MRU nursing awarded for excellence

Amidst budget concerns, Mount Royal University programs are thriving. The nursing program in particular has been a program that sets Mount Royal apart from other institutions.

Recently, the MRU Bachelor of Nursing program was accredited for meeting national standards of excellence in Canada. The program also received an Honor of Accreditation of a seven-year term, the highest possible under the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.

Despite the budget cuts, MRU’s Nursing program is prospering, awarded an Honor of Accreditation from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. Photo Illustration: Kaity Brown

Pam Nordstrom, Director of the School of nursing & Midwifery, explained the significance of receiving the awards.

“Accreditation provides students and other stakeholders assurances that MRU’s BN program meets the highest national standards in nursing education.

Accreditation provides the program with guidance about areas for ongoing development,” says Nordstrom.

The process of accrediting a nursing program is not a quick one. Nordstrom explained that the process can take one and a half to two years to complete. It is a self-assessment and once completed there are even more steps necessary to complete the process.

“An external site review team comes to MRU and interviews students, graduates, administration, faculty, health care agencies, employers to confirm that our self-evaluation is accurate.”

From there the report is sent to the Accreditation Bureau for review, and they make the final decision about the program’s status.

Nordstom says that the Mount Royal program is different than other programs in Canada, which is why she feels they were accredited this way.

“MRU’s program focuses on health promotion and provides students with practice experience beginning in year one and in various settings within the community and health care institutions.”

She explains that the students get practice and experience in a variety of departments, something that sets them apart when they graduate.

Former Nursing student Caitlyn Newbigging, who graduated last spring, speaks extremely highly of her Alma Matter. Newbigging applied to other schools when preparing for nursing school, but is thrilled she landed on Mount Royal.

“If I had to do my degree again, I would choose Mount Royal every time.”

Newbigging says the way they are prepared for their careers during their degree is invaluable.

“Due to the high number of practical hours, wide range of clinical settings as well as practical rotations in each of the four years, we have the initial experience we need to become successful graduate nurses.”

This isn’t to say the program is an easy degree, or something that doesn’t require an extreme amount of concentration and determination. Newbigging explains that from the beginning expectations are high, competition is stiff and instructors expect the best.

Newbigging says that even though this can sometimes be stressful, this only pushed her to be a better nurse preparing her for the stressful nursing world outside of school.

The nursing program at Mount Royal has always been one of the university’s most exceptional programs, and Nordstrom says this couldn’t be possible without the support from the faculty, school, students and community partners.