Peggy Revell
Despite not knowing if their Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will run again, Confederation College and Lakehead University administration are busy gauging local interest and informing prospective students about the joint program.
“The earliest we could deliver is September, 2010,”noted Karen Poole, director of Lakehead University’s School of Nursing, who joined Carine Gallagher, co-ordinator at Confederation College for the Community-Based BScN, in fielding questions from the dozen people who attended last Thursday’s information session on the program at the college’s campus here.
The Ministry of Education currently is evaluating the pilot program, which first ran in 2005, and won’t be announcing whether the schools have the go-ahead to run it again until mid-winter.
This four-year baccalaureate nursing degree program marked the first time in Canada that such a nursing program was done at a college campus through distance education and not directly at a university.
Along with Fort Frances, the program also ran out of Confederation College’s other campuses in Kenora, Dryden, and Sioux Lookout.
The pilot program had five graduates this past spring, all of whom have now found employment, Poole told those on hand for the information session.
While the program’s future status is unknown, both Poole and Gallagher still are working to prepare for it should it run next fall.
This includes visits to various communities to hold information sessions for prospective students, looking for qualified teachers, as well as speaking with the locations where the students would do their placements for their clinical experience.
“We want people to think about getting ready,” stressed Poole, noting that for those interested in enrolling in the program, now is the time to make sure that they have—or will have—all the required prerequisite courses.
Besides these prerequisite courses, the pair also advised prospective students to look into taking some recommended courses that will help them once enrolled in the program, such as human biology and English.
As well, they noted, it’s possible to take certain courses ahead of time through distance education—such as introductory psychology, which is a required course—or electives.
This would means students could “lighten the load” of the program when it does run, they explained.
And even if the program doesn’t end up running, the credit still is applicable to other programs at Lakehead University or transferable to other universities.
With the information sessions, Poole and Gallagher also are looking to see what interest there is when it comes to possible applicants.
Number-wise, about seven students are needed for the clinical group, Gallagher said last Thursday.
While there is no set maximum number who can be admitted to the program, the number of accepted depends on what resources they have to ensure students are provided with the best curriculum and experience.
As well, Gallagher noted some funding from the province that had been given to run the initial pilot program has not yet been granted yet.
Those interested in enrolling in the program are encouraged to contact the Fort Frances campus of Confederation College, said Poole, where they, in turn, will be put in contact with Gallagher to answer any questions they have, as well as be kept updated on the status of the program.
