USask College of Nursing expands education opportunities for registered nurses

The “Learn Where You Live” nursing education model developed by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing is a concept that addresses a number of challenges.

Most importantly, it is helping to overcome the critical shortage of health-care providers in underserved, rural areas of Saskatchewan. As well, it makes nursing education more accessible and affordable, and thus more attractive, especially for students in more remote communities.

"We are really trying to be inclusive to give people living in rural areas the opportunity to learn where they live, so they don’t have to relocate to Saskatoon or Prince Albert to do their nursing education,” explains Dr. Solina Richter, dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan.

The program is proving successful. “We know if our students do their nursing education in these communities and become licensed as registered nurses, they will also stay in these communities,” says Richter.

"Especially in northern Saskatchewan, nursing students are very acquainted with the local context. They are familiar with the people and the culture. That helps a lot in providing equitable nursing care.”

She adds that 16.6 per cent of seats in the college’s BSN program are reserved for Indigenous applicants.

The college currently operates from three campuses — Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert — along with five distributed sites to deliver its programs in Île-à-la-Crosse, La Ronge, Yorkton, Lloydminster, and North Battleford (coming in September 2024).

Richter cites examples of the number of graduates to demonstrate the early success of the Learn Where You Live program.

"In Île-à-la-Crosse and La Ronge, where the program started in 2012, 66 northern Saskatchewan nursing students have completed the program. In Yorkton, which started in 2014, we’ve had 81 students graduate."

Lloydminster, established two years ago, will produce its first graduates in 2025. Work is underway to establish additional distributed sites, which will be announced this fall.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at USask incorporates a four-year, “1 plus 3,” model. The first year of Arts & Science can be completed at the student’s own pace. Some students may take two or three years to complete it. When students enter their second year in the College of Nursing, however, they are encouraged to finish in the next three years.

Completing their studies while based in their home community not only saves the cost of relocating to a larger centre, it also keeps spouses and families together, helps to maintain current employment, eliminates feelings of isolation, and generally reduces the psychological as well as financial burden.

The community also benefits. Nursing students are excellent role models, especially for young people in these rural and remote areas who otherwise might have thought higher education was out of reach. Each year, a representative from the College of Nursing visits local high schools and reserves to encourage graduates to consider a career in nursing, and to explain the benefits of the Learn Where You Live pathway to a nursing degree.

A nursing student is an accessible source of health-care knowledge and advice in the community, especially regarding preventative health. Furthermore, a College of Nursing distributed site brings income to the community.

"It’s a win-win situation,” says Richter.

Thanks to advanced technology, education under this model can be highly effective and on par with education that traditionally occurred only in an actual hospital setting. In a distributed site, mannequins can simulate breathing, coughing and having high blood pressure.

Virtual technology can immerse a student in a simulated Code White scenario experienced in a hospital, where the medical team has to deal with a patient displaying aggressive behaviour and signs of declining mental health.

This multimedia approach allows nursing students in even remote communities to translate and implement classroom theory learning by responding to specific simulated scenarios and then reflecting on how they performed.

Nursing has been described as “the backbone of our health-care system".

In Saskatchewan, where the pressure on this system is unrelenting, the importance of developing highly qualified nursing graduates cannot be underestimated. Development of innovative educational opportunities at the College of Nursing is a strident step in the right direction.

"It’s a lot of organization coordinating nursing education across the province,” says Dean Richter, “but it is so rewarding to see the students complete their program and go on to provide nursing care in their community.”

This story originally appeared in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post Nursing Week special feature.