Primary Care… the words that bring hope to some, anxiety and fear to others. The issue is as complex as the seemingly simple name. In Northern Health Authority, Primary Care was implemented in all communities in 2016/2017 (https://www.northernhealth.ca/about-us/accountability/reports/annual-reports/2016-2017-annual-report). The concept of Primary Care, based on a 2014 framework by the Ministry of Health (https://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2015/primary-and-community-care-policy-paper.pdf) is great on the surface – simply put, the idea is that as a primary care nurse when you go to see a person in their home (community programs) to provide nursing care, you could also provide other care such as a mental health assessment, wound care, case management assessment, immunization update etc, which would reduce the need for multiple visits and the chance of things to fall through the cracks.
The theory behind Primary Care was implemented and nursing schools across the North (Coast Mountain College, UNBC) have increased the focus on community based education in response. This has been accomplished by increasing the length of time in community based clinical rotations, additional class time spent on community based education, and involvement with students orientating to the multiple community based computer software programs – Procure, RAI, PIXIS etc. Many of the education modules for community program cross training (process of a nurse who has significant experience in one program achieving education and training to work in a similar but different program – ie/ Public Health Nurse being cross trained to Home Care Nursing) are online modules and self directed learning. This form of learning is being found in more and more nursing schools and can be demonstrated through a google search for online nursing courses.
The trend to increasing online education and having fewer in person classes is allowing more students to receive education, but may be affording fewer opportunities for less tech savvy individuals and increased feelings of isolation. It is an overall interesting change that I hope will become increasingly positive.
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