Red River College graduates inaugural Bachelor of Nursing students
Red River College’s (RRC) 2014 winter convocation saw 107 students graduate from the inaugural Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree program.
“Red River College is proud to offer this degree program, designed by us for the benefit of Manitoba students and the provincial health care system,” said Stephanie Forsyth, RRC’s President & CEO.
“I congratulate the staff in RRC’s Nursing Department and the leadership of Dean Louise Gordon and Program Chair Karen Wall for developing and implementing this innovative program.”
RRC first launched its Bachelor of Nursing program in 2010, in order to provide an accelerated alternative to the four-year programs offered at universities. RRC’s first class of graduates completed their studies in August 2013, and crossed the stage during winter convocation ceremonies held Tuesday, February 4, 2014.
“I would like to congratulate the inaugural Bachelor of Nursing program graduates,” said the Hon. James Allum, Minister of Education and Advanced Learning, Province of Manitoba. “This demonstrates Red River College’s hard work in developing cutting-edge programming and providing skilled graduates that contribute to Manitoba’s economy.”
RRC’s Nursing program is a four-year academic program delivered over three calendar years. There are three terms a year rather than the traditional two. With the exception of the first year, students have a significant amount of flexibility in the program.
“The curriculum was developed to provide flexibility, efficiency and a wider range of clinical experiences, and to allow students to complete the program in a shorter time frame than other nursing degree programs,” said Karen Wall, Chair of RRC’s Nursing program. “The success of this program’s design has the potential to be a model for delivery of nursing programs across the country.”
The three terms within each of Years Two and Three are independent of one another, but the years as a whole are sequential. This means that, after completing Year One, if a student cannot complete a term for whatever reason their progress need only be delayed by one term, not a whole year.
At present, there are approximately 600 students registered in RRC’s Bachelor of Nursing program. The number of graduates is expected to consistently increase as the program continues to grow.