UofANursingAdvisor

For a full description of CBL (Context Based Learning) and how it works, please check out www.nursing.ualberta.ca/Undergraduate/TeachingMethods and www.nursing.ualberta.ca/Undergraduate/TeachingMethods/Tutorials!

Just a quick point of clarification on Cupid14's comment, the University of Alberta does not nor has it in the past used MacEwan's simulation labs for teaching. We have our own cutting-edge lab and simulation equipment (check out www.nursing.ualberta.ca/Undergraduate/TeachingMethods/Labs for a list and description of the lab equipment we have available!) which we have had for a number of years and upgrade frequently. We are also very excited because all of our high-tech equipment will be getting a nice new home with the opening of the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy on campus in September (2011)!

Thanks for the input rangerlil! I hope that a negative experience with one of our students will not colour the opinion of them all. We have seen some fantastic and very competent students go through this program and wish you all the best in your career as an RN!

It is correct that at certain points in the program our students are in clinical a few days a week, but this is actually also the case with our 4 year BScN-Collaborative Program as well, as the clinicals are interspersed with their lab and course work. In terms of total hours, currently our students receive a total of 1453 clinical hours in in the 4 year BScN-Collaborative Program, and 1164 in the BScN-After Degree. However both programs provide students with a final clinical placement (preceptorship) of 10 weeks (340 hours, which is the requirement by the Nursing Education Program Approval Board here in Alberta). Our After Degree students have been performing at least as well on the CRNE as students graduating from our 4 year BScN-Collaborative Program, and we also find that the additional experience that these students bring to the table (i.e. in terms of previous education, work, life experiences, etc.) contributes to their performance as students and enriches their nursing practice. If at any point you have one of our nursing students on your unit, if there are specific issues you are encountering please feel free to contact us so we can evaluate if this is an issue specifically with that student or if there is something in our curriculum or course sequencing that needs to be looked at.

If anyone has questions about the U of A's BScN-After Degree Program, please check out ualberta.ca. Information sessions and chatrooms for students who would like additional information or to ask questions are also held. Specifically at the informations sessions, Information about the program, admission requirements, etc, but also bring a current student and recent graduate to talk about their personal experiences in the program. Regarding the difficulty of the program itself, yes it can be challenging since it is a BScN completed in only 2 years, however we have a student advisory council that provides us with ongoing feedback on the program and we have made many changes to the program over the past few years based on this feedback. I am more than happy to answer more specific questions about the program, please contact me! If anyone would like more information about the Context Based Learning method that we use at the U of A, contact the university directly who are happy to discuss in more detail what this teaching method entails, why it is used, and the type of students that tend to have success with this style. CBL also means that the large majority of the time spent in our program is in smaller groups (i.e. less than 20) rather than in traditional larger lectures, allowing our students and instructors to get to know each other quite well. In terms of hands-on opportunitites in the program, students receive lab experiences throughout the program using advanced learning methods and equipment, including cutting-edge patient simulation technology. In both BScN-Collaborative Program (our standard 4 year BScN program) and the BScN-After Degree Program students start clinical placements in year 1 and have a different placement every semester after that, and a final 10 week placement in their last semester. Check out ualberta.ca/Undergraduate/TeachingMethods for more information about the different components to our program!

Also, thanks janfrn for the information you posted on Problem Based Learning! If anyone would like more information about the Context Based Learning method that is use at the U of A, check out ualberta.ca/Undergraduate/TeachingMethods (CBL section is about half way down that page) or contact the university directly

If anyone has questions about the U of A's BScN-After Degree Program, please check out nursing.ualberta.ca/AfterDegree. There are also host information sessions and chatrooms for students who would like additional information or to ask questions (check the website above for upcoming events and chats). Regarding the difficulty of the program itself, yes it can be challenging since it is a BScN completed in only 2 years, however we have a student advisory council that provides us with ongoing feedback on the program and we have made many changes to the program based on this feedback. I am more than happy to answer more specific questions about the program, please contact me!