 Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley- Pembroke, Ontario
This news bulletin will provide you with some great examples of why studying in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Pembroke will be one of the best decisions you will ever make.
From small class sizes to award winning faculty, our program builds on a rich history of nursing education that spans almost 100 years in the city of Pembroke. Join us this fall and let us help you fulfill your dream of becoming a registered nurse.
Read these news items below:
Health Care Partners Bursary Program
Clinical Experiences
New Nursing Lab
Students Invited to Conference
Meet Your Co-ordinator
Job Opportunities
Health Care Partners Bursary Program ^Top
 Again for the fall of 2007, all first-year students who register in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at Algonquin College's Pembroke Campus, will automatically receive a $1,000 bursary.
This special admissions bursary is being provided through a fund generously created by health care organizations throughout Renfrew County.
Renfrew County’s health care agencies understand the importance of having a nursing program at Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley.
A large majority of the nurses who currently work in the region were trained by Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley or the Lorrain School of Nursing, which transferred nursing education to the college in the 1970s.
Nurses are in demand and this bursary program demonstrates how local health care organizations support the training of future nursing graduates to help them meet their labour force challenges. Students are also eligible for additional admissions bursaries and scholarships through the University of Ottawa.
Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley has been training nurses at its Pembroke Campus for more than 30 years. In 2004, the college collaborated with the University of Ottatwa to offer a
4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. All four years of the program are delivered at the Pembroke Campus, where classes are small, and the learning experience is exceptional.
To apply to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program, go to the Ontario University Application Centre site at: OUAC: Undergraduate Applications
Valuable Clinical Experiences ^Top
The true advantage of studying at a small campus is the exceptional partnerships that exist between Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley and the health care organizations that hire its graduates. Nursing students spend hundreds of hours in hospitals, seniors’ facilities and other health care environments where they work side by side with Registered Nurses and their professors.
Algonquin College uses a variety of health care agencies in the area to give students top quality clinical experience. Some of the main facilities which support Algonquin’s nursing students by providing on-the-job training are Renfrew Victoria Hospital and Marianhill seniors’ facility, the Pembroke Regional Hospital and Miramichi Lodge. Miramichi is a state of the art seniors’ facility that opened in 2005. The Pembroke Regional Hospital underwent a $36-million dollar expansion in 2003 that includes a new intensive care unit, rehabilitation unit, and emergency department.
The majority of nurses who work in the Ottawa Valley were trained by Algonquin College making these partnerships critical for both the college and the health care employers who rely on our graduates to meet their hiring needs.
A New Nursing Lab ^Top
In the summer of 2006, the nursing lab at Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley received a major facelift.
The lab was redesigned and new equipment and furniture was purchased to create an enhanced learning environment for students and a more effective area to combine both theory and practical hands-on activities.
The nursing lab includes simulated patients who talk and breathe, several hospital beds, and all of the medical equipment nurses use in a hospital setting.
Lab groups are small at our campus, again providing an excellent student-teacher ratio that creates a learning environment conducive to student success.
Third Year Nursing Students Invited to National Conference ^Top
Two third year B.Sc.N. students at Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley have caught the attention of health care practitioners across the country with their innovative research project that helps with the safe administration of medication to patients.
Elizabeth Fletcher and Deborah Younger-Lewis presented their project at a national conference on the safe administration of medications in Toronto in April 2007.
In conjunction with the staff at Miramichi Lodge, a seniors’ facility, the two students spent several months during their placement developing tools that will help staff in their daily work.
They presented the "Miramichi Medication Safety Support Program" at the national conference, explaining their project to doctors, pharmacists, nurses and health administrators about how it can be applied in their respective facilities.
The full project outcome will result in the production of a manual, software and an easy-to-read visual aid poster that guides staff in the safe administration of medications to clients.
Algonquin College's Chair of Health and Community Studies, Debra Balasevicius, says "This recognition of our students' work speaks loudly about the quality of nursing education at our College. We are very pleased for the students, and congratulate them on this significant accomplishment."
Meet Your Co-ordinator: Judy Lafleur ^Top
Judy Lafleur has been the coordinator and full time professor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing collaborative degree program at Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley since it’s beginning in the fall of 2004. She has taught full time in the Registered Nursing Diploma program at this campus from 1999-2004.
Judy obtained her RN in 1973 following graduation from a two-year diploma program at Timmins District School of Nursing, Timmins, Ontario. After working for a year in hospital and nursing home, she decided to return to school full time to pursue her degree in nursing. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.Sc.N degree in 1977.
After many years of working in the nursing field as well as caring for her 4 children, she returned to university in 1991, enrolled in an applied Masters in Nursing program at McGill University. She graduated with an M.Sc.(A) in nursing in 1994 and has continued to take courses related to both the nursing and educational fields.
Judy’s first love has always been in the area of nursing education. Her first job, immediately after obtaining her B.Sc.N degree, was as In-service Education Coordinator at Hotel Dieu Hospital, St. Catharine’s, Ontario.
Prior to coming to Pembroke, she taught Nursing at Humber College in Toronto, as well as both John Abbott and Vanier College in the Montreal area. In addition to teaching at the undergraduate level, Judy organized and taught an advanced cardiology course at Vanier College for RNs who were working in critical care areas.
Besides working as an educator, Judy has many years of clinical nursing experience in both hospital and community. Her main area of hospital experience is working in Intensive Care and Coronary Care Units in various hospitals in the Toronto and Montreal areas. Community experience has been mainly in the area of Maternal Child Health.
Job Opportunities ^Top
 Nurses are in demand. An aging population in Canada and increased pressure on governments to increase funding for health care has created an environment where nurses are valued and are considered the cornerstone of the health care system.
The career opportunities are diverse and not only here in Canada. Many nurses pursue employment opportunities in other countries because Canadian nurses are highly regarded as being among the best in the world.
Employment can be found in many health care settings including hospitals, private and publicly funded seniors’ facilities and home care agencies, hospices and public health units. With some experience and possibly enhanced post-secondary education, there may be additional opportunities in teaching, research, and management positions.
Visit the Ontario Nurses’ Association website to learn more about careers in the nursing, including the ONA pay grid. http://www.ona.org/
Read here about the Nursing Job Guarantee from the Government of Ontario.
For more information about Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley,
check out our website at: www.algonquincollege.com/pembroke |
