Pilot project expand placements, reduces travel times for area students

Friday, October 14, 2011, Peterborough

A new pilot project launched today by Trent University and Queen’s University will provide area students enrolled in Queen’s primary health care nurse practitioner education program with more seminars and hands-on placement opportunities in the region bounded by Bancroft, Belleville, Haliburton and Oshawa.

The pilot also will establish a satellite hub at Trent for the delivery of Queen’s primary health care nurse practitioner program, thereby reducing commuting times for students in this region who previously commuted to Kingston.

“We are very pleased that the Queen’s School of Nursing approached Trent to consider the establishment of a satellite operation in Peterborough,” said Dr. Kirsten Woodend, dean of the Trent-Fleming School of Nursing. “There are a number of students in the Queen’s primary health care nurse practitioner program living in the area roughly bounded by Belleville on the east, Oshawa on the west and Haliburton/Bancroft in the north.  For these students, weekly travel to Queen’s for face-to-face seminars represents a substantive travel commitment. This pilot will facilitate Queen’s goal of creating more placement opportunities for students residing in this region, reduce students’ travel time and costs, and complement the province’s goal to enhance health care delivery through collaborative programming.”

A strategic goal for Queen’s University is to increase enrolment in its primary health care nurse practitioner program by 28-30 seats per year.  While the applications exist to support this plan, expansion and aggressive management of placement opportunities is required.

Students are typically placed with both practicing primary health care nurse practitioners and family physicians for experiential learning opportunities during their education. Eight Peterborough-based students starting or completing their graduate-level education this fall will take part in seminars at Trent University and complete local clinical placements that will count towards their Queen’s degree.

“This new initiative ensures primary health care nurse practitioner students have opportunities to access the very best clinical placements that will prepare them to care for Ontarians in the future,” says Dr. Jennifer Medves, director of Queen’s School of Nursing.

The Trent/Fleming School of Nursing offers an integrated, collaborative four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.Sc.N.) Degree. Trent also offers a compressed program for students with sufficient university credits to fast track through the program in less than three years. For information on the Trent-Fleming School of Nursing visit: http://www.trentu.ca/nursing/overview.php

The Queen’s Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program (PHCNP) is available to graduates of a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing who have a minimum two years (3,640 hours) employment as a registered nurse in the last five years.  Applicants should have a minimum cumulative B average based on their undergraduate Nursing degree.  The PHCNP program can be taken through Queen's either as a Certificate program only, or as a combined Master of Science and a PHCNP Certificate program.

For information on the PHCNP visit: http://www.queensu.ca/admission/apply/upperyear/transfer-ft/nursepractitioner.html

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For more information, contact:
Dr. Kirsten Woodend, Dean, Trent-Fleming School of Nursing, 705-748-1011, ext. 7335
or,

Dr. Jennifer Medves, Director of Queen’s School of Nursing, Vice-Dean (Health Sciences)
613-533-2669