Megan Hunt, Nunavut’s deputy health minister, speaks at the announcement of five nursing students who have received a Queen Elizabeth II scholarship award on Monday. (Photo by David Lochead)
GN rewards 5 nursing students with scholarships
Scholarship awarded to top achieving students, health minister says
Five students attending Nunavut Arctic College’s nursing program received Queen Elizabeth II scholarship awards on Monday.
“It makes me feel very proud,” Evora Essoh, one of the recipients, told Nunatsiaq News.
“It acknowledges the effort I put in.”
The scholarship awards recognize top-achieving students in the nursing program, Nunavut Health Minister John Main said during the presentation.
This year’s recipients are Hattie Pameolik, Charity Uche, Vayda Kaviok, Nicole Boland and Essoh.
Each scholarship is valued at $3,000, Main said.
Megan Hunt, the deputy health minister, said it’s a good time to celebrate nurses because they have been the “backbone” of services helping the wellness of communities throughout Nunavut.
“Your contribution is something that is so invaluable,” Hunt said.
Outside of a love for helping people, Essoh said one of the main reasons she wants to be a nurse is because there is a shortage of them in the territory.
Studying in Arctic College’s nursing program allows her to continue learning about Inuit culture.
“Then I can be more in touch with my patients and the clients who I’m going to work [with],” she said.
Main told Nunatsiaq News scholarships like these are part of the longer-term solution to having and retaining more Nunavummiut nurses.
Currently, the vacancy rate for nursing positions in Nunavut is “very high,” he said, adding he couldn’t confirm an exact number but that it’s around 50 per cent.
That rate is concerning, Main said, as the consequences can mean reductions in health services in communities.
He said he appreciates that Arctic College’s program to train nurses will help ease the shortage in Nunavut.
“We’ll take as many as we can get,” Main said.
Congratulations to all.
Maybe we can now start and encourage students to go into the proper post secondary education and enroll into Universities and proper colleges. Never mind the NAC, they haven’t produced any good outcome since they were established. Get rid of NAC, but get students into proper programs in the south
The NAC is providing “proper programs”. The work that students do there is equivalent to what is offered in the south. I know students who have graduated from the NAC who have gone on to take jobs in the south. I know students who have graduated from NAC and take jobs in the North, who are often better at their jobs than someone who was transplanted from the south with southern education.
Something like 80-90% of Nunavut youth who attend post-secondary choose to attend NAC. Nunavummiut deserve education close to home that understands and caters to their unique circumstances as Nunavut students, and that’s what the NAC does. No need to shame the program and the students who are in it. It is a great learning institution with challenges and opportunities to grow and learn, just like any other institution.
“No need to shame the program and the students who are in it. It is a great learning institution with challenges and opportunities to grow and learn, just like any other institution”
Thank you for the giggle, I needed this today. Have you ever worked with a grad from the NAC programs, there is absolutely no comparison in skills and knowledge to southern programs and by this I mean, the NAC is falling behind. It maybe good enough to do low paying jobs and if you are looking for a low paying job, NAC is perfect for you.
What about Business Admin, Camp Cook (helper), HR, ABE to catch up, computer support, etc. they are all laughable. As said, it’s a choice students can make for themselves.
I wish the three ladies all the best and good luck
I would not paint all NAC programs with the same brush.
The NAC/Dalhousie nursing program is actually more intense than southern BSN programs. They take advanced practice classes for their entire fourth year and have more clinical hours than other Dalhousie nursing students.
You didn’t even read the article there’s five recipients not three … Which university did you attend!
NAC provided a great chance for my mother, family and friends to get a start on their carvers and jobs, just because they arebillionaires and all of our problems arent fixed in 1 day doesn’t change its impact. We were near homeless and in severe poverty when my mother was able to attend NAC and she’s long since started a fulfilling career with many of her classmates also moving forward in theire lives.
It may not be Harvard or Mcgill, but it gave my family everything we need, back when there was less to work with as well
Hey NAC, I hope you have some data to back up your bold statement about NAC, how would you know they haven’t produced? Give us some stats?
I think it’s awesome that we have these programs and incentives to encourage Nunavummiut to take the risk of pursuing a higher education for the betterment of themselves, their families, and their community. People who talk down about colleges and suggest universities as their blanket solution are often University graduates themselves who may not understand the realities of going to University for most Nunavummiut. It’s incredibly expensive, it’s often far away from friends family and their community, it can be very unfamiliar and intimidating, and people may not even want to go to University when a college that gives them what they want or need is much closer, affordable, and manageable. NAC may not be perfect, but we have access to great programs that get people ready for jobs that are immediately available through the communities and can make an immediate difference.
Yes, the NAC does great programs lol. What a jumping board to become a payscale 10 front desk clerk. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but there are better option. Inuit are paid very generously by FANS to participate in a college or university education, including allowance. So the cost argument does not work. Being away from home, well, this is the way it is in these days. If you don’t want to go where the jobs are, if you don’t know where the education system can be provided, stick with NAC but don’t complain about southerners taking jobs away.
After all, it’s each individuals choice, but spare me with comments how great NAC is. NTEP, yes a great program, but how many successful graduates did it produce? Free rent for a while and other financial support ain’t so bad isn’t it?
NAC you haven’t provided any proof that the college didn’t produce, are you just guessing?
I love how your assuming that the standard is subpar without taking part in the program.
Absolutely loved being able to go to college in Nunavut where I was born and raised, it made me more culturally aware and embrace that I can have it all and feel enriched by learning from Inuit speakers and loved the content being Inuit based to fit in with the society I grew up in I have children and will encourage them to college in Nunavut because we are a recognized territory and why not have it all? I will advocate for this to be the way for our generations, loved not being homesick for my culture , my people and missing my northern life of peace and tranquil and really be able to focus on school. We should be looking for solutions but all anyone does is complain and find someone to blame. Gross. Keep your negative thoughts somewhere else and get some manners.
I took the nursing program at NAC and passed the NCLEX (which is internationally recognized) … I passed it in the shortest time frame possible 75 questions. Small class sizes made learning so much easier. I did my practicum with Dalhousie counterparts in Halifax and because their class sizes are 200 students and NACS are max 8, NAC students could run circles around dalhosuie students In the equivalent year of study. It’s a rewarding career and I graduated with minimal student debt. My nursing counterparts of the same graduating year from southern canada will never get out of their student debt in their life time with the ever riding interest rates and cost of living/inflation.
@NAC poster…I hope you find peace lol you seem to have your panties in a bunch about something for sure.