Two more student nurses to receive MacLachlan bursary

Two more student nurses to receive MacLachlan bursary

Two more nursing students looking to practice in the Pontiac received funding for their schooling on March 3.

Annie-Claude Durocher and Jessica Jewell were the two newest recipients of the MacLachlan Family Bursary which grants up to $5,000 each per year for nursing students, with the stipulation that they must work in the Pontiac for as many years as they received the bursary.

Pontiac Community Hospital Foundation President Allan Dean said that they are aiming to have eight students receiving the bursary at any given time, and are currently reviewing other potential candidates (more info here).

Both Durocher and Jewell had experience working in local health care facilities and said that they were both excited to become nurses.

 

Natalie Romain, clinical administrative coordinator at the Pontiac Hospital, said that they have been in dire need of registered nurses for years now, and while private agency nurses have been used to fill the gap, they have had to ease up on their use due to budget cuts. She estimated that they would need to hire 12 to 14 new RNs to return to full capacity.

She added that the bursary program is a good recruitment tool that they have locally, noting that financing for post-secondary education is a common concern among students considering a career in health care.