First nursing graduates from UNBC in Fort St. John celebrated on Friday

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The first cohort of nurses to graduate from UNBC’s Northern Baccalaureate Nursing Program celebrated at the Pomeroy Hotel & Conference Centre on Friday.

Of the nine graduates, five are staying in Fort St. John, and one is going to Dawson Creek.

Heather McAleney, born and raised in Fort St. John, was among the graduating students.

“I just moved to Dawson Creek at the end of my program because I was awarded a specialty seat in the operating room,” McAleney said, “I picked up and moved to follow the dream, to follow the passion.”

Despite how new it was, she said the program was very welcoming.

“We obviously had those first-time running glitches, but we worked through them as a class, and I think we came out really strong in the end,” McAleney said.

She also said all nine of the graduates have jobs lined up already.

“It’s really wonderful to be able to get outta school with a degree and have a job waiting for you,” McAleney added.

Several speakers attended the pinning ceremony and graduation on Friday, including Northern Health’s northeast COO, Angela De Smit, Peace River North MLA Dan Davies and former Fort St. John mayor Lori Ackerman.

The Northern Baccalaureate Nurse program at the UNBC’s Peace River Liard campus was designed for those who live in the north and want to continue working in the region after graduation.

Once the program is completed, students are eligible to write the NCLEX-RN, qualifying them to work as registered nurses.

The course starting in the fall still has a few seats left.

For more information on the Northern Baccalaureate Nurse program, including the complete list of prerequisites, visit UNBC’s website.