Michelle and Jay graduated from the Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Nurses (BPIEN) Program in 2011. Michelle has been working at St. Boniface Hospital for 4 years now mainly in Cardiac Sciences Program (CCU Coronary Care Unit; Cardiology; Cardiac Surgery Inpatient Unit). She also works in Acute Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Family Medicine and Transitional Care Unit at times.

After graduating, Jay worked as a Central Float Nurse in Deer Lodge Center for 2 years then moved to St. Boniface Hospital where he now works in Geriatric Medicine, Family Medicine and Transitional Care Unit.

Michelle and Jay share a bit about their unique journey from student to RN:

Everything was not easy. You need to sacrifice a lot to reach your dream.

My husband and I went to school together and this made things so tight financially. No fancy clothes. No restaurants or presents for our anniversary. No vacations. Instead, we spent hours in school and library. We lined up for the Food Bank.

Now, we get to help others in need. We are HAPPY nurses who get to touch people’s lives. We get to help patients in the recovery period or in the dying process.

Their final message to students in the thick of their studies right now?

HARD WORK pays off!

The Nursing Research and Innovation Day is being held on February 5th, 2016.  All Nursing students and faculty interested in presenting their research must submit an abstract by the end of today.  Please see the Nursing Repository for submission information.

On behalf of the Public Relations committee and the Research and Scholarship committee, thank you to all Nursing students and faculty who are sharing their research with the department.

For more information about Research and Innovation Day, check out our Blog Page.

The 7th year (and 14th intake) of the Bridging Program is now past its halfway point of the 16 week program. Once the 16 week theory component is complete (referred to as Level 2), students will start Level 3 of the program, which is the 6 week clinical component. Students will be placed either at the Victoria General Hospital or Deer Lodge Centre.

New to this term is a two-day workshop on ‘Aboriginal Cultures Awareness’ provided by the WRHA Aboriginal Health Program: Health Education Department. This workshop focuses on providing “…relevant information about the contemporary, historical and cultural issues that influence stereotypical impressions of Aboriginal people.” The students participated in a Sharing Circle, after watching a video on residential schools, as well as a smudge at the end of the 2 days. Participants were very moved, some to tears, when sharing their thoughts after watching the video. Many felt that attending the workshop had changed their perspective and understanding of the Aboriginal culture and that the workshop had changed how they will interact with Aboriginal people in the future.

This year, the class chose a class representative, Carmelo LaGuardia, who gathered some comments from various class members on how they are feeling about this part of their long journey to become licensed as a RN in Canada. Here are some excerpts:

• “After I received my result of my CCA, I was so furious and depressed that I have to take the BPIEN program. The wait was almost a year just to get in to the program. But now, I can say that it was worth it. I didn’t realize that I have so many things that I do not know and this program will help me to bridge that gap to be a successful RN here in Canada.”

• “Before I entered the bridging program I was really scared. The truth is, I am petrified by it because I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know if like the others, I will just breeze through it or is it going to be tough for me. Like everybody else I’ve been given by the CRNM two years to finish the program and now I am at the last six months of it; meaning, there’s no more second chances for me. This is it, do or die. I am so scared because for the first time in my life I have no Plan B. But still, a part of me remains excited, because finally I have been given a chance to follow my heart, pursue my career and I am finally almost there. What I am trying to say is, the bridging program is what it says it is; a bridge. And last month I started crossing it. Just as I took the first step I discovered that I wasn’t alone; there are nineteen more like me. Nineteen more who also took risks and jumped hoops. Nineteen more brave souls who also laid everything down and halted their lives just to be able to have the chance to cross this bridge and most of them are like me, scared. And as I took small steps forward with them I discovered that our instructors are there on the bridge, and they are there to guide us, to push us forward and they are doing a fine job. Now I look at the bridging program differently, it’s not easy to trek but it keeps each of us moving forward. It is our link to our goal, to our careers, to our ambitions. I hope we all make it to the other end, because now as we are all inching our way across the bridge; we are not so scared anymore.”

• “Not only do we review what we learned during our Nursing School, but we also get to learn about the differences of practice from back home and Canada and how we can bridge that gap.”

