6 Top Nursing Programs in Calgary With Details

The colleges offering nursing programs in Calgary if you’re hoping to enter the nursing sector and wish to begin with a bachelor’s degree. 

Both nursing students and future nursing professionals have several opportunities in the nation. 

There are many choices available to you, whether you wish to enroll in nursing schools in Canada or perhaps decide to make your home there as a licensed nurse. 

Nursing is a widely regarded career choice due to the constantly growing demand for healthcare workers.

Once you begin working as a registered nurse in Canada, you have a good chance of qualifying for permanent residency, which is a benefit that not many developed countries readily offer.

Also Read: 12 Best Online Nursing Programs in Virginia-Cost & Prerequisites

What Does a Nursing Career Entail? 

How do nurses operate? Due to the fact that they are constantly evaluating and assessing patients, nurses need to be knowledgeable, flexible, trained, and skilled in critical thinking. 

One of a nurse’s responsibilities is to coordinate with various specialists to make sure that their patients are adequately on the road to recovery. 

Contrary to popular belief, which has nurses dressed in hospital scrubs, a nurse can take many other forms. The various types of care expand a nurse’s abilities. 

Here are some particular jobs that nurses complete each day:

  • Conduct medical examinations 
  • Take meticulous medical records into account 
  • While listening to the patients, take into account their bodily and emotional needs. 
  • Counseling and health information for patients is recommended. 
  • collaboration on patient care with other specialists and medical professionals 
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge on changes to medical techniques, medications, and therapies. 
  • Take blood tests and conduct other diagnostic procedures. 
  • Look up the patient’s vital signs.

Also Read:17 Best Online Nursing Programs in Florida-Tuition & NCLEX

Where Do Nurses Work?

Non-hospital settings are home to some registered nurses. Clinics, urgent care centers, pharmacies, hospitals, and many more medical establishments all have nurses on staff. 

Furthermore, nurses can use their skills to meet their patients’ needs pretty much everywhere in the world. 

For example, a large number of nurses now offer in-home care for the elderly or disabled. 

Typical nursing jobs include the following locations:

  • Hospitals 
  • Schools
  • Ambulance/Helicopter 
  • health care settings at home 
  • Assisted living facilities

Also Read:5 Best Online Practical Nursing Programs in Ontario

How to Pick a Calgary Nursing School 

If you wish to enroll in a nursing program in Calgary, there are a few things to take into account. 

They consist of; 

Location 

You should check the campus’s proximity to your house before enrolling in nursing classes, just as you would with any other institution. If it’s in a completely different area of the city, you might want to think about renting an apartment or living in a dorm. 

By picking a school that is well situated, you can save your commuting time while also raising your overall quality of life. As an alternative, you might want to investigate the potential for online nursing education.

Accreditation 

Start with this if you’re intending to check the history of your school. 

Your hard work must be approved and accredited in order to be recognized by the hospitals where you want to work. Without these things, your degree may not be accepted. 

Curriculum 

Without studying the menu, you wouldn’t choose a restaurant. Choosing a nursing school with an excellent curriculum follows the same approach. 

Take a hard look at the course offerings before submitting an application to a college or university because almost all of them make it a point to make them public online. 

Therefore, to ensure that what they are teaching is in line with what you must study, check their curriculum.

Success Rate 

This may very well be the best indicator of how successful a school is. Nurses must pass a certification exam, just like architects, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. 

Make sure to email your school’s admissions office to inquire about how well their students performed on their certification examinations if your institution does not list their passing rate on their website. 

Additionally, finding out their graduation and employment rates would be beneficial.

Also Read: 21 Best Accelerated Nursing Programs in New York-Tuition

Top Nursing Programs in Calgary

1. The University Of Calgary

The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Nursing features a cutting-edge undergraduate program that integrates and connects theory courses with clinical practice. 

When you look for a nursing school in Calgary, the University of Calgary appears in the bulk of the results. This school does have some incredible qualities, though. 

First, the University of Calgary provides a wider range of nursing programs than other institutions in the city. 

Furthermore, you can pursue a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree with a thesis requirement, a double degree in business administration, or a Ph.D. program.

The university’s four-year Bachelor of Nursing program is run in collaboration with Medicine Hat College, which hosts classes for the first two years. 

Students can access the University of Calgary’s vast simulation labs during their third year of study there. 

To assist aspiring nurses develop their abilities, real-world scenarios are reenacted. Students develop their ability to think quickly and make split-second judgments in these experiments, much like they would in the workplace. 

The master’s degrees are mainly delivered online to aid working students in better managing their schedules.

The thesis-based track is a full-time, research-intensive program, whereas the course-based track is a part-time program that focuses on giving students all the training they may need for advanced practice. 

The Master of Nursing/Master of Business Administration combines two unexpected disciplines and focuses on teaching the business and leadership abilities specifically required in the healthcare industry. 

With a focus on philosophy, the University of Calgary’s Ph.D. program offers master’s degree holders the ability to advance their expertise by conducting in-depth research on a potential thesis topic.

VISIT SCHOOL WEBSITE

2. Columbia College Calgary

There are many programs linked to medicine at this college in Calgary. The Practical Nurse Professional Diploma is one of them. 

They use a Mastery Learning Model, which makes sure that before students can advance in their program, they can master a specific learning objective. 

This is crucial if your job involves managing other people’s health and welfare. 

With this method of instruction, students might receive up to 500 extra hours of tutoring to ensure that they fully comprehend the material. These tutorials were created using a collection of online resources.

The Practical Nurse program at Columbia College Calgary in Calgary uses an intriguing teaching strategy to help students learn: the Olympic Games. And it really is as thrilling as it sounds. 

