The Hub Using her voice to enhance healthcare in Canada: A Q&A with Post LPN-BN learner Julia Panchuk

Using her voice to enhance healthcare in Canada: A Q&A with Post LPN-BN learner Julia Panchuk

Getting an article published and peer-reviewed is no easy feat, yet Athabasca University (AU) Post Licensed Practical Nurse-Bachelor of Nursing (LPN-BN) learner Julia Panchuk has made it happen!

With the co-authorship of her professor, Dr. Lorraine Thirsk, Panchuk has successfully published an article entitled Conscientious objection to medical assistance in dying in rural/remote nursing. Once accepted for publication, Panchuk received funding from AU to support open access.

We chatted with Panchuk to learn a little bit more about her experience as a learner and her research at AU and beyond.

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Why did you choose AU’s LPN-BN program?

I chose AU’s LPN-BN program for the overall flexibility of distance learning, including pace and location. I did not want to have to step out of the present to pursue the future. Through the BN at AU, I have had the chance to live abroad part time, continue traveling the world (pre COVID-19), as well as work part-time—all without interrupting my studies.

I also appreciated that AU gives credit for my LPN background in a meaningful way.

Julia Panchuk

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What is the topic of your research?

The topic for this paper is one aspect of the nursing role in medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada. We applied an ethical decision-making framework to explore the viability of conscientious objection for nursing staff who are aiding with MAiD in rural and remote areas.

Julia Panchuk

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What kind of impact do you hope that your research will have?

I hope this paper will help raise awareness of major gaps in Canadian healthcare legislation and policy affecting rural and remote areas. Health-care policy is often generated with an urban-centric focus and inadequately reflects the unique needs and conditions of health and nursing care in rural and remote Canada. I hope that by sharing a theoretical paper, exploring a very real possibility in rural/remote health care in Canada, policy makers, managers, researchers, and nurses themselves can consider and mitigate the effects of similar occurrences for both nurses and patients.

I also hope that this paper contributes positively to the access to services for patients. There are some major disparities in rural and remote access to health care and services and issues with recruitment and retention of staff in such areas. I want to help reduce whatever barriers I can, as a nurse, and this paper could be part of that.

Julia Panchuk

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What made you pursue this area of research? 

Although I do not personally have a conscientious objection to MAiD, balancing patients’ rights to access and services, with nurses’ rights and moral health, in the Canadian context is something I feel strongly about. With the nursing shortage in Canada potentially worsening post-COVID due to a variety of reasons, including burnout, I believe that protecting the moral well-being of nurses should be a priority (particularly in already underserved, rural and remote areas).

Julia Panchuk

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What does having your work published mean to you? 

Since I was quite young, I have identified as a writer and an advocate. Having our work published has reinforced this call to write, as well as provided me encouragement to continue using my voice for the betterment of healthcare in Canada.

Julia Panchuk

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Who has been cheering you on as you work to complete the program?

There is not enough time or space to list all the supporters I have had through this program! My main cheerleader has always been my partner, Mel. She has been my sounding board and endless source of encouragement. My family, friends, colleagues, and mentors have further provided support and shared their belief in my ability to achieve the goals I set for myself. Furthermore, the nursing mentors I have met through the program at AU, namely Dr. Lorraine Thirsk, Regan Hack, and Jessica Kaiser have been invaluable in my AU journey.

Julia Panchuk

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What would you say to someone considering about AU’s LPN-BN program? 

I would say that if you want a way to pursue future goals as an RN whilst still being able to be present in life as it is, this program is a great choice. I’d also say it takes a lot of discipline, time management, and self-directed goal making!

Julia Panchuk

“As is well known, effort invested yields the outcome; hard work opens some really amazing doors. Further to this, for anyone struggling to internalize positive feedback or encouragement in directions they might not believe they are capable of: listen to your mentors as if you were your own best friend.”

– Julia Panchuk, AU Post LPN-BN learner

Panchuk is currently enrolled in her final practicum and hopes to follow this with preceptorship in the spring, then graduate in summer 2021.

To learn more about the Post LPN-BN program at AU, visit the program webpage.

Published:
  • January 20, 2021