Seventeen students who are either training to enter the health care field or to advance their skills are the first beneficiaries of an initiative to help address the critical shortage of workers.
A ceremony last Wednesday presented the first Learn and Return health care bursaries to the successful candidates from the 30 applications that came in from across the region.
Representatives of the Morden Area Foundation, which oversees the program, as well as local health care leaders heralded the occasion as a tremendous step forward for health care in the region.
Pat Gibson, who initiated the idea along with Marilyn Skubovius, recalled the rich history of the pioneers who made the first hospital in the area a reality along with a nurse training program.
“Today, I feel that we are reinforcing that commitment to our community,” she said. “To all of the recipients who are here today, I look forward to seeing your faces … when you start working at Boundary Trails or at the clinic … you become part of a very special community.”
Representing the foundation, Lenore Laverty noted a community foundation program like this might normally be focused more on a particular community, but they saw the importance of expanding their scope with the bursaries.
“Recognizing the need for health care workers goes far beyond our community’s borders. We’ve made an exception to this rule and made this bursary available to folks in the wider area.
“Pat and Marilyn may not have changed the world, but they certainly started something positive in our community. And the Morden Area Foundation is very pleased and proud to have worked together with them to bring this fund into existence.”
“Wherever you are in your educational journey, we all know that life can be expensive and any little bit of support can make a huge difference,” said Joel Nelson, director of health services at Boundary Trails Health Centre. “I can personally attest to that … 24 years ago when I started nursing school, I was a recipient of a similar bursary, and just knowing what impact that had on kind of easing the burden of that finances made such a huge difference.”
He also touched on the challenges faced in the health care sector.
“I’m confident that things are moving in the right direction. We are seeing an increase in job applications for our facility, and we’re excited that many of you want to work with us. Recruitment and retention are crucial pieces to this puzzle.”
Nicole Walske, executive director at Menzies Medical Centre in Morden, noted how an initiative like this creates hope for the future.
“We know that health care is, dare I say it, at a difficult place right now. Perhaps a broken system is a better word. We also need to remember that we are not without hope,” she said. “This is a step in that direction, so whether you’re investing in your education to further your administrative skills, your clinical skills as a nurse, as a physician, every aspect of that is going to contribute to our system improving, and we really need to share that hope with our community. I really want to thank you all for investing in yourselves, investing in health care.”
The Learn and Return bursary draws on the interest from an endowment fund. It received a major boost earlier this year when it received a $500,000 gift from David Lumgair in memory of his wife Donna. The donation immediately put the campaign past the halfway mark towards their goal of having $1 million in the fund, which would generate $50,000 in bursary money annually.
Some of the successful applicants this year spoke after the ceremony of what it means to them to receive this support.
“I initially came into the medical field for my mom, who became ill,” noted Susie Dyck, who is from Winkler and is taking a medical terminology course. “Just ever since I’ve had great passion to come into this field to make an impact.
“It means a lot. It helps me not only financially but … it’s heartfelt knowing that we have such an amazing community with us that is willing to help out others within the health care field.”
RM of Stanley resident Taya Wiebe is studying to get her masters in occupational therapy.
“This bursary means a lot to me because it shows how much my community cares and wants to further the education of the people in it. I’m just really grateful to use this bursary to study and further my education and hopefully one day give back to the community.”
Gwen Harder of Altona is taking the LPN course through Assiniboine College and was in her final weeks of practicum.
“The support means people trust us. They’re willing to put some effort and time into us to know that they want us in their lives and in their hospital and helping out.”
Julie Geake of Morden is also studying to be an LPN.
“It was such a big decision to go back to school after many years and to go into nursing has always been a dream of mine, so having the financial support along with other support that comes with it from the community really means a lot.”
Learn & Return recipients
- Here are the first 17 recipients of the Learn and Return health care bursary and what they are studying and where:
- Danielle Beckman, Morden – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Susie Dyck, Winkler – medical terminology at Robertson College.
- Julie Geake, Morden – also received the Bill and Linda Fehr scholarship – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Johanna Kwast, Hochfeld – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Jamie Odlum, Morden masters in speech pathology at Minot State University.
- Noah Schaefer, Winkler bachelor of nursing at Red River College.
- Hanah Tesoro, Morden health unit clerk at Red River College.
- Taya Wiebe, RM of Stanley masters degree in occupational therapy at University of Manitoba.
- Willi Just, Winkler – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Alicia Morgan, Morden – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Vienna Peters, Morden – doctor of medicine at University of Manitoba.
- Amber Bezte, Morden – doctor of medicine at University of Manitoba.
- Regina Betke, Miami – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Gwen Harder, Altona – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Jonas Krainert, RM of Stanley – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Ladawn Neufeld, Morden – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
- Katherine Frost, Morden – LPN at Assiniboine Community College.
