North West College's first graduating class of psychiatric nurses scored above 90 per cent this spring. (submitted/North West College)

By battlefordsNOW & meadowlakeNOW Staff

High marks

Strong results for initial North West psychiatric nurses class

Apr 5, 2022 | 4:56 PM

The first cohort of graduating psychiatric nursing students, which completed their program in December, achieved a 91 per cent pass rate on their national licensing exam in March.

According to North West College, the students’ performance prompted a response from the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan (RPNAS), which had recently provided the results.

When reached for a statement, North West said they are waiting for further comment from RPNAS on where they rank amongst other institutions with similar programs.

Melanie Roberts, Director of Programs, congratulated the graduates in a media release, praising both students and staff on achieving early success.

“We worked really hard to bring this program to the community and our staff invested in the students each and every day,” she said. “Congratulations to our first class of psychiatric nurses.”

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Psychiatric nursing is a profession in high demand both locally and nationally following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the college. A new intake of psychiatric nursing students is added each September at North West College for a three-year program, with the fourth cohort starting this fall with an increased class size of 24 students.

President Dr. Eli Ahlquist also congratulated the students and staff, as well as their regional partners.

“We are extremely grateful to our partners for their willingness to provide students with high quality learning experiences in locations like the Saskatchewan Hospital and local schools,” he said. “This achievement would not have been possible without their support.”

Fundraising successful

North West enjoyed another bit of early success with the “No Fooling” fundraiser held on April 1. Held at the Civic Centre in Meadow Lake, the event was a “mix and mingle” that helped raise close to $7,000 for student scholarships.

Tracey Conrad, one of the event organizers, said “these funds go a long way to help students achieve their academic and career goals and the support of our community members and businesses is greatly appreciated.”

Local and regional businesses contributed prizes to the various fundraising games and raffles.

North West College has campuses on both North Battleford and Meadow Lake, with roughly 2,600 students.

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