Congratulations To This Year’s Award Winners

Jean Burrows Scholarship – Machaela Cavanagh : Jean Burrows was the Nursing Department Chair from 1974 to 1998, and upon her retirement, this scholarship was created for a first year student recognizing their outstanding academic achievement.

Bernice Parrott Award – Nicole Bouckley, Madeline Gylywoychuk-Winkler, Chelsea Jamieson-Wind, Jorrel Marasigan, Clinton Bayas, Danielle Lewicki, Jennifer Barron, Jessica Bonni : This award was established to provide financial assistance to deserving students entering their second or third year in the BN program, to recognize their hard work and efforts.

Nursing Students Endowment Scholarship – Cassie Oliver, Chris Hofer, Martina Persian, Natasha Kuchta : 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 the money was dedicated to the creation of this award.  The class of 2002 also made a sizable contribution from their own fundraising efforts.

Nursing Legacy Award – Leah Cooper, Kayla Smith, Taylor Bahniuk, Tess Hamilton, Danielle Lewicki, Heidi Doerksen, Anna Nikitin, Jodie Shepit, Kristina Gillich : This award recognizes outstanding clinical performance of students in years one to three. A student in Nursing Techniques 3 is also recognized for excelling in both their academic and skill performance, while the Health Assessment award recognizes a student who has outstanding academic achievement in both Health Assessment courses.  This award was established by combining sources from the Stanton Family, the Duncan Family, and Phyllis Aaron, along with the Nursing faculty.

Thorey Johnson Nursing Award – Tracy Clifton, Breanne Dobson, Rebecca McLachlan : 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 – Jason Juell, Britta Hoogervorst (was unable to attend) :
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 – Emma Collins, Rachel Rubin, Ashley Desrochers : This award is presented to students for their outstanding achievement in the courses of Discipline of Professional Nursing 1-5.

Mary Langhan Nursing Award – Shelby Marks : This award is  presented to a third year student who has demonstrated a high level of skill in the clinical setting and has expressed a special interest in obstetrics and gynecology.

Karla Ferens Memorial Entrance Award for Health Care Aide – Hailey West, Keyona Tomiuk, Phyllis Kelly (was unable to attend) : This award recipient has displayed the same accomplishments exhibited by Karla Ferens: involvement in sports and leadership qualities.  Karla was a 2011 RRC graduate of the HCA program.

Community Service Award – Alisha Rana, Jodie Shepit : This award is presented to second and third year students who have volunteered for a community agency while maintaining sound academic achievement.

Karen Wall Indigenous Nursing Student Award – Karla Gladu : This award is presented to a third year student of Canadian Indigenous heritage who has achieved academic success in the BN program and has demonstrated leadership within the Indigenous community.

Elizabeth Scaife Memorial Award – Jana Te : This award is presented to a BPIEN (Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Nurses) student who demonstrated outstanding academic and clinical performance.

Nursing Student International Education Award – Alycia Dettman, Caitlyn Edwards : This award recognizes those who pursue educational opportunities internationally while completing their nursing program.

Written and Photos by Jennifer Johnson – Nursing Lab Manager

with descriptions of awards courtesy of the Nursing Awards Committee

What a great capture!

This past Friday, September 21st 2018, Red River College conducted a large Interprofessional Education Seminar involving the following programs:
Nursing, Paramedicine, Ultrasound – Diagnostics Medical Sonography, Medical Radiology, and Medical Laboratory.

This picture only begins to represent how the students engaged in learning with, from, and about each other!

Post written by Jennifer Morin – Nursing Instructor

This past summer we experienced extreme weather events. How did you cope during that time? Do you feel well prepared to address the health effects associated with extreme heat?

As nurses, we have a specific role to play in caring for patients during times of extreme heat events. What can you do to help mitigate the harmful effects of extreme heat of the patients you care for?

The number of hot days is expected to increase in the coming years.

Start to prepare yourself by attending the Association for Registered Nurses of Manitoba webinar on Climate Change and Extreme Heat. To watch the webinar, click here.

*Please note that the webinar is only available to ARNM members. If you are not a member of the ARNM but are interested in watching the webinar, please contact Jennifer Morin at jlmorin@rrc.ca.

Post written by Jennifer Morin – Nursing Instructor

Congratulations to all our graduates! We wish each and every one of you the very best in your new beginnings and wherever your path may take you!

Congratulations to Natasha Kuchta, who was our recipient of the ARNM Gold Medal Award for highest academic and clinical achievement!

Our Pinning Ceremony has great meaning; the pins mark transition from education and preparation into the profession of Nursing, which is a hard but rewarding profession to be in.

Last night was full of encouragement of how you are not a good nurse because you gave your pills on time but because you took the time to acknowledge people as humans and not a number.  It’s the little things that make the best nurses.

Thank you to all the supporters (families and friends, pets, coffee or wine) that helped our students through the rough patches and to the staff for being who you are and organizing a lovely Pinning Ceremony

Written by: Jennifer Johnson LPN

Nursing Lab Manager

As we start a new journey together, the Nursing Department would like to welcome all returning Nursing students, faculty, and staff; our new intake of students; our new faculty; and our new chair, Patrick Griffith.  We’re looking forward to a great academic year!

