Nursing Schools in Calgary Alberta

Fiona59 · Aug 18, 2010

Well, to put it kinda bluntly, it's too late for this year. The best you will probably salvage is some credits for your First Year English, Psych, Sociology. They all transfer for either the PN or RN programme.

All you will be able to do is reduce some of your course load. You'll just have to visit the schools and meet with advisors. They all do information sessions to provide the answers to the questions you are asking to groups.

Bow Valley has produced some great LPNs and has a good pass rate on CPNRE. I've worked with a couple of UofC grads and they been fine, most said they would have preferred more clinical time.

mags90 · Aug 18, 2010

Hello

Yeah I completely understand that it is too late for this year. Have you heard anything about Mount Royal university's nursing program?

back2bRN · Aug 20, 2010

Mount Royal produces some pretty good grads, they seem to have a strong grasp on many different concepts. However, in my limited experience, it has been those with undergrad jobs who are the most successful in the transition from student to RN.

RGN1 · Aug 21, 2010

I second the Mount Royal comment above. I have been impressed by their nursing students and those I have worked with have had good comments about their course.

The U of C students are good too but a lot of them have said they have had some issues with their course - mainly administrative e.g a recent group told me they were not being told what their clinical placements were until a couple of days before they are due to go, leaving them no prep time. In this case it was their final practicum!

I would, if you can, go for the RN program, purely on a mercenary note because they are so much better paid here than the LPN's are. If, however, you are intent on the LPN then Bow Valley students also seem well trained and happy with their course.

mags90 · Aug 21, 2010

My biggest problem right now is they want me to have a 3.5-4.0 GPA to transfer and will not allow me to apply as just a high school student. They want me to do an open studies program and take GPA boosting programs and then apply for Nursing, but taking the open studies program does not guarantee me a spot in the nursing program. So I am currently undecided about what to do? Any suggestions?

Fiona59 · Aug 21, 2010

No institution will guarantee anyone a spot in their nursing programme. LPNs who wanted to upgrade to RN still have to apply and be accepted, despite many of them having completed all the prereqs, having over two years experience, and professional references.

If you are unsure about nursing, the PN route is probably the best way to go because, if after graduating and working for a year or two, you find you hate nursing you aren't as deeply in debt.

Look at the real world, in my class roughly 40% of the PN students I started with did not graduate with me. Of the 42 that stood on the stage with me, I know of five who walked away from nursing and found other lines of work. Easier to walk away from that student loan than a degree one.

Not every two year programme has a starting pay rate of over $22/hr, which is what an AHS LPN starts at. From what the government has been saying, the day of the huge pay increases for RNs is over and it's more a matter of holding onto what they have, instead of large increases with every new contract. Factor in, that the government is also looking at changing the RN/LPN ratio on the hospital floors and the view is that fewer RNs will be at the actual bedside. It's something we are seeing more and more of on the units, RNs when they call in sick or are on vaction being replaced with LPNs. If anything, this is going to be a major fighting point on the next AUPE contract round.

mags90 · Aug 22, 2010

Its not that I am not sure about going into nursing, I have always wanted a career in health care, i am just undecided on which route I should take. I currently have enough money that I can pay for two year of college without having a student loan but if I go to university I will have a loan for sure.