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 →

Last November, faculty from Denmark visited us in Winnipeg, touring our city and learning about Red River College. This past February, the Nursing Department was able to reciprocate.

Members of the Nursing faculty had the opportunity to visit Denmark as part of our efforts to develop international relationships. Our faculty met with representatives from Via University College and experienced the wonderful sights Denmark has to offer.

Read More →

The RRC Nursing department is undertaking a number of international nursing relationships. From Denmark to China, RRC faculty and students are meeting with, collaborating with, and even competing against nurses from around the world. Throughout the month of May, we’ll be highlighting the international activities of our department over the past academic year and the future of RRC Nursing on an international stage. To start with, we have a visit from Denmark, but check back every week this month for new posts!

Last November, the RRC Nursing department welcomed Karen Frederickson, Associate Dean, Head of International Affairs; Lisbeth Sorenson, Head of Nursing Education; and Randi Conti, International Coordinator, from Via University College, a multi-campus post-secondary institute in Denmark. The three Via University College faculty members travelled from Denmark to Canada, meeting with RRC and a college in Ontario, as part of their efforts to form international agreements with Canadian educational institutions.

Karen, Lisbeth, and Randi stayed in Winnipeg for two days, touring the city and RRC with their hosts from our Nursing department. RRC faculty shared the best of Winnipeg with our guests, from the Canadian Human Rights Museum to the Exchange District to Assiniboine Park. Touring around Winnipeg by car, our guests also got to see the major Winnipeg hospitals as well as visit the RRC Main and Notre Dame campuses. At NDC, Karen, Lisbeth, and Randi toured the ETV studio, nursing labs, and sat in on a class for a few minutes. They also visited one clinical site, Norwest Community Health Coop on Keewatin, where the nurses from Canada and Denmark shared their perspectives on primary health care as well as public health practices and research opportunities. Read More →

The Career Symposium was held this year on April 16 – 18, 2018 at the RBC Convention Centre. Red River College had a strong presence at the Career Symposium with over two full rows of booths and engaging activities for prospective students to participate in.

Over ten thousand people attend the Career Symposium each year, and with over 185 exhibitor booths and multiple speakers over the three days, the event proved to be very successful. There were crowds of grade 9 – 12 students brought in by the bus loads (literally)! Others who attended include those individuals who were out of school but interested in seeking a career. Parents and teachers were also present at the event.

The Nursing Department hosted a booth, which included multiple posters, an ongoing slideshow presentation, a model of a heart, stethoscope, oximeter, multiple pamphlets, and other sources of information.

Students who approached the Nursing booth and expressed an interest in any of the programs were offered a ballot to enter a draw for a chance to win a prize. Read More →

On April 5th, eight Nursing students participated in the college-wide Applied Research and Innovation Day! Building on their award-winning presentations at the Nursing / Community Services Student-Faculty Research and Innovation Day, the students created posters and Powerpoint presentations to promote their research to the larger college community.

Second year students Tessera Ball, Suzanne Guay, and Caitlyn Edwards presented their research and advocacy statement Advocating for Change: The Introduction of Safe Injection Sites in Winnipeg. The original project was a photo essay developed with fellow students Dana Strong, Melissa Nelson, & Selam Isack in Kim Fraser’s Community Health Nursing 1 course. Tessera, Suzanne, and Caitlyn used their interest in the topic and belief in Winnipeg’s need for a safe injection site to significantly build on their original research and adapt their photo essay into a strong advocacy statement for our community.

Third year students Gurpreet Sandhu, Candace Blahey, Shelby Marks, and Kelsey Pasishnik presented their research on Bedside Report. Originally developed as a group project in Lee Jones’ and Krystal Boyce-Gaudreau’s Issues, Politics, Public Policy and Professional Nursing course, Gurpreet, Candace, Shelby, and Kelsey drew on their LPN experience to further explore the benefits and disadvantages of the bedside report policy, as well as the barriers to implementation and the resolutions to those barriers. The group strongly advocated in favor of the policy, while also taking the concerns surrounding it into account. Read More →

Five nursing students won the Step Out of Your Box Awards at RRC’s Volunteer Appreciation Event! Congratulations to Melissa Zulak, Rebecca McLachlan, Angela Switzer, Shelby Marks, and Chantal Meilleur!