They provide a weekly, four-hour session for nursing students that is gamified. Not only does this help them review their notes, but it also builds their morale and sense of community. 

Despite the curriculum moving to remote learning owing to the pandemic, this, combined with the generally small class numbers, contributes to making the learning experience enjoyable.

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3. Mount Royal University

There are three different nursing programs offered by Mount Royal University. The four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing degree comes first. 

By preparing them to flourish in the industry in addition to meeting entry-level requirements, this curriculum gives the students the building blocks they need to carve out a career in healthcare. 

The Mount Royal University Bachelor of Nursing program allows students the opportunity to work in a variety of settings while focusing on the need for nurses across the many provinces of Canada. 

Undergraduates have the option to combine academic theory with practical experience in settings like outpatient school clinics and rural hospitals.

Additionally, Mount Royal provides certificate programs designed specifically for licensed nurses. Although more difficult to obtain than the typical bachelor’s or master’s degree, these study options are essential to the local nursing scene. 

For nurses with experience who want to sharpen their abilities in order to advance to larger responsibilities in busy departments, their Advanced Studies in Critical Nursing program is a wonderful fit. 

Given that it is a part-time, self-paced program, it is a fantastic option for those who need to balance their education and employment. 

The Critical Care Nursing certificate focuses on ICU training, whereas the Emergency Nursing stream is intended for nurses who want to handle a wide range of situations in the emergency room.

The school’s simulation labs and classrooms are used by the Advanced Studies and Bachelor of Nursing programs. 

The Bridge to Canadian Nursing Certificate of Achievement is a different program that Mount Royal offers. 

This is a transitory program that enables healthcare professionals to start over by welcoming nurses who received their education outside of Canada.

VISIT SCHOOL WEBSITE

4. Bow Valley College

This curriculum makes sure that students have enough of knowledge to and experience dealing with the sectors of healthcare system, geriatric care, child care, maternity nursing, and mental wellness, among others, while also taking into account the broad range of faculties that nurses need to master. 

Following a similarly varied curriculum is the program’s nine-term variant. 

The extended track, which differs from the 5-term in-class program in that it combines in-person and online learning and may be finished over a longer period, is a wonderful option for working students because it can be finished over a longer period of time.

Both of these programs equip students with the skills they need to not only ace their licensing exams but also to think quickly and decisively when they are faced with real-world situations. 

For foreign nurses, Bow Valley College also provides a transitional curriculum. 

Their Practical Nurse Diploma for Internationally Educated Nurses uses blended learning—online classes, in-person lectures, and practical lab exercises—to enable a smooth entry to the Canadian healthcare system. 

All students at Bow Valley have access to a special healthcare facility where they can see doctors and get the prescription drugs they need.

VISIT SCHOOL WEBSITE

5. Athabasca University

To accommodate the various nursing specialties, AU offers two variations of the Bachelor of Nursing degree. 

In order to help students get ready for the challenges of a nursing job, the Post-Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Bachelor of Nursing program places a strong emphasis on teaching students critical thinking and fundamental skills. 

They will be ready to take the exam to become a registered nurse after completing this program. 

On the other side, a degree designed particularly for certified registered nurses is the Post-Registered Nurse (RN) Bachelor of Nursing. 

The Post-RN degree is more difficult and places more value on research and theoretical knowledge. Additionally, it discusses management and leadership from the perspective of healthcare.

Finally, two study tracks are available to nursing practitioners through the Master of Nursing degree at AU. 

The Generalist stream provides in-depth instruction in nursing theory, research methodologies, and analysis to prepare students for higher leadership roles. 

While this is going on, the Nurse Practitioner stream honed students’ skills in detecting and treating problems presented by both younger and older patients. 

All of the self-paced programs at Athabasca University demand discipline and a sense of accountability from the student.

VISIT SCHOOL WEBSITE

6. University Of Lethbridge

The Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing After Degree programs are provided in partnership with Lethbridge College by the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Health Sciences. 

Students take theory classes and participate in clinical rotations in the fields of medicine, surgery, long-term care, continuing care, paediatrics, maternity and child care, labor and delivery, mental health, rural acute care, and public health. 

Graduates are prepared to perform nursing ethically and holistically, utilizing standards for nursing practice, scientific data, and theoretical understanding.

The programs place a strong emphasis on cultural, social, and health issues, especially those that affect rural, elderly, and indigenous populations. 

The courses give students the background knowledge they need to pass the Canadian licensing exam to become registered nurses (RN). 

For those who already have a recognized undergraduate degree under their belts, this school also offers a Bachelor of Nursing After Degree program.

VISIT SCHOOL WEBSITE

How long is nursing school in Canada? 

In Canada, a bachelor’s degree in nursing takes four years to complete, and it prepares you to work as a registered nurse. In contrast, postgraduate programs take two years to complete. 

The length of the courses depends on the Canadian nursing programs and colleges you choose to attend.

How much does nursing school cost in Canada? 

In Canada, the average cost of tuition for a BSc in Nursing is between 52,000 and 169,000 CAD. The cost varies in different Colleges.

Conclusion:

Nursing is a stressful yet amazing career with lots of benefits. If you’ve decided to embark on this journey, it’s a great idea.

 However, it’s necessary to have background research on the schools that offer nursing programs around you.

Therefore, in this article, we’ve listed the nursing programs offered in the schools in Calgary.

References

  • What is it like to Live and Work as a Nurse in Canada? – Endorse Jobs
  • The 5 Best Nursing Schools in Calgary [2022 ]

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