Six students from Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina received their Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner degree
October 21, 2016 – Today Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina celebrate the achievements of our first six graduates of the Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program (CNPP). As we mark the culmination of their academic journey, graduates will receive a Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner degree at the University of Regina fall convocation ceremony.
The program, which was launched in 2014, is the result of a collaboration between Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the University of Regina. Using online education technologies, the program is delivered to experienced registered nurses looking to advance their careers. The majority of students are based in Saskatchewan.
“With this program, students don’t have to leave their home communities or families to achieve their educational goals,” says Netha Dyck, dean of the School of Nursing at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. “This contemporary master of nursing (nurse practitioner) program has produced nurse leaders who will improve health outcomes in their own communities. We are so proud of their success.”
“We celebrate with the first graduates from the Collaborative Nurse Practitioner program,” says david Gregory, dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Regina. “In partnership with Saskatchewan Polytechnic, we have created access to graduate education throughout the province. Nurse practitioners, as advance practice nurses, are valuable members of the health care system in Saskatchewan.”
In Saskatchewan, a nurse practitioner has the authority to perform advanced health assessments, diagnose health problems, order diagnostic tests and prescribe medications. By offering this program, both Sask Polytech and the University of Regina are helping to improve access to necessary health care in some of the province’s rural and remote locations.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic serves 27,000 distinct students through applied learning opportunities at campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon, and through extensive distance education opportunities. Programs serve every economic and public service sector. As a polytechnic, the organization provides the depth of learning appropriate to employer and student needs, including certificate, diploma and degree programs, and apprenticeship training. Saskatchewan Polytechnic engages in applied research, drawing on faculty expertise to support innovation by employers, and providing students the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills.
The University of Regina is a comprehensive, mid-sized university that traces its roots back to the creation of Regina College in 1911. It now has 200 academic programs, 10 faculties and about 15,000 students. The University of Regina is well known in several areas, including business, education, engineering, journalism and justice studies, and offers online and distance study programs for people throughout Saskatchewan and across Canada.
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