Kelsey shares her experience and insight since graduating from the BN program in 2018:

Where are you now?

I currently work at the Health Sciences Centre, the same hospital where I completed my senior practicum. At the moment I am on a trauma/complex spinal surgery unit, but I also work in acute medicine.

How easy was it to find a job after graduation?

I received two job offers before I even completed my senior practicum! I accepted a position in acute medicine where I was doing my final practicum, since I was already familiar with the unit. Even if there is not a position right away when you finish practicum, a lot of managers will hire new grads into casual positions until a position opens. This is a great way to gain experience, earn money and study for the NCLEX.

How did you manage the responsibility of going from student to nurse?

I used the same principles I learned from student nursing and applied them to my new practice as a nurse: ask questions, work hard, be on time and take accountability for your actions. I also relied heavily on my nursing co-workers to help with the transition; many experienced nurses are more than willing to help mentor new grads if you ask for their help and show interest to learn.

How did you build your confidence as a new nurse?

I tried to take every opportunity that scared me. If there was an especially complex patient that required a lot of nursing skills I was unfamiliar with, I would ask the charge nurse to place that patient in my assignment. The only way to build experience on the job is by doing the job. Volunteer for these types of experiences, ask for guidance when unsure and confidence will follow!

Thinking back, what were the most important lessons from school that you took into the workforce?

This is the most important lesson I learned in school: when you don’t know the answer to something, always ask! It is impossible to know everything there is to know about nursing when you graduate – not even close! The only way to learn is by asking for help from your team and doing the job. The help is always there if you ask!

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were a student?

Nursing school is hard but it is all worth it when it’s over! The RRC nursing program is incredibly difficult but it prepares you well for transitioning to practice.

What piece of advice would you give to current students?

Work hard, always seek out help when you need it and you will make it through! Nursing is an incredibly diverse field with so many areas to choose from. If you are starting to feel burnt out or that you are not able to resonate with a particular area, move to a different specialty! You don’t know until you try and there is a specialty area out there for everyone.

Thank you Kelsey for sharing your experience and words of wisdom!

L-R: Casey, Ana, Mallory, Pooya, Lyn, Tonya, and Ashley – with Beverly (Operations Manager)

Every five weeks a new group of nursing students begin their Older Adult Community Clinical rotation. Students participated in a number of clinical activities from holding public education events, to running blood pressure clinics, to collaborating with community partners like Lighthouse Mission. Last Thursday we had the opportunity to learn about and address a few social determinants of health – including homelessness and poverty.

This group of caring students also chose to bring some emergency food hamper items that were desperately needed. We then made our way to the kitchen and “floor” to serve some hearty soup and sandwiches… and take blood pressures! Students recognized the power of eye-contact and smiles as powerful nursing skills to use with a population of people who often go ignored or unnoticed.

Beverly shared more pictures from that afternoon on the Lighthouse Mission Facebook page.

Post written by Tanya Cole RN BScN – RRC Clinical Nursing Instructor

Earlier this month, the Nursing Department celebrated our most recent graduates at the 2019 Pinning Ceremony.

Nursing instructor and chair of the Pinning Ceremony Committee, Bernie Mandrick, reflects back on her memories of her own Pinning Ceremony:

When did you graduate from nursing and from which program?

I graduated from the Baccalaureate program at the University of Manitoba in 1986 (If you are doing the math that was 33 years ago yikes!)

What did receiving your pin mean to you?

Receiving my pin meant the culmination of a lot of hard work and the celebration of the friendships and learning our class did.

What parts of the Pinning Ceremony do you best remember?

I remember being so excited to see my peers. We had been separated by our choices of Senior Practice sites and catching up with them before the start of the ceremony was fabulous. We wore blue graduation robes. I wore dove grey shoes (my favorite shoes of all time!) and carried 4 roses (one for each year of the program) in the processional. I also remember that we had organized a graduate’s choir and we sang a song as part of the ceremony. I clearly recall the pride I had when Dr. Larsen the Dean of Nursing pinned the pin to my gown. Sharing that moment with my family was profound and I truly felt I had made it!

