Centennial Celebrates Nursing Education by Welcoming Local Students

Centennial Place is cultivating relationships between the young and old with their student programs that set the bar for practical education as high as clinical rotations, or placements, in hospitals.

Tracey Roy, Director of Care at our local long-term care facility, says historically long-term care has suffered because it is perceived as less prestigious than acute care, also known as short-term or urgent-care. Long-term care isn’t expected to offer the same variety of learning opportunities because it isn’t constantly changing patients like a hospital might – different patients means different treatments which translates to more variety. Care for the elderly however is changing, bringing more and more care treatments to be done in house. For example Centennial Place now draws it’s own lab work and completes IV therapy.

Fleming College students Jenna Maxwell (forward)  Nicole Richard (back) check up on Centennial Place resident Helen Rideout.

Fleming College students Jenna Maxwell (forward) Nicole Richard (back) check up on Centennial Place resident Helen Rideout.

“I’m really impressed,” says Fleming College student Jenna Maxwell. With 7 years experience as a personal support worker before continuing her education to become a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN), she’s worked in many different senior residences and thinks Centennial Place is one of the best. This is her second clinical rotation with Centennial Place, having also completed a collection of weeks with them in her first semester of school. “Nurses here do a lot more than most people think people do in nursing homes.”

Maxwell is one of 8 students completing one of Centennial Place’s regularly occurring 12-week clinical rotation programs with Fleming College. After another few weeks, another student will take her place for six weeks, keeping a rotation of bright and friendly faces. The same will be done with a group of Trent University students who work similarly with Centennial Place. From these programs, Roy says staff get to see students grow in their education, giving them a good idea for candidates for their Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) program, which hires new grads through the help of the government for a guaranteed six months of working experience.

“I learn something new everyday,” says Christine Judge, a nurse completing the NGG at Centennial Place. She says working closely with the residents and families families, building bonds and learning from the nurse she’s been paired with as her mentor to grow into her independence as a nurse.

“They’re building bonds that don’t come with acute care,” says Roy, encouraging future students. “It’s a community within a community.”

By Sarah Sobanski

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