In beautiful interior British Columbia, nursing’s future leaders are being educated at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). Their high-quality faculty provide education featuring a variety of diverse pathways to nursing education, ranging from certificates to diplomas to bachelor’s degrees to the university’s new Master of Nursing (MN) degree. Students are excited about the opening of a new state-of-the-art learning environment in the Nursing and Population Health building in 2019!

Your degree, your way

The new MN program allows students to design their own path to success through a unique blended learning model that includes face-to-face and online learning. “It builds on the knowledge and competencies that undergrads have acquired,” says Donna Murnaghan, TRU’s Dean of Nursing. “It’s nursing leadership for the future.” This MN degree is designed to give graduates a broad understanding of contemporary issues in their field. “Graduates will have a strong understanding of advanced nursing knowledge, research, and innovative practice,” she explains.

“Because nurses in our MN program often continue to work, classes can be arranged in the evenings or weekends so they can earn while they learn. It’s a flexible program — the student learner is at the centre.” Students can choose a research-intensive thesis, a major project, or major paper to advance their knowledge, practice, and research skills in their area of interest.
A unique feature of the program is the focus on Indigenous health leadership which is taught by Indigenous faculty members working in partnership with local Indigenous communities. “We recognize the need to have nurses who understand Indigenous populations.”

Nursing’s new leaders

Post-graduate pathways can include careers as practising nurses, clinical instructors, researchers, policy makers, administrators and leaders, or nurse educators helping train new nurses for the future. The MN program also prepares graduates to move onto doctoral-level studies.

Murnaghan says that the number of retirees from senior administration positions in the Canadian health care system is increasing; therefore graduates will be able to pursue leadership roles in diverse settings, including heads of clinical units, directors of nursing, and system leaders, with a high expectation of success. Nurses with advanced education will be important for government, community,  and private health industry roles that are focused on developing new approaches to health care and health care policy.

Whatever career path they choose, graduates will be fully prepared with leadership, research, policy, and practice.