In the midst of National Nursing Week, the health care professionals working locally have an extra reason to celebrate.

The RBC Foundation has supported continuing education for local nurses through a $10,000 donation to the Delha Cort Fund held by the Dauphin Hospital Foundation.

The fund, started by an endowment from Cort, a long-time nurse at the Dauphin hospital, encourages staff to pursue continuing education.

Priority is given to facility-related education, which can enhance an employee’s current job performance or personal development toward advancement in their health care careers.

“RBC recognizes the impact that nurses have in our health care system is unparalleled. Dedicated, committed, and always answering the call no matter the sacrifice, they are our caregivers and comforters during our deepest times of need,” said Kim Ulmer, RBC regional president for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Western Ontario.

“We aim to give back to nurses through a donation supporting their continuing education and professional development, to refresh their skills and open more opportunities for their career options and advancement.”

The show of support comes at a critical time. Recent Statistics Canada data shows Canadian frontline healthcare workers are feeling strained and overloaded.

Last July, Statistics Canada reported 23,620 vacant nursing positions in the first quarter of 2022 - up 219 per cent from 2019 - and an all-time high of 136,800 job vacancies within the health sector throughout the first quarter of 2022.

Recent data released by Mental Health Research Canada also shows that health care workers, and nurses in particular, were profoundly impacted by the pandemic.

“Recruitment and retention of health care professionals is front and centre in Manitoba and Canada right now,” said Greg Thompson, Dauphin Hospital Foundation chairman.

“We continue to provide various levels of training support for nurses to offer even better patient care and we sincerely appreciate RBC Foundation’s contribution to our foundation, which allows us to offer even more educational opportunities.”

Held in honour of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, National Nursing Week is designed to increase the awareness of the many contributions nursing makes to the wellbeing of Canadians.

National Nursing Week runs from May 8 to 14.