September 16, 2005 Source: University of Northern British Columbia:
http://www.nwcc.bc.ca/about/pressroom/Releases%20-%20HTML/BoNPphase1.html New Nursing Program in Terrace Receives Phase One Approval The Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing program (NCBNP) offered through the joint collaboration of the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Northwest Community College (NWCC), College of New Caledonia (CNC), and Northern Health has received phase one approval by the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC), now known as the College of Registered Nurses in British Columbia. “This a huge step forward for the program and for health care within the Northwest”, explains Katherine McIndoe, Dean of Instruction for Health Programs at NWCC. “As a Dean I appreciate the RNABC’s approval as it provides formal acknowledgement and approval of our (NWCC’s) part of the partnership. As a registered nurse I am very aware of the benefits the training and resulting increase in health care professionals will bring to the region and its overall health”. All new or changed nursing education programs are required to be evaluated and approved by the RNABC. This requires educational institutions to undergo a rigorous process of reporting and evaluation. “Although the NCBNP has been offered through CNC and UNBC in the past the addition of NWCC as a new partner constituted a substantial change that required a program review,” explains Dr. Joyce Black, RNABC Education Consultant. “This is done to ensure the delivering institution has the capacity to offer the program, maintain the integrity of the curriculum, and provide students with the learning opportunities necessary to achieve registered nursing profession standards upon graduation of the program.” The specific requirements NWCC had to meet were centered around RNABC’s three program approval criteria: curriculum, students, and graduates. These areas were critiqued through an extensive self-evaluation report submitted by the three educational partners back in May and June of this year. After detailed review, the RNABC Board approved the program to be delivered at NWCC. This phase one review grants preliminary approval to the program until December 31, 2007. A new program phase two review, which includes a site visit, will be conducted in the fall of 2007. “We are very pleased with this”, comments NWCC President, Stephanie Forsyth. “This is a major achievement in expanding and integrating NCBNP into the Northwest. This success illustrates the strength and commitment of all of the educational partners in ensuring the highest caliber of nursing training is available in our region. Of particular note are Katherine McIndoe and Gayle Appleton whose exemplary efforts have been recognized by RNABC and contributed greatly to the successful completion of this phase of the process.” "Together with our new master's-level Family Nurse Practitioner degree, the expansion of the Bachelor of Nursing degree to the Northwest is enabling all of us - UNBC , NWCC, CNC, and Northern Health - to effectively contribute to the improvement of our health care system in northern BC," says Ian Blue, Chair of the UNBC Nursing program. "We all know that the program has value. The recent approval for the Terrace program by the College of Registered Nurses of BC demonstrates to all that we're meeting the very high standards for nursing education in the province." The first class of the NCBNP began on September 6th. The first two years of the four year program will be offered at the Terrace campus of NWCC with the remaining two years being offered at the UNBC campus in Terrace. Students will be conducting their field studies and perceptorship in consultation with Northern Health. Graduates will earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from UNBC. Unique to the NCBNP in Terrace is the inclusion of northwest rural heath and First Nations perspectives into the curriculum. This includes course work specific to First Nations health as well as the integration of theoretical content about rural and First Nations health needs in applicable courses and practice learning experiences. -30- For more information contact: Gayle Appleton Program Coordinator Northwest Community College 250-638-5479 Rob Van Adrichem Director of Media/Public Relations UNBC 250-960-5622 Joyce Black Education Consultant College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia 604-739-5652
| 