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Being a Registered Nurse in Prince Albert
No matter what your career goals are; the town, city, or country you want to work; what you’re passionate about; or the work life balance you need; there’s a place for everyone in nursing.
Lydia Francis (BSN’20) is a registered nurse (RN) in Prince Albert (PA) and wouldn’t change it for anything.
“As a registered nurse, the opportunities are endless,” said Francis.
Francis completed her University of Saskatchewan (USask) nursing degree in April 2020, worked as a graduate nurse before passing her national licensing exam in May 2020, and from there, she started her career as a full-time registered nurse.
“I have worked on a medical floor, at a COVID testing site, taught nursing students, was part of a medical mission trip to South America, and I currently work in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Victoria Hospital,” said Francis.
She chose USask College of Nursing to complete her degree because the full Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program was offered in Prince Albert.
“I liked the idea of a smaller campus where instructors get to know you, small classes to build relationships with classmates, and an affordable university degree, since I didn’t have to move. Not to mention, we now have a beautiful new campus with a great student space to study and a big nursing lab.”
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Since 2012, USask College of Nursing has been offering the BSN program at various locations throughout Saskatchewan, including USask campuses in Saskatoon and Prince Albert and distributed nursing sites in La Ronge, Île-à-la-Crosse, Yorkton, and Lloydminster. Starting this September, the program will be offered in North Battleford and Muenster and starting in fall 2025, Swift Current and Weyburn.
“I love that in nursing there are always opportunities to learn and grow, since the medical field is continually evolving and we’re always trying to improve patient care and outcomes,” said Francis.
When asked about being a registered nurse in Prince Albert, Francis replied, “There’s a really great team atmosphere with the different health professionals in PA and you really get to know your colleagues better, since it’s a smaller center. One of the drawbacks of working in a smaller community is that we don’t have as many resources or specialty practice areas, such as Saskatoon or Regina, but we’re in the process of building a new acute care tower that will increase our capacity and level of care, so that is definitely exciting for the overall community and especially for medical professionals in Prince Albert!”