Northern Health (NH) spans nearly 600,000 square kilometers, serving over two dozen communities across the region. In every one of our facilities, dedicated nurses provide care to pediatric patients, even though training has traditionally focused on adult care.
We know that caring for children and their families comes with its own unique challenges. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce a brand-new, specialized education program designed just for nurses in Northern BC! This exciting initiative is grounded in the latest evidence-based practices and current standards of excellence. It’s all about empowering our nurses with the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to deliver exceptional pediatric care, right here in the North.
During recent Regional Pediatric Morbidity & Mortality (M&M) Committee meetings, some important gaps in pediatric education for nurses were identified. In response to these findings, pediatric clinical educators—with strong support from the Child & Youth Executive Lead and the Clinical Education department—have created a new learning program just for nurses in Northern BC.
The Northern Health Pediatric Education Program (NHPEP) is designed to help nurses build confidence and skills in caring for children and youth, using the latest best practices and standards.
The intention of this education program is to provide foundational pediatric knowledge to support nurses caring for children, youth, and their families. NHPEP is recommended for newly hired nurses and nurses who care for children and youth infrequently in all acute care facilities.
The main takeaways for nurses who attend the program are:
- Understanding pediatric developmental stages
- Performing age-appropriate pediatric assessments
- Applying pediatric-specific clinical skills
- Integrating evidence-based pediatric practices
- Awareness and utilization of NH endorsed resources for pediatric care
What two nurse learners said about the NHPEP
“Overall, this was an amazing day! I feel much more confident knowing where to access resources. It was a great refresher to go over the pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis and asthma protocols. This significantly helped me in understanding pediatric pathways of care.”
“This was an amazing day of education, and our community needs pediatric education support. I would love to see more days like this offered - especially before flu season.”
The NHPEP in-person education sessions have been running since September 2024, but the online portion was just released last month. Introducing the online learning will be a great way for more NH staff to access this education. In-person education sessions have already been completed in Quesnel, Burns Lake, Fort St James, Vanderhoof, Fort St. John, and Dawson Creek.
The program so far has been a success, and the team looks forward to bringing it to more NH staff and Northern communities in the future.
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