UBCO is offering a post-degree program in primary care health for registered nurses that should help address the needs of Canada’s provincial health-care systems.
To address the challenges in primary health care—including the shortage of physicians—Canada’s provincial health-care systems have been moving towards team-based care.
In anticipation of the pivotal role of nurses in this transformation, UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing has launched a post-baccalaureate certificate in primary care nursing.
“Primary care is the first line of clinical services and the best means to prevent, screen for and manage disease,” says Dr. Nelly Oelke, Professor in the School of Nursing. “Nurses who complete this post-baccalaureate certificate will be ready to join primary care health teams and bolster this first line. This will lead to better health care outcomes, and in turn relieve the burden on our hospitals.”
While undergraduate nursing programs prepare nurses to practice in most settings, the emphasis for those nurses is on acute care. To work as a member of an interprofessional team in primary care, nurses require additional competencies, explains Dr. Oelke.
Read the full story here: UBC Okanagan News