U OF R COLLABORATIVE NURSING PRACTITIONER PROGRAM GRANTED 7-YEAR APPROVAL
The College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS) recently granted the Faculty of Nursing’s Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program (CNPP) a seven-year approval. It indicates the University of Regina’s Faculty of Nursing is delivering a high-quality program that prepares nurse practitioners with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the health-care needs of people in Saskatchewan. This is particularly important during challenging times as a growing and aging population is stretching health-care resources.
“This means that Saskatchewan accreditation bodies have awarded the highest honours to our undergraduate and Master of Nursing Nurse Practitioner Programs,” says Dr. Laurie Clune, associate dean, Faculty of Nursing, University of Regina (Uofr).
Entry-level nursing programs in Saskatchewan, such as the U of R Faculty of Nursing’s undergraduate program and the CNPP, must receive program approval from the CRNS for graduates to be eligible to proceed with registration and licencing.
“Our current and future students will know they are part of an excellent program,” adds Clune. “Our program has gone through a rigorous review. Being awarded a seven-year approval speaks to its high quality.”
Three main standards are used to review and evaluate nursing education programs. A program’s structure is examined to ensure its strategy, policies and procedures, and resources prepare students to meet the nursing competencies expected by the CRNS.
The curriculum and program outcomes are also measured to determine whether they consistently demonstrate graduates are prepared to meet the required competencies. “We have a 100 per cent pass rate of the Canadian Nurse Practitioner Examination,” adds Clune.
The college’s approval process is designed to promote the safe practice of nursing through a standardized nursing education approval process and supports continuous evaluation and improvement of nursing education programs in the province.
The CNPP is a unique partnership between the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic. It prepares primary care nurse practitioners at the graduate level, enabling them to provide the highest quality primary health-care in Saskatchewan. A theory- and practice-based program, the Master of Nursing with a specialization in Nurse Practitioner consists of 11 courses offered online and completed during full-time studies over 13 weeks or part-time over two years.
Upon completion of the program, graduates receive a Master of Nursing degree with a specialization in Nurse Practitioner from the University of Regina. The CNPP is available to registered nurses from throughout Saskatchewan and Canada. Entry into the program is highly competitive.
The CRNS is Saskatchewan’s largest profession-led regulatory body, with over 12,000 members. It was established to ensure that Saskatchewan nurses are competent in providing the services society has entrusted to them through licensing requirements, practice standards, practice advice and support, approval of nursing programs, continuing competence requirements, and a competence assurance mechanism (complaint investigation and discipline process).
As the regulator, the CRNS is the bridge between the public and all registered nurses in Saskatchewan. Members must comply with the College’s practice standards, entry-level competencies and code of ethics when carrying out their professional responsibilities.