Below is content describing how the School of Nursing at UBC responded to the pandemic in the early months of the 2020 lockdown.
May 12, 2020
From May 2020
British Columbians have made great progress in flattening the epidemic curve. That is good news, and it means that universities are making plans for a careful, well-thought-out return to campus. Because the School of Nursing is mostly located in a hospital, we are aware that we will not be among the first to fully return. Some of us, however, will be back to teach our skills labs course this summer, which we’ve adapted for small groups with physical distancing and careful infection control; the plans have been approved by UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health, so we can prepare nursing students for their clinical practice placements starting in June.
For the rest of us in the School, we continue to work from our homes, teach online, supervise our students in clinical settings, and conduct research from home or online where we can. We are working with communities and governments to help guide responses to the health and social challenges we face in the pandemic. We are also considering different scenarios for a phased return to campus, so that we can be ready when the Provincial Health Officer allows.
I am in regular contact with the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training and the Ministry of Health. Both ministries remain committed to helping ensure that our nursing students continue their education during the pandemic, including labs and practice placements, so our students will not be delayed in graduating. Indeed, plans are underway to celebrate a virtual graduation for nursing students shortly after June 17, 2020, when UBC will formally recognize all graduating students.
Schools of Nursing across the province are communicating regularly through our Nursing Education Council, to share solutions and ideas, and to communicate with government about the work we do and the situations we face in our local contexts.
May 11-17 is National Nursing Week in Canada. In BC, the Lieutenant Governor has issued a proclamation declaring it Nurses Week during the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Although we have cancelled our plans for celebrating our Gala and Nursing Week in person, we encourage our friends and colleagues to take time during the week to share the importance of nursing in their lives and in our communities, and to help celebrate our students, our alumni, our faculty, and our School.
Elizabeth M. Saewyc, PhD, RN, FSAHM, FCAHS, FAAN
Professor and Director, School of Nursing
For updated information about UBC’s response to the COVID19 pandemic, [UBC's COVID 19 response page.]
For the latest guidance from the BC Centres of Disease Control on COVID19, check this link [BCCD COVID 19 response page.]
UBC Nursing Responds
Spotlight on Longterm Care
With Michael Smith Foundation award, Farinaz Havaei leads a team of experts to develop urgently-needed practices and policies for enhancing the lives and work of staff, residents, and families in #LTC facilities,
Making a difference: ‘Wobble room’ provides time-out for COVID-19 frontliners
Nursing alum Lara Gurney found a way to help front-line workers unload some stress while on the job.
"A Glimmer of Light" for Men in Prison
People in prisons are at high risk of infection from COVID-19, as well as profoundly affected by the response to the pandemic. Helen Brown and Kelsey Timler reached out to their partners at Corrections Services Canada to see how they could help.
Nursing Know How - Working with Women to Tackle COVID-19
Vicky Bungay and Inner City Women’s Initiatives Society partner to support women in the Downtown Eastside amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
Collaboration helps frontline workers see clearly during long hours at work
When Sally Thorne learned that front line workers were having trouble keeping their personal protective equipment from fogging up, she used the power of social media to get help. The engineers at UBC Okanagan responded quickly with a "solution".
A Triple Win for Nursing Education
At UBC’s School of Nursing, professors are finding fresh ways to disseminate and acquire knowledge from a distance.
Featuring Alison Phinney and Frances Affleck
Rise to the Occasion
Nurses are committed to serving all, and to applying a health equity lens in the process of providing care. What does that mean in a pandemic?
Featuring Colleen Varcoe, Annette Browne, and team
Reducing Stress in Stressful Times
Techniques for reducing stress, collected by Elisabeth Bailey.
COVID-19: Public Health Response
Sabrina Wong presents to faculty and staff on the basics of what was known about COVID-19 in advance of taking the School online. March 16, 2020.
Nursing Links - Staying Informed
