Health and Community Services
May 12, 2014

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Health and Community Services:

National Nursing Week Recognized in Newfoundland and Labrador

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to stand before this Honourable House and recognize May 12 to May 18 as National Nursing Week.

Currently working in our province, we have 6,340 registered nurses, the most in our province’s history, and 2,421 licensed practical nurses. Overall, we have more registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners per population than the Canadian average.

Nurses play integral and valuable roles throughout our entire health care system. With a vast array of duties delivered in a number of settings including long-term care facilities, emergency departments, to frontline health services in schools and clinics, nurses are often the first face patients encounter when they enter the health care system. Nurses also play an important role in post-secondary education, administration, and research and policy.

Nurses are leaders in health care. They are responsible for providing direct care to patients, mentoring new employees and students, and ensuring that everyone under their care is treated respectfully.

Mr. Speaker, it is a special kind of person who wants to care for and help improve the lives of people around them. Nurses improve the quality of life for many and they help make our communities a better place in which to live.

To be a nurse is to take on significant responsibilities and I applaud every nurse working in our province who chooses to answer this call.

Our government will continue to work with and support nurses through new negotiated agreements, ongoing signing bonus and retention initiatives, and through our nursing education programs.

Clearly, we see the value and importance of nurses in the delivery of health care.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador to recognize National Nursing Week by thanking and recognizing the efforts of our professional nurses, their tireless work and their dedication to patients and families.

Thank you.

2014 05 12         1:50 p.m.