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The Douglas College Newsletter [(] New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus & Thomas Haney Campus

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Douglas College

    

Education spaces increase for psychiatric nurses

The shortage of nurses in While this represents an

BC is now being increase of 25 percent, it’s
addressed at the post- just a drop ina rapidly
secondary level. With emptying bucket: the next
funding from the Ministry — four years will see a
of Advanced Education,

Training and Technology,

dramatic decrease in
registered psychiatric
16 spaces have been nurses (RPNs) as almost
added to the province's half of the province's
only psychiatric nursing 2,200 psychiatric nurses
program here at Douglas approach retirement age.
College. This makes a total — Mental-health reform
of 80 spaces for new initiatives in BC have also

students in each year. increased demand in

recent years, making the

Winning pilot Mark Schmidiger of Student
Services is congratulated by the Foundation's
Heather Scott on his winning airplane toss
during Triple your Fun to Triple the Fund week.
Mark's plane, thrown from the fourth-floor
bridge to the floor of the concourse, landed
closest to an envelope containing two season
tickets (box seats) for the Vancouver
Canadians.

 

situation even more services in 650 practice

strained. sites in BC, including
general hospitals,

“The small number of community mental health
RPNs graduating each settings, psychiatric
year does not begin to hospitals, forensic
meet the currentdemands _ psychiatric services, child
of the mental health and youth programs,
system,” says Donna substance abuse programs,
Higenbottam, Executive intermediate care facilities,
Director of the College of school classrooms and jails.
Registered Psychiatric

Nurses of BC (CPRNBC).

Psychiatric nurses provide

“The statistics bear out the
fact that the situation is

going to get worse before

Triple week thank you

The Foundation would like to thank everyone for their
tremendous support of Triple your Fun and Triple the
Fund Week. The scavenger hunt, go-pher an executive
auction, airplane toss, loonie grab bags, balloon delivery
and 50/50 draw were a big hit with everyone at the

College.

Early indications are that the Foundation successfully
reached its goal of raising employee awareness that
Douglas College is a great investment for charitable
donations. Every dollar donated by an employee to
student aid is tripled with matching funds from the
College and from the provincial government.

Many of you suggested a 50/50 draw be held every
week. Remember, a 60/40 draw is already held through
payroll deduction every month with winnings ranging
from $700 to $850. Then, if you invest those dollars into
student aid, they are tripled and you get a tax receipt! Just
stop in at Payroll to arrange the deduction.

Foundation staff also want extend special thanks to Chris
Johnson, Dave Seaweed and his students Darlene and
Rebecca for all of their help and enthusiasm during the
week. See you next year!

it gets better,” agrees Barb
Collingwood, Coordinator
of the Psychiatric Nursing
Program at Douglas
College in New
Westminster. “We're
working hard to increase
awareness of the
psychiatric nursing
profession and the

number of graduates.”

Ninety-eight percent of
Douglas College's

psychiatric nursing

graduates find work in
their field. “Sometimes we
get calls from employers
who are quite desperate for
employees,” says
Higenbottam. “The more
rural and remote and the
smaller residential facilities
are hit particularly hard,
but there are vacancies
everywhere. RPNs are
often working double

shifts just to fill the gaps.”

Triple your Fun and Triple
the Fund Week winners

Scavenger Hunt

First Place: Wendy Collins

Second place: Kim Sanders

Third Place: Doreen Kreschuk

Go-Pher an Executive Auction

President for a Day: Anonymous ($80)

Golf for Two: Barrie Barrington ($70)

Wine Tasting and Blind Judging Competition: Susan

Schmidt ($75)

Lunch for Six in Birch Bay: Kathie Lindstrom ($65)
A half-hour ride in Terry Leonard’s PT Cruiser:

Doreen Kreschuk ($45)

50/50 Winners

Susan Ashcroft - Learning Resources, Jennifer
Voykin-Boone - Cafeteria, Calvin Wharton - LLPA,
Jane White from Centre 2000, Trish Adams - Gen.

Nursing, Dale Burns - Cafeteria, Gale Freeman -

LLPA , Sherry - Dispensing Optician Student, Lisa
Crosbie - Cafeteria, Steve Rowe - HORM

 

Employee appreciation event April 26

Don’t forget to attend the Fourth Annual Employee Appreciation Event, Thursday, April 26. This free evening includes
dinner in the Upper Cafeteria at 5:45pm followed by a 7:30 performance in the Theatre by members of the Music

faculty. This event is open to all College employees, who are welcome to invite a guest. Please register by calling local

3000, 3001 or 3002.

Get a head start on the festivities by attending Readings by Douglas College Creative Writing Faculty at 3:30pm in the
Boardroom, where you can hear poetry by David Zieroth and Susan McCaslin, a short story by Calvin Wharton, and a
novel excerpt by Mary Burns. At 4:30 that afternoon, drop by the Amelia Douglas Gallery for the opening reception of

a new exhibition of works by artist Gabriella Diaconu.

 

Quote of the Month

Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.

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