• “The workshops (from Diversity) also add knowledge in terms of using helpful strategies in reading, taking exams and how to answer/ attack questions appropriately.”

We wish all of the students good luck in their final exams coming up in the second week of December!

Manitoba Health’s Office of Disaster Management (ODM), in conjunction with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) of Manitoba, hosted a full scale disaster management health exercise on September 18th 2015. The exercise, titled Turbulent Sky, simulated a multi-organizational response to a plane crash.

Among other organizations, 55 third year Nursing students and 5 instructors from Red River College participated as part of their Inter-professional Practice course. The students joined the response to the simulated plane crash of Flight 725 at Winnipeg’s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

The Nursing students were able to experience an Interim Medical Treatment Facility (IMTF), through its setup and efficient triage and treatment of patients. The simulation allowed students to observe and practice effective communication and information sharing between response agencies.

The students collaborated with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Emergency Medical Services Branch (EMBS), Manitoba Materials Distribution Agency (MDA), Manitoba Health’s Office of Disaster Management (ODM), Manitoba’s Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC), Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Red Cross, Salvation Army, Winnipeg Airport Authority (WAA), Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS), as well as representatives from the airline industry and students from Criticare and Brandon University’s Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies. The organizations worked together in their response to the simulated crash.

The Nursing department is proud to have participated in this health exercise. The experience was incredibly positive for the students as they put the theory of Inter-professional communication into practice.

The Turbulent Sky health exercise will continue to inform Nursing students. Currently, a Disaster Management virtual simulation is being developed. The project, similar to Nursing’s Journey North virtual simulation, will allow students to virtually experience the multi-organizational response to the Turbulent Sky plane crash. The project is being produced in conjunction with eTV, who was on hand to record footage of the health exercise.

Red River College’s Nursing faculty are committed to the furthering of nursing, health, and education innovation. From attending conferences to conducting and disseminating research, the department continually strives for professional development and modeling the importance of research and scholarship to students.

Nursing instructor, Wilma Schroeder BN MMFT, recently attended and presented at the 12th International Family Nursing Conference: Improving Family Health Globally through Research, Education, and Practice. The conference was held in Odense, Denmark from August 18th to 21st.

Wilma, along with Janice M. Bell from the University of Calgary, Wendy Looman from the University of Minnesota, and Kris Isaacson from St. Cloud Technical and Community College, presented four aspects of the topic Leveraging Social Media to Create a “Tipping Point” in #familynursing. The four presenters are all members of the IFNA Communication Committee, with Wilma and Dr. Bell being co-chairs. Their presentations explored how social media can be used in family nursing education, practice, and research, as the presenters discussed what is currently happening in social media and how it can be applied to promoting the work and ideas in family nursing.

The conference was a wonderful experience, Wilma related. She reiterated how there was literally something for everyone. “Even if you don’t call yourself a family nurse, you’ll find something relevant to your area of interest.” The conference was filled with excellent information and research from around the world. With 458 participants from 31 countries, Canada being the fourth largest group, the conference was truly international. Wilma talked about how exciting it is to see family nursing growing world wide. She relayed what a great experience it was to be a part of the conference with so many nurses dedicated to family health. She said one of her biggest excitements was meeting people whose work she uses in her own teaching, once again reinforcing the connection between education, practice, and research.

To learn more about the conference and the International Family Nursing Association, click on the image below to view their position statements on family nursing education and competencies.

The Public Relations Committee would like to thank Wilma for sharing her experience and promoting the importance of scholarship and connectedness with the global nursing community.

Andrea graduated in 2015 and here she shares her experience working as a RN in a rural setting:

I am currently working in rural nursing at Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach on the Surgery and Obstetrics Unit. I am absolutely loving every moment of rural nursing as the skills that you get to use are immense! I was hired out of my Senior Practicum at the end of May 2015. I was fortunate to successfully write my NCLEX the first time in July.

