On April 5th, 2014 graduates of the Practical Nursing program and Personal Support Worker program at Georgian College in Huron County was held at the Huron East Community Centre in Seaforth. Over 150 people attended the event that offered the opportunity for graduates that completed their programs in December of 2013, to reunite one last time in the local community where their training took place, Huron County.
Dianne Walkom guided the ceremony as the master of ceremonies, which opened with a welcome being extended to the graduates and their families by Brad Knight, CAO Huron East. Greetings were shared by Ben Lobb, MP Huron Bruce; Lisa Thompson, MPP Huron Bruce and Joe Steffler, Warden County of Huron. Tanya Thompson RPN, a graduate in 2009 of the first class of Georgian Practical Nurses, gave the Address to the Graduates and shared her experiences and encouragement for pursuit of this class towards their dreams. Humour and engaging insights were shared by both Stefani Hickmott (PN Valedictorian) and July Gagnier (PSW Valedictorian). Their class mates enjoyed the reflection on their past 2-4 year journey through program challenges, achievements and personal experiences they shared. The classes have devoted a great deal of their energy and time to the successful completion of their programs. This was all highlighted when Barb Carriere from Georgian College shared that the PN class had achieved a 100% pass rate on the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE). Congratulations, this is a wonderful achievement.
This achievement demonstrates the quality of the programs being offered. Instructors and clinical mentors such as Dianne Walkom, Dianne McCabe, Gail Chrysler, Brenda Palsa and Cheryl Pfaff attended the event and have shared their expertise and love of their careers as nurses with the both classes. “We are fortunate to have a strong instructional team for the programs offered locally,” says Laura Overholt, HealthKick Manager.
The Practical Nursing program is held at the Huron East Health Centre in Seaforth. Blue Water Rest Home and the West Huron Care Centre in Zurich, is a partnering site for the PSW program along with the classroom at the Huron East Health Centre in Seaforth. This provides two sites in Huron County sharing a link through video conferencing with Georgian College in Owen Sound which enables the “closer to home” access for this program and others. The West Huron Care Centre offered financial supports for tuition during the PSW program and has offered a final bursary award which was announced at the graduation and won by Julie Gagnier.
The ceremony concluded with group pictures of both classes taken by Cheyann Howard Photography of Hensall and the beautiful harp music for the ceremony was provided by Hannah and Maggi Burgsma. It all came together as a wonderful opportunity to honour a strong and determined group of people.
Health is important to each of us individually and we rely on the healthcare system in many different ways. We are fortunate that we have very insightful people in our communities that recognize the importance of healthcare and local access to training. Registered Practical Nurses and Personal Support Workers are an important part of the healthcare workforce and can be found throughout the healthcare system. Their roles and importance have increased in recent years and will continue to be important. The partnership between Georgian College and HealthKick strengthens the success of the programs by work to offer programs that have positive employment potential. The graduates of these programs and previous ones find employment within the local healthcare sector and can be found in hospitals, long term care facilities, family health teams and in community care agencies. Over 85 percent of this year’s grads have found jobs in healthcare in Huron, Middlesex, Grey or Perth Counties. Most of these are related to the communities they live in.
Best wishes to the graduates of the graduating classes of the Practical Nursing and Personal Support Worker programs from Georgian College in Huron County. You will prove yourselves to be dedicated and capable caregivers. You have chosen a wonderful future.
Many thanks to the organizations that contributed to this event and they include: Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, Red Cross Care Partners, Huron East Seaforth Community Development Trust, Georgian College, Huron Business Development Corporation/HealthKick and the County of Huron. Without their financial support this event would not have been possible.
Personal Support Worker Program Graduates – Georgian College/HealthKick
Back row from left to right is Brenda Palsa (Instructor), Julie Gagnier, Alicia Huber, Kelsey Haberer, Brittany Smith, Judy Russell, Cheryl Pfaff (Instructor)
Front row from left to right is Sandra Bravo, Chelsea Campbell, Jo-Anne Weltz, and Denise Elsom-Bissett
Missing: Monique Hauwert, Carlin Smits, Sarah Ritchie
Photo by: Cheyann Howard Photography, Hensall
Practical Nursing Program Graduates – Georgian College/HealthKick
Back row Lt to Rt: Dianne Walkom (instructor) Lori Mortimer, Amanda Marshall, Melissa Livingston, Janet Keys, Linda Jonker, Amy Ban, Patrick Glazier, Claire Cook, Gail Chrysler and Dianne McCabe (instructors)
Front Row Lt to Rt: Melissa Smith, Melissa McCann, Stacey Hummel, Stefani Hickmott, Karen Hoggarth
Missing: Rebecca Bearinger, Tammy Brownlee, Jennifer Kipp
Photo by: Cheyann Howard Photography, Hensall
Media Contact:
Laura Overholt
HealthKick
519-600-2273 ext 261
loverholt@smallbusinesshuron.ca