Do you feel you own Pinning has an impact on your involvement with our program’s Pinning Ceremony. How?

I loved the tradition behind the Pinning Ceremony; it was intimate and so focused on the graduates as the nurse. I felt it was my “rite of passage”. Pinning is much more specific to nursing. It is a smaller celebration (I’m talking number of graduates here) than convocation and every person on the stage knew our names and had a relationship with us. I felt the support and pride our faculty had in us. My Pinning Ceremony was important to me; the memories remain with me (even 33 years later) and I want those same memories for my students. It was a natural fit for me to be involved in planning the Pinning Ceremony for the BN graduates from Red River.

Any words of wisdom that you would like future nurses to know about nursing traditions such as the Pinning Ceremony?

You might have just begun your nursing journey in the BN program and maybe it feels like a daunting task right now; however, it will come to an end. Pinning is a time to celebrate the conclusion of this stage of your nursing journey. At Pinning you can reconnect with your cohort before you all begin working shifts, weekends, holidays etc… Pinning is also a celebration for those who have supported you. It is a time for family and friends to show you their pride. It is an opportunity for your support people to meet your instructors (some of whom you spent more time with than your family during the program!). Pins represent your school of nursing and symbols on the Red River College Pin were thoughtfully chosen and designed by previous graduates who had similar experiences to yours in the BN program here. Receiving your pin is your official welcome into the profession. Your faculty is always thrilled to share this day with you. If you want to know more about the RRC pin or the traditions of the RRC Pinning Ceremony, don’t hesitate to email me! bmandrick@rrc.ca

Post written by Bernie Mandrick – Nursing Instructor / Chair – Pinning Ceremony Committee
Questions created by Corrina Zacharkiw – Nursing Instructor

Graphic Designer – Full Time

Responsibilities;

• To provide the sales associates, on a user pay basis, with results oriented advertising designed to meet their client’s objectives and help promote themselves in the competitive real estate industry.
• To use the marketing media currently available, by offering quality marketing solutions in a timely manner.

Specific Duties;

• Create multiple types of marketing print materials for our agents, such as: property information brochures, direct mail advertising campaigns, business cards, and create branding for individual agents.
• Create multiple types of digital marketing campaigns, such as: social media ads for our agents, property websites, etc.
• Create marketing materials for our office, including our monthly Commercial Sales Report, and promotional materials for recruiting purposes, and materials that our agents can use.
• Our office includes it’s own print shop with a press printer, so you would also be responsible for printing all materials and shipping orders to Canada Post.

Requirements;

• Be responsible for communicating effectively one-on-one with our sales associates.
• Be able to work in a fast-paced environment and work independently.
• Have a diploma or degree in Graphic Design/Digital Media Design.
• Comfortable and efficient in Adobe Creative Cloud Products including InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• 1-2 years experience is preferred.

Please email portfolios (PDF, or website link) and resumes to donnette@donnetteodidison.ca

Ever wonder who designs and builds the graphics for video games?  It could be you. Below are samples of some recent work from students in the 3DCG program who had previously taken Digital Media Design.

 
Read More →

Register as a Business Delegate on Eventbrite

Register as an RRC Student or RRC Staff on Eventbrite

Our third annual BTM TalentMash is brought to you by ITAC Talent, a Division of the ITAC (Information Technology Association of Canada), our Breakfast and Lunch Sponsor: 24-7 Intouch, and Red River College.

The event is set for Monday, October 21, 2019 at CanadInns Destination Centre Polo Park.  We will start the day off with keynote speaker Gord Gibben, followed by breakout sessions with Adam Hendrickson, Ben Goldstein, and Karen Allardice.  Our MC for the day is Kathy Knight, CEO, from ICTAM.  In the afternoon attendees can network and visit our exhibitor booths, followed by a panel presentation.