Andrea also offers some words of encouragement for our current BN students:

Don’t be so hard on yourself! You can and you will make it through nursing school, even if it may not feel like it sometimes! Just look back at where you’ve came from and how far you’ve made it. Your hard work will pay off in the end, I promise! Ask questions if you are unsure about something; there are no dumb questions. Always remember to really get to know your patient as a person and not for the disease that they have; it will definitely pay off in the long run when building that therapeutic relationship that we all learned so much about in nursing school! Good luck in your studies and I look forward to having you all as my colleagues in the near future!

Well said, Andrea!

Karen graduated with the 2015 class and is preparing to write the NCLEX. Here she shares a bit about her journey through senior practicum and into the role of employed Nurse!:

I completed my senior practicum on WRS3 (postpartum unit at Women’s Hospital) and I got a position following its completion. I am currently working as a grad nurse right out of school making great money at last!

Karen also offers some insight for current BN students about the transition from student to actively employed Grad Nurse:

I’m so glad I picked a senior placement in a hospital setting that hires their new grads. I have many friends that did their practicum in public health or the OR and it is incredibly tough to get jobs in those areas as new grads. I just wanted to start working right away.

The RRC Nursing Public Relations committee thanks Karen for her submission and wishes her all the best in her journey as a professional nurse!

Red River College Nursing Program Awards Presentation 2015

Congratulations To This Year’s Award Winners

Jean Burrows Scholarship  – Allison Hay : Jean Burrows was the Nursing Dept. Chair from 1974 to 1998 and upon her retirement this scholarship was created for a 1st year student recognizing their outstanding academic achievement.

Nursing Students Endowment Scholarship – Emily Lapp, Ashley Jahns, Candice Plett, Kari Feilberg : This award was established from students who, in 1997 as part of their tuition fees, contributed to this endowment fund.  In 2001, a portion of this money was dedicated to the creation of these awards.  The class of 2002 also made a sizable contribution from their own fundraising efforts.

Bernice Parrot Award – Emily Taylor, Kaitlin Nakonechny : This award was established to provide financial assistance to a deserving student after term six in the BN program to recognize their hard work and efforts.

Nursing Legacy Award- Jackie McAuley, Miranda Martens, Shannon Gray, Erin Dahl, Victoria Cammarata, Candice Plett, LaDawn Dyck, Melissa Walker, Starr Wiebe:

This award recognizes outstanding clinical performance of students.

Thorey Johnson Nursing Award – Helene Kreker : In honor of their mother, Mrs. Johnson’s daughters have established this scholarship for a nursing student who has expressed a special interest in rural nursing practice.

Nursing Leadership Award – Laurie Chan, Jennifer Russell :
This award is for deserving students who have gone above and beyond in support and leadership of their peers. This award was established by the awards committee, with nominations from faculty and peers.

Discipline of Professional Nursing Award – Alexa Fraser, Emily Lapp, Darlene Mary Jackson : These awards are presented to students for their outstanding achievement in the courses of Discipline of Professional Nursing 1-5.

Mary Langham Nursing Award – Starr Wiebe : This award is  presented to a 3rd year student who has demonstrated a high level of skill in the clinical setting and has expressed a special interest in obstetrics and gynecology.

Community Service Award – Tricia Tyerman, Meagan McRae :
This award is presented to second and third year students who have volunteered for a community agency while maintaining sound academic achievement.

Karen Wall Aboriginal Nursing Student Award – Jennifer Russell :This award is presented to a 3rd year student of Canadian Aboriginal heritage who has achieved academic success in the BN program, and has demonstrated leadership within the Aboriginal community.

Elizabeth graduated with the 2015 class. Here she shares a bit about her journey through senior practicum and into the role of Registered Nurse!

I was fortunate to have successfully written the NCLEX exam on September 3rd. I now hold a casual position on the Antepartum & Gyne/Gyne Oncology unit where I completed my senior practicum – WRS5 in Women’s Hospital. I am hoping to obtain a permanent position there in the near future.

Elizabeth also offers some advice for students currently enrolled in the BN program:

Don’t compare yourself to your peers and take the time you need to relax. Do you 🙂

The RRC Nursing Public Relations committee thanks Elizabeth for her submission and would like to reinforce her message. Focus on your personal journey as a student and take time to care for yourselves. Soon you will have your own success story to share!

Congratulations Elizabeth!