Grand River Hospital program is turning nursing students into staff members
For National Nursing Week, CTV Kitchener is going inside Waterloo region hospitals to hear from nurses themselves. In part two of our three-part Commitment to Care series, we visit Grand River Hospital to meet an internationally-trained nurse who found employment through a unique program.
Harjeet Brar is in her element, working at Grand River Hospital’s Freeport Campus.
Trained as a nurse in India, she got her license to begin working as registered nurse in Canada last month.
"The machines that we use back in India are different from here," says Harjeet Brar, explaining how she updated skills using the clinical extern program at Grand River Hospital. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)
“I'm working at the same unit where I did my practical hours,” Brar said.
To begin working in Canada, she needed to update her skills – and that’s where Grand River Hospital came in.
The hospital’s “clinical extern” program pairs nursing students and internationally-trained nurses with a registered nurse as a way to learn, and to fulfill their training hour requirements.
Dorcas Ndiangui is one of the Grand River Hospital nurses students are paired with.
She teaches them necessary skills, but in the case of international nurses, the lessons are shared.
“They come in with a vast [amount] of knowledge that they bring into the program that we utilize,” Ndiangui said.
Dorcas Ndiangui, who helps teach internationally-trained nurses at Grand River Hospital, says she also learns from them. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)
Often the training leads to a job.
“We definitely hire a lot of clinical externs who graduate and finish the program and we often hire them here at positions to Grand River Hospital,” said clinical extern manager Kristina Vieth.
Brar said programs like this are one way to address the staffing issues in the healthcare system.
“There are so many international nurses that are already in Canada but they don't know where they can go to pursue more education to meet their criteria,” Brar said.
Fellow nurses seem to agree.
“[It’s] the future, the future of nursing,” Ndiangui said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
What Donald Trump's election victory could mean for Canada
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon, telling her supporters that her 'heart is full.'
Canada orders wind up of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok's Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Newfoundland hockey player suspended, banned from local arena after off-ice fight with fan
A combination of a thrown stick and thrown punches have given a senior hockey player in Newfoundland a three-game suspension and an indefinite ban from one of his league's six arenas.
Controversial Australian Olympic breakdancer 'Raygun' retires from competition
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has told a Sydney radio station that she plans to retire from competition just three months after her unconventional routine at the Paris Olympics led to her being ridiculed and spawned conspiracy theories about how she qualified for the Games.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.
Kamala Harris made a historic dash for the White House. Here's why she fell short.
"Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win," U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris said on Wednesday in her concession speech.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.