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Five-Year Research Report Shows Breadth and Depth
UBCO professor says frontline nurses grapple with a good death amidst new end of life options.
While Canada may have legalized medical assistance in dying in 2016, the moral challenges continue for primary care workers, including nurse practitioners who can legally assess eligibility for and provide assisted death.
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Nursing program at OC and UBCO recognized for innovative curriculum
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College has received long-term accreditation from the British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP), which regulates nurse training in the province.
The program has been approved for the next seven years with no terms or conditions. That’s great news for current and future students, and for health care employers and patients, says Prof. Marie Tarrant, Director of the School of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Social Development at UBC Okanagan.
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UBC professor examines support programs for fresh nursing graduates
This June, 130 students graduated from UBC Okanagan’s School of Nursing. While a new career is an exciting milestone, it can be challenging for new nurses. Statistics show high attrition rates, with many leaving the profession after just two years.
Nursing Professor Kathy Rush has a long history of teaching. Part of her role is ensuring that students who graduate from the School of Nursing succeed at what they do. Rush has recently published a review that evaluated several programs that support nurses as they enter the workforce. We asked why these programs are necessary and more importantly: do they work?
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Exploring how to help Canada's growing older population age successfully from head to toe
CANADA’S POPULATION IS AGING— by 2036, it’s estimated that adults over the age of 65 will represent more than 20 per cent of the population. And this growing demographic craves autonomy and a fulfilling quality of life enriched by community.
From this lens of being informed by older adults, researchers at UBC Okanagan (UBCO) are examining how to best support the goals of our aging population to help them age successfully and with satisfaction.
Nursing LABS
The Nursing Research and Knowledge Hub in the School of Nursing at UBC’s Okanagan Campus is a collaborative research space for nursing faculty, students, and partners to design and conduct research that transforms health and health systems. The Hub is an open community that is home to four areas of research excellence.
This research program focuses on finding innovative ways to improve the quality of life for those living with life-limiting medical conditions and declining health as well as exploring strategies to relieve suffering at end of life. Topics also include palliative care and the development of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in the Canadian context.
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Nurse researchers in this theme focus on supporting health and wellbeing in families. Topics include infant feeding, maternal and child vaccinations, perinatal substance use, sleep health, supportive caregiver-child interactions, youth mental health, and inclusive and safe sport and recreation for children with developmental challenges. Research efforts across these areas aim to foster healthy child and youth development, enhance health and quality of life through improved health service delivery, the development of innovative interventions, and bringing the perspectives of diverse groups to the forefront.
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Working together with healthcare professionals and rural communities, our nurse researchers are leading the development of innovative nursing, health and social care solutions to inform practice, policy, and system change to address priority health and health services challenges.
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Advancing health equity is the foundation of this research theme. Programs of research focus on advancing equity in research, health and social systems as well as health promotion and health system change with and by Indigenous peoples and diverse communities as partners in decision making to improve health outcomes. Scholars in this theme use various research methods, particularly community-led, integrated knowledge translation and patient/community-oriented research to promote equity and inclusion.
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Emerging technologies offer nurses new ways to improve health and healthcare care delivery. Research in this field includes the development of new technologies, novel applications of existing technologies and the development of health informatics to improve healthcare practices, health and workforce outcomes. Researchers in this group have expertise in user-centered, multi-disciplinary approaches to inquiry, and critical approaches that examine the dynamics of power and relationships between technologies, people and health.
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Training Opportunities
RESEARCH TRAINING AND MENTORSHIP
School of Nursing faculty members provide opportunities for research training and mentorship within our areas of research excellence.
We welcome inquiries regarding these opportunities. If you are interested in any aspect of post-graduate training within a specific lab, please contact the principal investigator of that lab directly.
School of Nursing faculty members are accepting students interested in completing the course-based or thesis-based stream of the Masters of Science in Nursing, and students interested in completing thesis research in the Interdisciplinary Master’s program. For more information
School of Nursing faculty members are accepting PhD students interested in a doctoral program in Nursing or Interdisciplinary Studies with specific interests in the ongoing programs of research. For more information
Research training at the post-doctoral level within School of Nursing research labs and areas of research excellence is available for trainees with a professional qualification in nursing or doctoral graduates interested in furthering their training in any of the on-going programs of research.
Trainees and health professionals are invited to contact the School of Nursing faculty members directly to discuss opportunities for research internships or practica in their respective research labs. Our faculty members also welcome inquiries from undergraduate students (in any discipline) wishing to explore research practicum opportunities in our labs.
Our School of Nursing faculty members welcome inquiries from students and trainees from around the world wishing to complete part of their research training in one of our nursing research labs.
Employment Opportunities
WORK IN RESEARCH
There are a variety of types of employment opportunities in ongoing programs of research in each of the School of Nursing Research Labs.
(For eligible UBCO undergraduate and graduate students from any faculty) as advertised on the UBC Okanagan Student Services website.
Positions part-time positions for undergraduate and graduate students are frequently available. Positions are open to qualified students from any faculty. Contact lead investigators directly to inquire about opportunities.
Refer to the UBC Human Resources website for current openings.