Ontario colleges celebrate nurses' achievements

TORONTO, May 9, 2017 /CNW/ - Ontario's colleges are marking National Nursing Week by honouring the nurses who have dedicated their careers to caring for others and setting the highest standards for health care in the province.

"Our nurses have enjoyed great success meeting the evolving needs of an increasingly complex health-care network," said Linda Franklin, the president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "We are proud of their achievements and the tremendous difference they have made in the lives of their patients."

Ontario's public colleges have offered nursing education programs throughout most of the colleges' 50-year history. Graduates of the nursing programs are known for both their knowledge and their excellent bedside nursing skills and abilities.

Highlights of the colleges' nursing programs include:

• Twenty-two colleges offer joint college-university registered nursing degree programs in partnership with 14 universities that emphasize a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Over the past five years alone, 13,500 full-time students enrolled in these programs.
• More than 7,000 students have enrolled in practical nursing programs over the past five years.
• Colleges have more than 200 campuses throughout the province and the colleges' students and graduates reflect the diversity of their communities. The majority of Ontario college graduates, including practical nursing and joint college-university nursing graduates, pursue their careers within their local health-care network, supporting the government's Patients First strategy to provide culturally appropriate local care.

"We thank all of our nurses for their contributions and their dedication to everyone's health and well-being," Franklin said. "We look forward to continuing to educate nursing professionals across Ontario in the decades to come."

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SOURCE Colleges Ontario

Rob Savage, Senior Director of Communications, Colleges Ontario, [phone], [email protected]

Related Links

www.collegesontario.org