University of Calgary

[CharmedJ7]

Does anyone have any experiences or insight on the University of Calgary? I'm specifically looking at their BNAT program since I already have a bachelors degree. It would also be useful to get a feel for nursing in Alberta in general or what it's like to live in Calgary. I've been living in Montreal for the past 5 years and although I love this city I'm really keen to go west, I just want to make sure it's a good choice school. It makes me a little nervous that they just switched over to guaranteed acceptance at 3.0, but as long as it's sufficiently rigorous and a good educational experience I won't worry about it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[RNStudent2013]

I'm in the new program (just finished Term 4) and I'd agree that the emphasis is definitely more on theory and less on skills, maybe even more so in the new curriculum. I really like the program and the school so far, but the curriculum has changed a lot and I know there are at least a few people in my class that would have chosen a different school if they had known more about it. Terms 3 and 4 (your first eight months if you go into the Degree Holder route) are basically community health nursing and you don't actually go into the hospital or learn a whole lot of hands-on skills until Term 5 (your third semester in the program). I had great clinical instructors for both semesters, but I did find that there was only so much I could learn from the placements I was at, given that they were in the community (i.e., an elementary school, a retirement facility). However, I think there will be a lot of learning that happens in the last four semesters of the program and by the end of it, it will have been a good education and I'll be generally prepared to work as a nurse!

I wouldn't worry if you don't hear back from U of C right away even if your GPA is strong. I had a competitive GPA when I applied for the program and didn't get accepted until late June for the September 2011 start and know other people who didn't hear until even later in the summer. Definitely talk to one of the nursing advisors if you have any other questions, I found they were really helpful!

Best of luck!