On Wednesday March 23 at 5 pm, the Camosun Nursing Student Collective (CNSC) is partnering with Victoria Cool Aid Homelessness Society for an online workshop. The workshop—which is open to the public—is curated and facilitated by CNSC president Afaf Burrow and will feature guest speaker Emily Taylor, who is a nurse for the Cool Aid Society.
“The main aspect of the event is just talking about how we can support people during the COVID-19 pandemic as healthcare workers and how we can advocate for people in our healthcare facilities,” says Burrow.
The workshop will touch on subjects like the importance of community nurses and how the pandemic has impacted the healthcare environment, with an overarching emphasis on taking a holistic and mental-health approach when it comes to the health of community members and nurses.
“It’s not just about treating a wound and then moving on, it’s about checking up on that person and hearing that they’re okay mentally, physically, in all aspects of their health, and really trying to focus on all aspects of the human being in the dimensions of care,” says Burrow.
Although the event specifically focuses on healthcare and nursing, it’s open to the public as Burrow believes that these subjects are relevant to all community members, now more than ever.
“I think it’s important for students to get this information right now because we have to prepare for a future once COVID-19 has been resolved,” she says. “We have to ensure that we are providing safe and viable information for students, and also to follow healthcare orders to ensure that we are all actively working to flatten the curve.”
Taylor provides healthcare services to community members who face structural barriers. Burrow hopes to shed light on sectors of healthcare that don’t always receive the same representation as more traditional healthcare facilities.
“I wanted to create this event because I’ve seen a lack of representation of other healthcare units,” says Burrow. “I’ve only ever seen care centres or hospitals being represented in nursing, so I am glad to also expand that to homeless shelters and see what we can do on more of a community-level basis.”
Taylor and her team work in a variety of locations, including the shelter’s main clinic on Johnson Street, various outreach and supportive-housing locations, and from the outreach van.
“There’s so many different ways that you can be a nurse, and it doesn’t always have to be on a hospital ward,” says Taylor. “So I think it’s a great opportunity to show that it’s not one size fits all.”
Taylor says that when she was a nursing student in Nova Scotia, hearing from people who were actively involved in the field was eye-opening and inspiring. She hopes to provide that experience for attendees, as well as a chance to learn from the student participants.
“I’m looking forward to the event as a whole,” says Taylor. “I remember when I was a nursing student, I clung onto great mentors and people who were excited about nursing, and doing things differently. I really enjoyed hearing these kinds of talks and seeing what else is out there, so I’m really hopeful that I can bring that to the nursing collective.”
Burrow and Taylor look forward to sharing this information, and encourage anyone who wants to help create a safer and healthier community to attend the workshop.
“I think this is a universal subject, so I think anyone would be interested in it,” says Burrow. “We focus a lot on mental health and how we can better support people who are going through mental health crises.”