Attendees will include industry, RRC Staff, and around 200 of our BTM students.  We would love to see you there!

Register to attend as a business delegate here:  Business Delegate Registration

Congratulations!

It’s been a long road that at times you probably thought would never come, but you did it!  Congratulations to each and every one of you.  A night well deserved and a standing ovation is the least we can do to show how honored we are in your achievement.  We know the sacrifices and all the hard work that went into your Bachelor of Nursing journey here at Red River College.

Congratulations to Chris Hofer for winning the ARNM gold medal presented by Loreley Fehr, President-Elect, Association of Registered Nurses of Manitoba.

Thank you to all the Pinning Ceremony Committee members for a great night!

Thank you to Darin Brecht, Acting President and CEO of Red River College; RaeAnn Thibeault; Dean of School of Health Sciences and Community Services; Patrick Griffith, Chair of Nursing; and Cindy Boughen, BN Program Coordinator for your words of wisdom!

Thank you to Natasha Kuchta; the 2018 Gold Medal Recipient for your words welcoming our grads of 2019 to our profession of Nursing!

Thank you Sarah Alcock for your graduate Address, and yes you’ll finally see a paycheck!

Thank you Soul Sanctuary for hosting our 2019 Bachelor of Nursing Pinning Ceremony!

Written by:

Nursing Lab Manager

A Program Information Evening will be held on:
Wednesday, November 27, 2019, 7 to 8:30 pm
Exchange District Campus, 160 Princess St.
Main Floor Lecture Theatre A104

This information evening for students, parents and high school staff who would like more information about admission to our program. No need to register. The evening will begin with a presentation in the lecture theatre at 7 pm.
After the presentation we invite you to:
• tour our design studios,
• meet with instructors, and current students,
• ask questions about the entrance portfolio
• view samples of work.

A pdf invitation is available for download here.

For more information contact: Diane Livingston, Program Coordinator at dlivingston@rrc.ca.  

Chantelle shares her experience and insight since graduating from the BN program in 2018:

Where are you now?

General Duty Nurse on the Women’s Health Relief Team at Women’s Hospital. Being part of the relief team gives me the opportunity to learn and care for patients ranging from perinatal, gynecology, post-partum, labor and delivery, post-surgical gynecology, oncology and everything in between. I absolutely love it.

How easy was it to find a job after graduation?

I was offered a position while still a nursing student doing my senior practicum.

How did you manage the responsibility of going from student to nurse?

It was quite intimidating to be honest. I didn’t think of what that would be like as a student. Once I was transitioned from student to nurse, I felt very well supported by other nurses. I felt comfortable to ask questions and had guidance. Many of the nurses I was familiar with as I had met them and worked with them through my senior practicum or had graduated with them.

How did you build your confidence as a new nurse?

I asked questions. Lots and lots of questions. At first, I thought it made me seem incompetent but a fellow nurse explained that I should NEVER feel that I couldn’t ask questions. It was a little difficult at first to ask questions but once I did, it became easier for me. It also helped me build my confidence and my independence.

Thinking back, what were the most important lessons from school that you took into the workforce?

Of course time management and prioritizing is important, but most of all.. SELF CARE!

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were a student?

The workplace environment is forever changing and things can get very hectic and change in a matter of seconds and you need to be able to turn on your thinking cap quickly and adjust your care accordingly. You will always have other nurses and staff members there to help you. You need to find your voice and be confident. As a student, I thought about the scary things that can happen and I thought all the pressure would be on me but that’s not the case at all. You’re part of a team and you will learn to trust each other’s expertise and learn as you go. It’s honestly an ongoing learning experience.

What piece of advice would you give to current students?

Please ask for help when you need it, don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and your patients, make sure you set time aside for self care, and remember that mistakes can and do happen, and that’s okay ! Its not “win or lose” .. think of it as “win or learn.”

Thank you Chantelle for sharing your experience and words of wisdom!