August 20, 2007

The University of Northern British Columbia is working with NorthernHealth and the BC Ministry of Health to deliver a new programspecifically designed for nurses anywhere in BC who want to gainadditional skills and certification in rural nursing.

The Rural Acute Care Nursing Certificate will include coursework,workshops, and a practical component. The courses will be offered viadistance education (mostly using the Internet) for students who areworking as nurses in communities around BC.

“The development of this program followed consultation with more than200 nurses in 51 rural communities throughout BC,” says UNBC Nursingprofessor Martha MacLeod. “This program is really the result of whatthose nurses have told us and it has been developed in partnership withthe Ministry of Health, the Provincial Chief Nursing Officer Council,and of course Northern Health, which is a vital partner in all ofUNBC’s health science programs. We wanted to ensure we developed aconcentrated program of courses that cover the essential knowledge andclinical skills required to work in rural community hospitals.”

Courses in the Rural Acute Care Nursing Certificate will begin thisfall. It’s expected that about 40 students will be part of the firstintake. The program is comprised of courses that can be applied towardscompleting a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from UNBC. "One of thebenefits of a nursing career in Northern British Columbia is the rangeof practice opportunities of which nurses can avail themselves. Thisprogram adds to the range of nursing education we can offer to Northernstudents," said Northern Health CEO Cathy Ulrich.

“Whether they have diplomas or degrees, the fact is that many nursesthroughout the province gained their education from urban institutionsthat may have only provided brief exposure to rural issues,” adds Dr.MacLeod. “Rural nurses have told us that rural nurses need differentskills than their counterparts in large hospitals. This program willaddress those differences.”

Nursing is one of UNBC’s largest programs. It currently has about 480students at the undergraduate and graduate levels at its teaching sitesin Prince George, Terrace, and Quesnel. This past spring, 67 studentsgraduated from the Nursing program, the highest number among all UNBCdegree majors.

Contact:
Martha MacLeod, Nursing professor, UNBC – 250.960.6768
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622