Sault College nursing students are organizing the Canadian Nursing Student Association’s (CNSA) regional conference to be held in Sault Ste. Marie on October 24 to 26. Hosted for the first time in Northern Ontario, the event is an opportunity for students to showcase the college as well as the community.

The conference usually takes place in larger southern Ontario centres such as London or Toronto.

Krysta Waldorf, fourth-year nursing student and conference director, said the decision to award the conference to Sault Ste. Marie shows how active the North is becoming as a voice for nursing students. The average attendance is usually 100, but Waldorf and her 15-person conference committee are shooting for 200 to attend. Buses will be chartered from Toronto and Ottawa to ensure province-wide participation.

With the exception of the business meeting, the conference is open to the general public.

Sault College’s Bachelor of Science nursing program is a collaborative undertaking with Laurentian University. It is in its eighth year and received accreditation this past summer from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.

The agenda will deliver a uniquely northern perspective with presentations on outpost nursing, rural and small community nursing, and Native health issues.

“Northern nursing is a lot different from nursing in the bigger centres in southern Ontario,” Waldorf said, adding that outpost nursing is unique in that the nurse “does it all,” whether it is community nursing or minor surgical procedures and emergency care, because often they are the only health-care provider available.

An opening dinner with the theme, “Welcome to the Sticks,” plays on the rural northern setting, and a wine and cheese along with an auction follows the dinner. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Algoma Regional Community Hospice.

The three Saturday morning presentations will be delivered on a rotating basis so everyone can attend. The afternoon workshops will include post-operative assessments and labour and delivery simulations in the college’s simulation lab. It is a great opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills in a non-stressful environment. The president of the Canadian Men in Nursing group will be giving a workshop on “Men in Nursing: past, present, and future.” Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) will have an independent practice workshop.

“It is nice because we are appealing to the RPNs as they were included in the CNSA about three years ago,” Walford said. “CNSA is the only organization we know of that incorporates RPNs, psychiatric nursing and Registered Nurses.”