Photo Courtesy NWP

By Tanner Smith

Health

GPRH and NWP officially opened a new education wing in the hospital

Jan 10, 2023 | 2:19 PM

The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday for the opening of a new healthcare education wing for Northwestern Polytechnic.

Multiple City Council members attended, including Mayor Jackie Clayton and NWP President and CEO Justin Kohlman.

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

Dr. Vanessa Sheane, Provost and Vice President, Academic says they officially moved into the building during the summer and had their first semester of classes in September. She looks forward to all the possibilities that will come with having such a high-end space provided.

Dr. Sheane adds the facility features state-of-the-art technology and a very modern design, along with some other amazing amenities.

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” Our wing has two floors. On the second level is classroom space, nursing laboratory space, and high fidelity simulation space, and then some student study space just out in the open, and then the third floor of our wing, which is our second floor, we have facility and staff offices. We have meeting space. There’s a small classroom space up there.”

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

Originally this facility was going to be used for just nursing programs, but as the project and vision grew, new ideas and opportunities for other programs came about.

“Over the last few years, we’ve expanded our health program and can meet the needs of the region by adding practical nurses, healthcare aid, and then in terms of early learning and childcare and the education part, is looking at the needs of the people that work in this building, so what are the needs of the staff and the students that work in this building, and one of those needs is child-care.”

Dr. Sheane adds, they are currently in the process of getting ECE (Early Childhood Education) students into the day-care, so they can have a similar experience as healthcare students, giving them connections between school and the workforce, while allowing them to learn in a real-world setting.

Officials say this facility provides a great opportunity for learning and growth for NWP students, giving them a way of learning that isn’t just memorizing facts out of a book but lets them work in one of the best facilities in the province while being hands-on and learning while doing, which is something some students haven’t seen since pre-pandemic.

Photo of Simulation Lab and Medical mannequin

Dr. Sheane says it helps support the Peace region just as much.

“We know that where students are educated they’re more likely to stay, get a job, and set up their life, so to keep local or regional students in this area for their education. We know they’re more likely to stay here and give to the community through their work, so without our programs here, absolutely our health care system would be in a completely different situation.”

The new wing has already hosted its first semester of classes in September 2022 and is now beginning its first semester of practical nursing, which just started last week. (January 5)

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff