but learn to be a jack of all trades.
"If you want to be a good nurse, start in rural sites. You'll be challenged, but you'll learn quickly," said Lui.