Student Spotlight: Kayla Gauthier
Global Undergraduate Awards 2023 Winner
Regional Winner: Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Healthcare
The Global Undergraduate Awards recently announced the winning submissions for 2023, which include the following from Western: three Global Winners, three Regional Winners and 23 Highly Commended.
Meet Kayla Gauthier, BHSc’23, Regional Winner (best submission from the US and Canada) in the category of Nursing, Midwifery & Allied Healthcare
- Current student in Western’s Master of Health and Rehabilitation Science program, specializing in health promotion
- Paper title: Unskilled Workers: Saving Grace or Detriment to Canada’s Nursing Crisis in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic? An Ethical Analysis
Can you provide a summary of your research?
My paper was inspired from what we've seen in the pandemic, with health care provider burnout exacerbating the shortage of healthcare staff members available to provide care. I completed an ethical analysis looking at whether it should be ethically permitted to hire completely unskilled workers to help combat the nursing shortage during a pandemic.
I ultimately concluded that it is ethically reasonable to hire completely unskilled workers to support hospital operation by providing indirect care only, such as stocking up supplies or administrative support.
What motivated you to pursue this type of research?
Growing up, I was always interested in health care. When I came to Western, I had intended on pursuing a medical degree. Then, I took a mandatory course on health ethics in my second year that completely changed my path. I was so fascinated by the school of thought, and how to navigate these large ethical questions that arise in health care and how to make ethical decisions. In my fourth year, I took a special course that focused on the policy and ethical issues within the pandemic and this paper is a result of my learning in that course.
Why do you think research like this is important?
We are looking at our health care system crumbling right now, especially since the pandemic. This research is needed for pandemic preparedness so we can say ‘this is what we should be doing’ and ‘this is how we should be going about it’, to try and navigate some of the challenges we experienced throughout the pandemic and its aftermath. In my opinion, research like this is critical to keep the health care system sustainable, moving forward.
This paper is specific to the context of COVID-19, but it does provide recommendations for future pandemic preparedness in anticipation of another health emergency in the future.
What do you hope to do in the future?
After I complete my master’s degree, I plan to pursue a PhD in this area of research. In the future, I hope to become a global leader in public health, making positive and lasting impacts on health policy.
> Read more about Western students honoured by The Global Undergraduate Awards
