Research Paper on Nursing in Rural/Remote Canada: Variability, Complexity & Need for Knowledge/Skills

Introduction

Nursing practice in rural and remote parts of Canada is characterized by its variability, complexity and the need for a wide range of knowledge and skills in situations of minimal support and few resources as compared to nursing practice in urban settings. With numerous researches, it depicts that the medical needs of people in rural and remote regions are dissimilar with those in urban areas. The discrepancy is due to environmental, personal, socioeconomic and demographic traits of the respective populations as they are the primary health determinants. For example, people in rural settings usually have lower standards of living and mortality rates as compared to their those in urban places (Schlairet, 2017).

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Rural and remote communities are incredibly diverse; hence, the workstations and roles of the nursing practitioners assigned to them are correspondingly varied. Rural nursing practice varies from urban practice, although the language used to describe it is often similar.

Differences between Rural and Urban Nursing

In minor communities, nurses' personal and professional roles are intertwined. On the other hand, nurses in urban areas due to, for example, their high numbers, do not have this challenge of unbalanced work-life situations. Thus, it must be taken into account when formulating policies and services, and also in employing and retaining nurses.

Rural and remote nursing practice is fashioned by the local communities within which the nurses are part of. Usually, the norms and practices of these societies are factored in during healthcare giving (Burman & Fahrenwald, 2018). In urban settings, the population is of different intermixed cultures; hence, none matters to nursing practitioners.

Since most nurses in rural and remote settings work unaided or with little support staff in their daily practice as compared to urban nursing where the experience is quite the opposite. Urban hospitals are usually well-staffed and equipped with modern tech methods simplifying their work. This calls for the need to develop ways of providing constant proficient help at a remotely, both in-person and using information technology (Schlairet, 2017).

Access to Healthcare in Rural Settings

Access to healthcare is vital to every human being who wishes to live healthily, and this includes the people residing in rural settings. Well-being refers to both physical and mental health status of a person, and therefore, it is essential to have these services readily available to everyone regardless of their location. In rural Canada, like in other regions globally, there is an unequal topographical distribution of nursing personnel. The surroundings environment can negatively affect the adaptability of the non-local nurses. They ought to comfortably fit in for them to efficiently provide quality healthcare services. For this very reason, it is challenging to efficiently attend to all health needs in rural and remote locations.

Accessibility of Care. In order to readily avail nursing care in rural and remote areas, it is essential to have a proper supply of nurses who are aptly educated for the roles they need to assume. Even though most registered nurses in both urban and rural places work in critical care hospitals, a more significant proportion of rural than urban nurses work in community-based settings, depicting the importance of this type of workplace in rural Canada. Registered nurses based in rural and remote places in Canada have more needs for an extended role of practice, even though they have a relatively lower level of formal training (Burman & Fahrenwald, 2018). Moreover, they have a severe shortage of medical resources, with clinical and administrative superiors working from urban settings. This service gap is a result of government focusing on funding health care programs in the densely populated region, consequently affecting the recruitment and retaining of nurses. Registered nurses working in rural and remote often find it difficult to advance their medical and academic qualifications. In a bid to better healthcare services in rural settings, it is imperative to understand a patient's medical needs (Schlairet, 2017).

Quality of Care. The intricacy of rural and remote nursing practice is immensely underrated and consequently demands a policy and practice reforms to improve the quality healthcare services. For example, cultural practices and beliefs make a great deal of difference in what the nurses encounter working and hence, influential to their medical expertise advancement. For this reason, it is truly necessary to train the rural nurses on accepted clinical treatment that is culture-friendly to the local community. The predominant reason for the need to understand the challenges faced by rural nurses is to come up with appropriate policies and executive practices tailored for remote nursing.

Sustainability of Care. Relocation patterns of rural and remote nurses affect the viability of healthcare. The reasons for the eminent transfers are mostly high-stress levels, need for higher education, gender and presence of dependents or families. The overworking of nurses in rural settings is also a key factor when it comes to reporting needs of the patients as compared to those in urban areas which are not charged with extra responsibilities like administration. Being familiar with the certainties of rural nursing practice, and dealing with issues affecting healthcare givers, can better streamline rural nursing practice translating to accessible healthcare to the communities in remote regions (Oosterbroek, Yonge, & Myrick, 2019).

