M O U N T WA D D I N G TO N
PUTTING NEW SKILLS TO WORK Strategic direction: Responsive curriculum We will develop dynamic and responsive curriculum and educational services to attract, engage, and retain a diverse range of students to be successful in a rapidly changing world.
Moses Kaberuka (left) and Patsy Cook (front row, left) with their instructors and fellow Practical Nurse Access graduates are trained and ready to work in hospitals and health facilities in the Mount Waddington region.
Local, licensed, and employment ready BC’s first Practical Nurse Access graduates credit staff and location for their success When the Vancouver Island Health Authority saw a need for more licensed practical nurses on the North Island in 2010, it came to NIC. It wanted to know if the college could work with existing health care assistants, already in the area, and upgrade their skills in BC’s first Practical Nurse Access program.
a class fixture. When housing concerns made him question his ability to stay in the program, college staff worked with the community to secure his success. Moses now works as a licensed practical nurse in Campbell River.
NIC responded with a new program allowing health care assistants to meet the prerequisites and train for a new career within record time, and drew interested candidates from across Canada.
Personal support and location were key to graduates’ success. Whether it be instructors who worked around ferries and transportation needs to provide accessible math classes or staff who helped students find preceptorships as close as possible to home, the program boasts a 100 per cent graduation rate.
Moses Kaberuka travelled from Manitoba to Port Hardy with his younger siblings after reading about the program online. His infectious smile soon became
All six health care assistants who started the program in 2011, graduated in June 2012 ready to write the national Licensed Practical Nurse exam.
“Having the program in Port Hardy, really made it possible for me to earn a living while going to school and finally fulfill my goal of becoming a nurse,” said Patsy Cook, “Having the program who now works at the Cormorant in Port Hardy made it Island Community possible for me to earn Health Centre. “For my community, having fully trained nurses work and live here means consistent staffing that doesn’t rely on a ferry schedule.”
a living while going to school and finally fulfill my goal of becoming a nurse.”
Patsy Cook, 2012 Practical Nurse Access Graduate
For more information, visit www.nic.bc.ca/health.
NEW PROGRAMS It’s back: NIC’s Health Care Assistant program returns to Port Hardy Get ready to become a health care assistant, with NIC’s 27-week program in Port Hardy this year. Developed in partnership with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, the program demonstrates how NIC works with partners to address community needs. The program starts this fall with a pre-health block of upgrading and health courses. For more information or to register, call 250-949-7912 or visit www.nic.bc.ca/mountwaddington.
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THINK HEALTH
Browse all of your options at www.nic.bc.ca/health
Do you love helping others? Looking for a secure job that can take you anywhere? Come talk to us. NIC offers a full range of health programs from Health Care Assistant, to Practical Nursing, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Call 1-800-715-0914.