Congratulations on finding your way to the ARNBC webpage! By cruising through the website and reading blogs you have already taken your curiosity from thought to action. I also took that step exploring ARNBC online a few years ago and now I find myself privileged to sit on the Board of Directors representing the diverse voices of nurses working in northern B.C. This blog is my story of taking action… Read More »My Journey with ARNBC, by Linda Axen, RN
Recently, I had the privilege of joining Joy Peacock, Executive Director of ARNBC, in the B.C. Budget Lockup. For those who are not aware, this is a secured room wherein around 200 stakeholders have an advanced preview of the details of the budget and service plans. This is also where the media interviews these stakeholders in order to get their stories aired in a timely manner following the budget speech.… Read More »Budget Lockup: Insights from ARNBC, by Zak Matieschyn, NP
There is evidence that nurses know that we should take care of ourselves and how we should be doing it, yet there is still a gap between what is known and what is practiced (Malloy, et al.). As a profession centered on caring, nurses spend much of our time providing care for others; unfortunately, we often do not give the same consideration to self-care – those activities we do to… Read More »Self-Care in Nursing: A Call to Action, by Maren Austen, BSN Student
This year again the BC Ministry of Health has mandated that all healthcare providers must receive the influenza vaccine and if they choose not to, they must wear a mask for the duration of flu season whilst providing patient care. I applaud this decision and am frustrated by some of my colleagues who argue against science and common sense. Let’s examine some of the arguments. Point 1: Flu kills. It… Read More »B.C.’s Flu Shot Policy for Healthcare Providers: it just makes sense, by Hannah Varto, NP
Listening to Kathy Bird, an icon in the world of Aboriginal Nursing in Canada and keynote speaker at the Winnipeg A.N.A.C. Conference, my attention was captured as she began talking about her lived experience - her history as an Aboriginal woman, both as a nurse and a medicine woman. She spoke of her "bundle" of medicine in almost the same breath as her past in residential school; these were the… Read More »What do I walk with? by Wendy Bowles, NP
I run into a consistent portrait every time I head to the bank in Courtenay. A person in borrowed clothing with a head bowed in shame asks, “Can you spare some change?” I wonder, “How can a person like me… a citizen in a democratic society filled with opportunity who eats three meals a day and can afford tuition to start a career, not spare some time to consider what… Read More »Spare Some Change? by Jess Shannon, BSN Student
Recent commentaries by oncology health professionals, patients, journalists and the Minister of Health about the state of cancer care in British Columbia (BC) have revealed significant challenges to delivering timely, high quality cancer care in that province. It is likely that these challenges are actually felt across the country, and are not unique to B.C. Oncology health professionals, including nurses are working to their maximum with the vision to deliver… Read More »How nurses can contribute to transforming cancer care systems, by Tracy Truant, RN and Sally Thorne, RN
ARNBC does not generally print blogposts from anonymous sources. Ideally nurses could state their opinion on virtually any topic, without repercussions. However, the following blog was submitted by a nurse who feels so threatened in her workplace that she does not feel it would be safe to identify herself publicly. Bullying is a topic that we know impacts many nurses and we feel strongly that it is important to publish this piece… Read More »Do You Know if YOU are the Bully?
Your voice is our strength. You may have heard this statement used by ARNBC many times over the last four years. I saw this statement come to life with the nurses that attended the June 2014 Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Annual General meeting. Annual general meetings (AGM) for any organization are often considered required, routine, and unremarkable. The CNA AGM held in Winnipeg on June 16th was different. The stakes… Read More »Legacy of National Nursing Leadership continues at the Canadian Nurses Association AGM, by Julie Fraser, RN, MN
May 12, 2014 was a memorable day for nursing in British Columbia. For the first time in history, a group of 20 nurses travelled to the Legislature to launch nursing week. This was a celebratory event, bringing the family of nursing together to share our stories, and demonstrating our desire to work together with government and each other in a collaborative manner. Our group represented the whole nursing family -… Read More »Advocacy and Unity in Action, by Pam Burton, RN
