Western News - Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing

After five years as a registered practical nurse (RPN), Janet Lee was ready for something new. When she heard from one of her former college instructors that Western’s new compressed time frame program would allow her to become a registered nurse (RN) in just 19 months, she jumped at the chance. “I always knew I wanted to pursue my RN (designation) to be able to provide care to higher acuity patients,” Lee said. “These patients are extremely sick. I wanted to be the one to care for them and understand the different treatments and procedures in intensive care.” When she did her integrative practical placement in the Critical Care Trauma Centre at Victoria Hospital, the experience proved to Lee she had made the right decision.

“It really renewed my love of nursing. It was such a breath of fresh air.” – Janet Lee, BScN’24

“You have so much autonomy in your practice. To know everything about your patient, anticipate what will happen, monitor their labs and vital signs – you are responsible to make sure that patient improves or maintains course. We are the first eyes to see if things start to deteriorate and we can catch it.” An “amazing” preceptor – the ICU nurse who oversaw Lee’s placement – helped. “She just had so much confidence in me, and it was such a wonderful, wonderful experience.”

Family inspiration

A single mom to a four-year-old daughter, Lee worked full-time as an RPN while completing her bachelor of science in nursing (BScN) degree through Western’s new program in the Faculty of Health Sciences. “On my lunch breaks I would work on assignments or study for exams. After work, I would get my daughter ready for bed and when she went to sleep, I would continue,” she said. “I knew failure wasn’t an option.” Lee found the first semester intense, as she adjusted to university-level papers, tests and exams. Western’s 19-month BScN program allows those with previous university credits to fast-track their education to become an RN. This new pathway within the compressed time frame program was initiated in 2022 and is believed to be the first of its kind in Ontario. The stream originally opened spaces for RPNs who graduated from Fanshawe College and had completed five units or more of university education. It is now open to all RPNs from practical nursing college programs in Ontario who have completed five units or more of university education. Over 70 students are enrolled in the first two cohorts of the program. “It’s not just about graduating more nurses. It’s about ensuring these nurses have the education, knowledge and skills they need to hit the ground running and to provide leadership when they begin their practice,” Victoria Smye, director of the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western, said when the program was announced. The fast-track program is intended to help address a critical shortage of health-care workers, especially RNs, post-pandemic. “RPNs are highly skilled nurses. Their scope of practice is very close to that of a registered nurse, but they need to spend more time with the theoretical underpinnings of nursing to advance their nursing practice,” Smye said.

Valuable learnings for RPNs

That’s exactly what Lee wanted. She found it at Western, in courses like microbiology and pharmacology that were tough but fascinating to Lee, who wanted to gain a deeper understanding of human physiology and how different conditions present through certain symptoms. She persevered to the end – with strong marks, to boot – and proceeded to write her national licensing exam. Now, she’s preparing to start a new job as a registered nurse in the ICU this fall. “I feel such a sense of accomplishment,” Lee said. “I was a Western student many years ago, I didn’t achieve a degree, and then I got this second opportunity. I did it in a short period of time, and I did it with excellent grades. I am proud of myself.” Lee said many other RPNs are eager to take the program, too. “This is such a huge thing for RPNs to be able to do. We have been waiting for a long time to have a pathway program in our city,” she said. Lee knows one day, her daughter will understand that her mom went back to school to chase her dreams and help provide a better future. “I think when she’s a little bit older she will be able to understand, we can do whatever we want. You can always achieve your dreams, just keep pushing forward.” Lee is one of more than 8,560 Western students graduating this spring. She joins more than 362,000 alumni in almost 160 countries around the world. Read more convocation coverage.