Working Conditions of Nurses working in Rural Communities

Inadequate number of nurses. There are insufficient numbers of nurses to provide care. There is a discrepancy between the health care needs of people living in rural Canada and the availability of health care providers and health services. Primarily, densely populated areas such as urban settings, doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners have better access to the best social amenities. In the rural and remote areas, there are problems with distances and infrastructure that rural nurses have to first deal with before they can deliver effective health care services.

Influence by topography. There is an apparent effect on nursing practice in rural and remote populations. Covering long distances to visit patients is the norm for rural nurses in addition to the possibility of facing extreme weather conditions while working.

These nurses bear a lot of responsibilities. Because there are fewer numbers of other health caregivers in rural communities, nurses are often expected to be chief healthcare providers (Schlairet, 2017). They are believed to be experts in dealing with the general health needs of patients like any other general medical practitioner. It is expected of them to have abundant knowledge in addressing their patients' needs. Health care restructuring has had a further impact on rural and remote nursing practice. Besides, rationalizing staff and merged health services causes nurses in rural and remote settings to attend to patients who have serious health issues. Unfortunately, all these have led to grave responsibility-burdening on these rural nurses. They get overworked because only a few medical students are willing to relocate and practice in remote areas.

Implications of Nursing Practice

People in sparsely populated locations affect nursing practice in rural areas. In rural settings, work is of great importance to the local community. Therefore, health care is forcefully fit within work calendars. Preventive care programs and clinics that conflict with the rural work schedules, will not be fully utilized. Since health also refers to as the ability to work, wellbeing promotion should in every aspect focus on work-related issues. The self-sufficiency of rural and remote communities has definite nursing implications (Plunkett, Leipert, & Olson, 2016). The bucolic natives will often postpone looking for health care until when they are seriously sick or in worse cases, incapacitated. Rural nursing practices need to consider two main aspects: indulgent involvement for those who have delayed medication and a robust emphasis on the importance of preventive health measures. If nurses provide enough health facts, then the patient's desire for independence may result in better health. Having a wide knowledge base, the rural communities can make informed decisions. These decisions regarding self-care as compared to the need for professional medical assistance (Plunkett et al., 2016).

Healthcare facilities must be made to fit the preferences of communities in rural and remote areas during times of sickness. Rural nurses can give directions and medical assistance to individuals, who mostly are the primary caregivers for the ill. The formal health care structure should fit into the informal system in place in the rural and remote parts of Canada. For example, recruitment of a local drug store owner to assist in availing more accurate medical advice to the locals by providing referral materials to them. Therefore, the rural residents will more readily accept help coming from a local medic rather than from a new medical specialist (Kulig, Kilpatrick, Moffit, & Zimmer, 2015).

Rural nursing practitioners who join rural societies should be patient with the locals accepting them. Engagement in various community activities like attending civic meetings may help the nurse in fitting in the community. This is because in any rural setting, being accepted as a healthcare giver is often associated with personal acceptance. Accordingly, it seems that a rural setting is not a suitable workplace for nurses who prefer to keep their private lives entirely separate from their work life (Kulig et al., 2015).

Stress factors that seem to affect nurses and clinical staff in the rural practice are numerous one being the feeling of isolation from the nursing career mainstream. They often find themselves in dire situations that demand more of their job descriptions and with no additional support in their service delivery. The educational training of nursing students who wish to work in rural and remote settings must highlight not only generalist skill-sets but also leadership practices (Burman & Fahrenwald, 2018). The nurses in rural settings need a comprehensive understanding of means for accessing various sources of updated information. In the case where the nearest information center is several miles away, online networks installation comes in handy. This information is necessary to effectively and accurately meet the needs of the rural community. Helps in to connect all nurses stationed in rural areas and mainly helps in both information exchange and for mutual aid amongst rural nurses and their urban counterparts (Plunkett et al., 2016).

The lack of responsiveness on the part of urban nursing practitioners and policy-makers about the ground situations of rural health care is a common hindrance to better medical service provision in remote areas. Though the nurses take note of the difficulties they encounter working here, for instance, their ability to evaluate patients, not much can be done in a short time (Burman & Fahrenwald, 2018). Additionally, the strategies and standards formulated and enacted in urban settings are often inappropriate for nursing practitioners in rural and remote communities.

Solutions to Rural Nursing Problems

We require urgent solutions for the unique and pressing challenges that rural nursing pose. Improved structures and models of interprofessional practice that are supportive of the vast strengths and difficulties associated with rural and remote nursing practice (Oosterbroek et al., 2019). Nurses who work and reside in rural and remote areas, re...