New Nurse Prescriber Program now Accepting Registrations at Red River College 

For immediate release: September 28, 2017

Red River College is now accepting applications for its new Nurse Prescriber Program, which will train nurses for advanced career opportunities in health care while assisting practicing registered nurses to meet the new requirements mandated by provincial legislation.

The Manitoba government announced last month that it would be bringing the registered nursing profession into the Regulated Health Profession Act (RHPA), effective May 31, 2018, and creating a new designation – the Registered Nurse Authorized Prescriber or RN (AP). The goal is to increase access to safe and effective health care in Manitoba.

RRC’s new advanced certificate program meets the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba educational requirement for the new role of RN (AP) as set out in legislation. An RN (AP) will have the competencies and authority to prescribe certain medications and order screening and diagnostic tests in a defined area of practice.

“Red River College had to move quickly to help nurses and their employers adapt to the new requirements of provincial legislation – particularly those RNs who are currently working as prescribers and will now need to meet the new requirements,” said Christine Watson, vice president Academic, RRC.

“Our nursing department worked closely with the province, Manitoba nurses, the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, and health care facilities in order to have this new program in place for the current academic year – and well in advance of the changes coming into effect. I want to commend our nursing department for its responsiveness and for its leadership in ensuring Manitoba nurses have the training options they need in order to meet the new requirements.”

RRC is currently offering two pre-requisites to this program – Pharmacology for Nurses and Health Assessment/Prescriber, and these two courses will be offered three times per year going forward in order to provide Manitoba nurses and students with flexible training options.

The Nurse Prescriber Program is available to any current registered nurse practicing across the province and its theory sections are completed primarily through distance training. Theory components are complemented by 160 hours of supervised clinical practicum.

Additionally, nurses have the option to specialize in one of two streams:

Travel Health: Nurses who specialize in this stream will gain knowledge specific to how diseases are developed, the concepts of immunology and medications used to prevent and treat travel health diseases and conditions. Students will also learn how their foundational knowledge can be applied to the components of the nursing process including assessment of travel health.

Reproductive Health/Sexually Transmitted or Blood-Born Infections: Nurses who specialize in this stream will gain knowledge specific to how diseases are developed, concepts of immunology and the safe assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of specific reproductive and STBBI conditions. In addition, students will learn preventative practice measures and best practices in ongoing monitoring of clients.

For more information about the program click here.