In a review of Health Services provided to the Board of Directors of the Sunrise Health Region, Roberta Wiwcharuk, vice president of Health Services said they are working on the concept of 'Learn Where You Live'.
As part of that initiative, the University of Saskatchewan, Sunrise Health Region and Parkland College are partnering to establish Graduate (Master of Nursing) and Undergraduate (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) level nursing education opportunities for Sunrise Health Region nurses and others who are interested in pursuing a Nursing career, she explained.
The training would take a blended approach to education (access to face-to-face and video-conferenced classes in Yorkton, online courses and clinical practicum opportunities) within the Sunrise Health Region to allow students to complete all of the nursing program here.
Wiwcharuk said the work is being largely spear-headed by Director of Professional Practice - Dr. Karen Semchuk, who is creating a partnership between Sunrise Health Region and the U of S.
The access to nursing classes within the region will be phased in.
The Master of Nursing courses will begin to be available in Yorkton in the spring/summer of 2013, with an official start date of September 2013.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing courses are being planned for the SHR by September 2014. Wiwcharuk said those courses are for students just embarking on their nursing education.
There is a possibility students who took their pre-professional first year in 2011-2012 may have access to clinical labs and clinical practica in Sunrise Health Region in Spring/Summer 2013 as a pilot, said Wiwcharuk, adding it would be a way "to see how it does work out for us."