Students, faculty, and staff are already hard at work in various courses and support roles throughout the Nursing Department. This new academic year will give us more community engagement, student achievements, faculty development, international opportunities, health information, and our fourth Research and Innovation Day.  Stay tuned to our blog to hear about interesting events, amazing work, and useful tips coming out of our department!

Post written by Meagen Chorney – Nursing Instructor

Extreme heat can have many implications for health care professionals. Knowing who is at the greatest risk of experiencing adverse health effects related to extreme heat is of great importance in the acute care and community settings. Additionally, from a systems perspective, health care facilities need to prepare for extreme heat events to ensure the safety of their patient population (Health Canada, 2011).

The graph below highlights the current and projected number of days exceeding 30 degrees Celsius for Canadian cities. You can see an increasing trajectory of the number of hot days for each Canadian city identified in the graph. The number of days with a maximum temperature of 30°C is projected to double by 2021-2040 and more than triple by 2081-2100, likely resulting in further heat-related mortality. Overall, Canada is projected to become much warmer, and urban areas tend to experience higher temperatures due to the urban heat island effect. Read More →

On the morning of June 6, 2018, 13 members of the Nursing Department at Red River College celebrated their convocation from the Masters of Education program at the University of Manitoba. This dedicated group of instructors was a part of the RRC M.Ed. cohort who studied together to achieve this milestone. The focus of study for these instructors was in Adult and Post-Secondary Education. We are proud to bring our expanded knowledge base to the instruction of our students!

Pictured are the 13 newly minted “masters”
(front row) Richel Roque, Kim Pinel, Monica Burfoot, and Winona Burgess
(back row) Kate Tate, Monica Nash, Bonnie Peers, Sandra Holben, Bernadette Mandrick, Karen DiPietro, Karen Parker, Tyler Steiner, and Navdeep Sekhon

Pictured are the 13 newly minted “masters”
(front row) Richel Roque, Kim Pinel, Monica Burfoot, and Winona Burgess
(back row) Kate Tate, Monica Nash, Bonnie Peers, Sandra Holben, Bernadette Mandrick, Karen DiPietro, Karen Parker, Tyler Steiner, and Navdeep Sekhon

The Nursing Department also had seven more instructors who graduated this past year with their Masters of Nursing. Congratulations to Rebecca Cameron, Joanne Loughery, Deb Miller, Tammy Moran, Jennifer Morin, Tara Roberts, and Corrina Zacharkiw!

Post and photo by Bernadette Mandrick – Nursing Instructor

With an increase in forest fires within the province of Manitoba, it is time to refresh your memory regarding the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and how air quality can impact health.

It is important to assess your risk in terms of the Air Quality Health Index. Some populations are at an increased risk of experiencing the health effects related to air quality. These populations include individuals with cardiovascular conditions (angina, previous heart attack, stroke, heart rhythm problems), respiratory illnesses (asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer), and individuals with diabetes, as this population will often have cardiovascular disease. Young children and seniors, those active outdoors, and pregnant women are also at higher risk.

People who are otherwise healthy may have the following symptoms:
• irritated eyes
• increased mucus production in the nose or throat
• coughing
• difficulty breathing, especially during exercise

Some people may be unaware that they have lung or heart disease. Consult your doctor if you have any chest pain or tightness, sweating, difficulty breathing without exertion, consistent cough or shortness of breath, fluttering in the chest, or feel light headed.

Do you know how to use the AQHI? Read More →

The Nursing Department is preparing to compete once again in the International Nursing Skills Competition, hosted by the Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Last year, students Elyse Griffith and Rachel Rubin won 2nd place overall and 1st place in the international category! To hear more about Elyse and Rachel’s experience, check out Elyse’s blog post.

As we get closer to summer vacation, the Nursing Department is in the process of choosing two new students to represent Red River College. Once chosen, the students will train with instructors Allyson Cooper and Sandy Alguire before heading to Shanghai, China in November to put their simulation skills to the test!

Stay tuned to find out which two students will be heading to China in the Fall!

Post written by Meagen Chorney – Nursing Instructor

As part of the Nursing Department’s initiatives to develop international relationships and opportunities, we are sending two BN students to Denmark for summer school!

Caitlyn Edwards and Alycia Dettman were selected through an interview process to attend the international summer school, International Health: Welfare Technology and Dementia, hosted by Via University College. The students will spend two weeks in Aarhus, from August 6th – 16th, as they “get a unique chance to collaborate with other professions. The programme includes theory and visits to elder care centres which are at the forefront of using health- and welfare technologies” (Via University College, 2018).

The vision of Red River College is to be recognized globally, as we serve a global population in Winnipeg. Peer reviewed evidence shows travelling assists with cultural competence. Additionally, we (like many countries) have an aging population. We want to educate nurses about how interesting and fulfilling a job working with older adults can be. Read More →