Professor Heather Laschinger is hoping through her research nurses will begin to see a healthier work environment, leading to less stress and fewer nurses leaving the profession.
Through the creation of the first Arthur Labatt Family Nursing Research Chair in Human Resource Optimization, the Associate Director of Nursing Research at Western will address issues surrounding the chronic shortage of registered nurses in Canada and the United States.
Heather Laschinger
The $2-million research chair is part of a $10-million gift from Arthur and Sonia Labatt announced last year.
A study by the Canadian Nurses Association found the country will be short 78,000 registered nurses (RNs) within two years, and the number is expected to grow to 113,000 by 2016. Ontario alone is currently in need of an additional 14,000 RNs.
Laschinger will lead a broad research agenda examining issues related to the education and retention of nurses and factors that contribute to their success in a variety of health care settings, and support related teaching initiatives.
“The chair will extend my ongoing research, which for the past 15 years has examined how best to empower nurses for excellence in professional practice in work environments that promote the health of both nurses and their patients,” says Laschinger.
Her research will focus on the causes and consequences of the current professional nursing workforce shortage, with a view to optimizing health human resources in nursing to ensure high quality health care.
This will provide an opportunity to develop new directions for investigating ways to optimize nurses’ scope of practice and to examine best educational practices that prepare new graduates for these challenging work settings.
“This is a very exciting announcement for the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing,” notes Director Mary-Anne Andrusyszyn. “Dr. Laschinger’s research and dedication to the profession is incredible and the chair’s focus is a great fit with her tremendous work.”
Although the chair was not to be filled for a few years, Health Sciences Dean Jim Weese says with Laschinger in the position now it will become an important component of the school in preparing future nurses, as well as the retention of those currently in the workforce.
“Research excellence is critically important and I see this appointment as a way of advancing research in our strong School of Nursing,” says Weese. “This chair is focused in a timely, and critically important area for the faculty and our society.”
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Fred Longstaffe says nursing at Western has a long tradition of excellence and the appointment of Laschinger will only strengthen it that much more.
“Heather is a leader among her peers and her work has broadened our understanding of the nursing profession,” says Longstaffe. “This is a vital area of study, and who better than Heather to lead us.”