Northern Nursing Education Network Established
Although distributed across the globe, individuals living in the circumpolar region (High North) experience a lot of the same issues, including the need for more accessible education and more accessible health care.
To address this issue, the College of Nursing partnered with The Arctic University of Norway and the North Eastern Federal University to create a Thematic Network on Northern Nursing Education.
The goal of this network is to examine the accessibility and quality of degree level nursing education in northern regions. “Through establishing a network of institutions providing decentralized/distributed nursing education to northern communities in Norway, Canada, Siberia, Finland, Iceland and Greenland, we hope to improve the delivery of northern nursing education, share best practices and form a community of students and educators to jointly examine and improve the clinical practice of nursing in a northern context,” said Network Coordinator Heather Exner-Pirot.
Although participants from various northern institutions have been working hard to form the network over the past year, it wasn’t until June 15th, that the Northern Nursing Education Network was formally approved as a UArctic Thematic Network. “Earning this status was important to us as it should improve our access to funding opportunities and raise the profile of what we are trying to do in the north,” said Exner-Pirot.
The network has already attracted 12 member institutions and held its first meeting in April in Reykjavik, Iceland. Future plans include a publication outlining the variety of educational models and challenges in northern nursing education and establishing an annual Summer Institute on Circumpolar Health to allow northern nursing students to share their experiences and perspectives.