The award established in honour of Agnes M Publicover provide an award for students at the Undergraduate, Graduate, or Certificate level in any RNFBC Bursary Supported Education Programs.
Administered through the Vancouver Foundation, RNFBC was chosen as the beneficiary starting 2020. Born in Scotland in 1915 and passed away in 2014, Mrs. Publicover valued her extensive circle of family and friends. Although not a nurse herself, she also had an immense respect for the nursing community and the costs associated in nursing education. She was a strong supporter of many worthy organizations in her community such as St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Art Gallery and especially the YWCA and RNFBC is so pleased to be included in that list.
The following is a letter of thanks received from a 2022 award recipient.
Dear family of Agnes M. Publicover,
I am a second-year master’s student in the Nurse Practitioner Program at UBC in Vancouver. I hope to work in primary care upon graduation next year and be a primary care provider to some of the many people who are without one. I am inspired by the patients I see on my clinical rotations who are so grateful and relieved to have found a nurse practitioner to follow them for their longitudinal care needs. I love getting to know people beyond their health care records and making a connection with them. It is so easy, especially with high healthcare staff burnout rates post-pandemic, to forget about the human aspect of healthcare, and I hope to maintain that at the centre of my practice.
I am so grateful to have received this bursary through RNFBC. I have not been able to work much since school started, and this bursary alleviates some financial strain without the stress of repayment. Losing two years of income to complete my master’s degree was not a decision I made lightly, and although it has been tough, this bursary provides me with encouragement.
Thank you again for providing this bursary. Your commitment to the education of future nurses in British Columbia is commendable.
Sincerely,
Hannah Snow