Nursing Scholar Practitioner Program Launch
Nipissing University’s latest educational innovation, the Scholar Practitioner Program (SPP), launched on Tuesday morning, September 6, 2011, in downtown Toronto, ready to revolutionize Nursing education in Ontario. The program was created by Nipissing’s School of Nursing in partnership with six of Canada’s leading Health Centres: University Health Network, Hospital for Sick Children, Baycrest, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Mount Sinai and Toronto Public Health. It was designed to reshape how and where students learn to nurse while providing a rich and diverse learning experience that maximizes resources like time, space, money and energy.
The SPP grew out of a desire to change the way nursing education is delivered and how the practice of nursing can be delivered in the future. Dr. Rick Vanderlee and Dr. Mary Ferguson-Paré started sketching the program’s outline five years ago, both agreeing that a new approach was needed to meet the needs of the changing demands of the Nursing profession.
“We wanted to concentrate on Nursing and graduate the best nurse possible, so we decided on a second-degree entry concept. That way, students are mature and they know how to think, write, research and present. That allows us to focus on Nursing and really provide the knowledge and skills needed, especially the practical component,” said Vanderlee. Students will be immersed in an intensive two-year, six-semester, Bachelor of Science second degree program. They will work and learn in one of the partner health care settings, logging more than 1,200 practical hours during the two years.
There are 32 students enrolled in the first year of the program. Growth is expected for future years. The inaugural class features 16% males, a noticeable higher number than the average Nursing class, which typically features roughly 9% males. “I think the structure of the program appeals more to males than the traditional Nursing program route,” said Travis Crawford, one of the male students. “The fact that it's very geared to hands on, practical work, combined with the options for working in a variety of settings, is what most appealed to me."
Word of the innovative program spread far and wide, many of the students learned of the program initially through Google ads, created by the university. Breanne Duncan heard of the SPP while living in Calgary, and realized the program was a perfect fit for her needs. “I investigated all of the Nursing programs in Ontario, and this one stood out to me based on its commitment to delivering practical, hands-on education and the fact that it was geared to students like me who already earned an undergraduate degree,” said Duncan.
Caitlin Don, who graduated from Nipissing in 2007 was one of the first to apply to the SPP. Since graduation she was working with the AIDS Committee of North Bay. “The fact that the SPP is an accelerated program was a factor for me,” said Don. “Once I read the program description and learned more about its approach to education and how I can build and manage my own program while getting incredible practical experience, I knew that it was a perfect fit.”
For more information on the SPP program, visit: www.nipissingu.ca/spp