As local health care advocates launch a Sackville-focussed website to assist in recruiting nurses and doctors to the region, Horizon Health has also announced some success in fixing staffing issues at the Sackville Memorial Hospital.
In March, the health network announced it had recently recruited a nurse manager, two Registered Nurses (RNs), one licensed practical nurse (LPN), and four personal care attendants (PCAs) to the Brunswick inpatient unit at the Sackville Memorial Hospital. In addition, there are two RNs who will work in the hospital’s Emergency Department
That’s great news for all those pushing for the restoration of services at the hospital, including acute care beds and 24/7 Emergency Department. In the Horizon announcement, hospital director Christa Wheeler-Thorne said there is “still more work to be done before we are able to safely reintroduce these services.”
Justine Graham is one of the recently announced new recruits. The former LPN will start her role as an RN at the Sackville hospital in June, after graduating from UNB’s bridging program. Sackville wasn’t a hard sell for Graham, who worked here as an LPN before deciding to upgrade her skills at UNB in 2019.
CHMA spoke with Graham on March 24, 2022 about her decision, and also the challenge she now faces of finding a place to live in Sackville. Graham started off talking about her experience working at the Sackville Memorial Hospital as a licensed practical nurse:
Grahams says that for her, UNB’s bridging program was an “incredible opportunity,” and was key to securing her future as an RN. The program was freshly announced when she was accepted in 2019, shortly after starting at the Sackville hospital as an LPN.
“Had [the bridging program] not been available, I don’t know if I would have taken the step to go and do a four year degree after already completing my LPN,” says Graham. The bridging program allows LPNs educated in New Brunswick to complete a series of courses that then allows them to transition directly into year three of a four-year Bachelor of Nursing program.
“Nursing was always something that I wanted to do,” says Graham, “but the opportunities weren’t necessarily there for me originally.” Graham says the requirements for a career in nursing weren’t a top priority when she was in high school, and so she needed upgrading after graduation. “I was eventually able to get my LPN, and then this opportunity presented itself which is really great and has allowed me to progress my career,” she says.
UNB Saint John offers 24 spots per year to LPNs looking to become RNs, funded through $5.3 million per year in funding from the provincial government. The Université de Moncton receives $5.3 million to provide 25 seats per year to Francophone nurses.
When it came to choosing the Sackville Memorial Hospital as her place of practice, Graham credits both her affinity for the town, and the role of Nancy Parker, who was hired earlier this year to help retain and recruit nurses to the SMH. Parker is the former director of Sackville and Moncton hospitals, and a former nurse at Sackville Memorial.
“[Parker] had actually reached out to me,” says Graham. “She had heard from some of the staff there that it was something that I had been considering.”
But convincing a new nurse to apply through Horizon is not a guarantee that they will end up in your town or your hospital. After completing her application to Horizon, Graham was offered her choice of two jobs. “They did offer me a position in Moncton as well, a full time position,” says Graham, “but Sackville was my top choice.”
Graham says concerns over the future of the Sackville hospital are top of mind, but the reaction of the community has helped alleviate those. “Seeing the support for the hospital and the way that the community has really rallied to show their support—and how important it is to them—is definitely comforting,” says Graham.
Following this latest round of hires, Horizon says it has seven of ten RN positions in the Emergency Department filled, and seven of ten registered nurse positions on the Brunswick inpatient unit filled. And in Horizon’s release, hospital director Christa Wheeler-Thorne said the network “continues to work toward the goal of eventually restoring 24-7 Emergency Department service and acute care beds,” at the Sackville Memorial Hospital.
The Emergency Department at the Sackville Hospital continues to be open just eight hours a day, from 8am to 4pm.
