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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ay 14 ,2 02 0 | 18 Brampton resident Par- meet Kahlon dreamed of being a nurse since she was a little girl. With many family mem- bers working in health care, including her mother - a registered nurse - Kah- lon was inspired. "Being able to go with her to work and seeing all the amazing work that the nurses do, the personal support workers and all the people involved with caring for others, was very inspiring and drew me to that similar path," she said. Kahlon was completing her placement for her final year of school when the CO- VID-19 pandemic hit, forc- ing her placement to stop for the time being. But with her mother on the front lines, Kahlon is no stranger to the sacrifices nurses have been making every day since the onset of COVID-19. And she said it reinforces her choice to en- ter this career path. "I'm very anxious to write my (licensing) exam and get back out in the field and just help out in any way I can," she added. "We always know about the re- siliency of health-care workers, working all these long hours, but now you truly see the limits of what you can be pushed to as a person and what you can really do." Nancy Walton, director of the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Ryer- son University, where Kah- lon attended, said the school continues to receive an influx of applicants each year - and she doesn't ex- pect that to change any time soon. "A lot of people want to become nurses; it's a very attractive profession, in many ways. Because of the flexibility, because there's a lot you can do in terms of moving through a career in nursing and the fact that when you graduate after a four-year program, you en- ter a professional career. It's a very solid choice. And there's lots of need for it and always will be," she said. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' As- sociation of Ontario (RNAO), said seeing nurs- es on the front lines in a va- riety of settings, from the ICU to long-term care, is sure to move the public and lead many individuals to consider a career in nurs- ing. "I absolutely am con- vinced that there will be a surge in the number of peo- ple who will want to be- come nurses," she said. "I think the government has learned good lessons on how nursing is central to managing a pandemic but also central in good times. I think we will see also a surge in opportunities for nurses to find more and more work in interesting areas of practice and im- portant areas of practice." Vicki McKenna, a regis- tered nurse and president of the Ontario Nurses' As- sociation (ONA), said ac- knowledging and imple- menting more opportuni- ties for nurses is crucial for future generations. She said while nursing is a desired profession, a lack of spaces in school programs and an absence of full-time work are two primary factors that influ- ence nurse shortages in the province and across the country. "I do believe that there will be people who are in- spired to get into health care and to come into nurs- ing, and for those who have a little fire lit about that, I'd like to say: please come, we need each and every one of you," she said. WILL COVID-19 INSPIRE A NEW GENERATION OF NURSES? Parmeet Kahlon, a nursing student from Ryerson who has just graduated from her program, stands outside her home in Brampton. Bryon Johnson/Torstar VERONICA APPIA vappia@toronto.com NEWS 'I ABSOLUTELY AM CONVINCED THAT THERE WILL BE A SURGE': RNAO CEO FOLLOW US 9478 Wellington Rd 124, ERIN, ON N0B 1T0 519-833-9313 | bloomgreen.ca Monday-Friday 7am-7pm | Saturday 8am-6pm | Sunday 9am-5pm All items while quantities last. Subject to availability. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Images are for illustration purposes only. The text prevails over images. Although we strive for accuracy in both copy and illustrations, errors may occur. We reserve the right to correct any errors. colors the gift of nature TM Drive thru and walk in green house shopping, 'crib side' pickup and delivery service WEEkEND! STORE-WIDE SpEcIaLS ThIS World's First Drive-thru Garden centre MaSSIvE SELEcTION, a MuST SEE ! DRIVE-THRU SHOPPING MAKES SOCIAL DISTANCING EASIER THAN EVER! AnnuAls • veggie stArters • Flowering shrubs • PerenniAls • evergreens gArden soil • Mulch • grAvels • lArge cAliPer trees WE TREaT OuR plants like family