Melissa Zulak, Rebecca McLachlan, Angela Switzer

The Step Out of Your Box program enables students to explore a dimension of diversity different from their own through service-learning at a community organization. As part of the Gender Studies for Health Professionals course, students had the option of choosing to participate in the program (specifically focused on a dimension of gender) rather than writing a final research paper. The program also offers 4 awards (this year 5!) to students for exceptional leave-behind projects and reflections on their experience. Although the program is open to the entire college, all five awards went to nursing students this year! Read More →

Nursing students in Techniques 2 recently had an opportunity to take part in an interprofessional education session with the students from the Dental Assistant program.

The Nursing students helped the Dental Assistant students hone their skills at taking blood pressures, and the Dental Assistant students used their table clinic health boards to teach the Nursing students about different aspects of dental hygiene.

This was the second time we have had this interprofessional education session, and it is extremely well received by the students of both faculties. The students get to spend time learning from one another, discovering where their health care knowledge overlaps, and where each has unique knowledge to share.

We hope to continue this valuable partnership in upcoming semesters!

Written by Allyson Cooper – Nursing Instructor

Photos by Allyson Cooper – Nursing Instructor

The Nursing department held its second Health Promotion Poster Fair of 2017-2018!

Health promotion ensures the entire Canadian population has the capacity to lead full and productive lives and contribute to a healthy society. Each term, third year Nursing students from Epidemiology and Illness Prevention put on the Health Promotion Poster Fair to raise awareness about preventable public health issues.

The Health Promotion Poster Fair is one component of a group project that focuses on developing a Public Health Education Strategy. Students select their own topics related to preventable health issues in the realm of public health, including topics related to communicable diseases, vaccine-preventable illnesses, preventable chronic diseases, sexually transmitted infections, and injuries. The students demonstrate their ingenuity and professionalism through the creation and dissemination of their projects.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to support our students’ learning as they support all of us through their health promotion efforts.

Written by Ana Stipanovic (Nursing Instructor) and Meagen Chorney (Nursing Instructor)

Photographs by Jennifer Johnson (Nursing Lab Manager)

Thank you to everyone who came out and who volunteered their arms to support our first year Baccalaureate Nursing students’ Blood Pressure Clinic! Practice makes perfect!

Written and photos by Jennifer Johnson

Nursing Lab Manager

Another great success at our third annual Research and Innovation Day!

We hope everyone had a great time learning and exploring what our community is doing.

We’d like to thank all our presenters, key note speaker Richard Booth RN, MScN, PhD,

and our exhibitors who made this day possible.

Thank you to all who attended, students and staff, as well as the Research and Scholarship committee and the Public Relations committee for all their hard work to make this day run so smoothly, and a special shout out to Meagen Chorney who guided the day so smoothly!

Congratulations to all our winners this year:

First Place: Bridget Burns – Lullaby Music Therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Second Place: Tessera Ball, Dana Strong, Suzanne Guay, Caitlyn Edwards, Melissa Nelson, & Selam Isack – Advocating for Change: The Impact of Introducing Safe Injection Sites in Winnipeg

Third Place: Gurpreet Sandhu, Candace Blahey, Shelby Marks, & Kelsey Pasishnik – Bedside Report

Fourth Place: Melissa Coelho, Bhav Khosa, Jessica Vaz, & Jennifer Ruchkall – Newborn Assessment and LATCH-R Assessment Tool Workshop

Fifth Place: Anna Hanstein, Dylan, Tannis Thiessen, & Tiffany Arnfinson – Domestic Violence

Written by Jennifer Johnson

Nursing Lab Manager