Jan. 9, 2012

Judie Surridge

Until recently, family practice nursing lacked the formal education and clearly defined role necessary to make it a recognizable nursing specialty. Registered nurses (RN) working in family practices could only pair their nursing education with ‘on-the-job’ experience to become experts in the field. Fortunately, a new program at George Brown College, championed in part by Judie Surridge, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) RN and president of the Ontario Family Practice Nurses (OFPN), is on its way to changing all that.

The new Family Practice Nursing Program is a one-year, postgraduate course with online curriculum and clinical placements that prepares graduates to practise in family health units and community/primary care agencies across Ontario and Canada. Surridge was appointed chair of the program’s advisory committee and given joint responsibility for ensuring the program’s structure and curriculum reflect the knowledge and skills that are used in a family practice setting, but are missing from current nursing programs.

“So far the feedback has been positive,” says Surridge. “The students find the program to be challenging, but very enjoyable and rewarding. Our goal was to create a course that would highlight the contribution and expertise of the family practice RN, while providing the necessary training. We’ve met that goal with a program that appeals to all skill levels and co-ordinates with the busy schedule of practising RNs. The result has been truly groundbreaking and revolutionary for the nursing field as a whole.”

Currently, seven RNs are enrolled in the program’s first stream, which began last September, and two of them are looking forward to upcoming placements here at WCH.

For more information on George Brown College’s Family Practice Nursing Program, click here.