As the winter semester comes to an end and attention at Northwest Community College (NWCC) switches to the start of spring/summer semester offerings, nursing student Kim Latimer says students should really look at the unique series of field schools offered between now and September.
Latimer, who is finishing her second year of the Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program and transfers to UNBC this fall for third and fourth years, can't say enough about the hands-on learning experience she had in 2011 taking the Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School.
"It was great," said Latimer. "You spend the first week in the class doing really interactive learning, then head up north for the last week to put the theory into practice. You get to stay in neat accommodations and see some pretty amazing landscapes. I'm not joking when I say we must have seen over 30 bears!"
The field school appealed to Latimer, a horse riding enthusiast who likes the outdoors and experiential learning. She says it offered a unique opportunity to visit Telegraph Creek.
"Telegraph Creek isn't a community you can visit on your own, you need to have permission from the people who reside there," said Latimer. "This was a unique opportunity to explore the Tahltan culture and territory."
And when you consider she earned six credits towards her nursing program—an anthropology credit, which was used as her First Nations focus elective and a geology credit satisfying her 200-level elective—you can see why she'd encourage others to do the same.
Latimer says you don't need to be outdoorsy or an extreme hiker to participate either, adding the instructors are super accommodating to everyone.
"I really have to applaud (University Credit instructors) Gord (Weary) and Sheree (Ronaasen), they make the whole thing so enjoyable and entertaining. It's neat to learn from people who really love what they teach, it really engages us as students."
The 2008 Caledonia Secondary School graduate listed several personal highlights from the field school: "I really enjoyed Stewart. I've been there before and it's such a neat community, definitely somewhere I will consider working in the future. Hiking under the Berendon Glacier was pretty surreal, too.
"I had no background in geology, so that course gave me a pretty broad perspective of what geology's all about. I really enjoyed hearing stories that First Nations Elders tell; they are such a unique culture in regards to their traditions and background."
This spring and summer, NWCC offers four field schools with on-campus learning followed by in-the-field learning: Cultural Heritage of the Skeena and Bulkley Valley Field School from April 30 to May 18 at NWCC Smithers Campus; Kitlope Field School from June 15-28 at NWCC Terrace Campus; Haida Gwaii Field School from July 18-31 at the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay, plus Terrace videoconference; and Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School from Aug. 15-31 at NWCC Terrace Campus.
Each field school includes one to two different courses for up to six University Credits. Go to the field schools page on NWCC's website for more information.
Latimer, who envisions a nursing career working in remote locations before eventually moving to live and work as a trauma/ER nurse in Australia, says another benefit of field schools is keeping your mind active and inquisitive during the spring and summer semesters. The field school she took part in ran the last two weeks in August and she says it was a good way to get into school mode a little early.
For more photos from last year's Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School, click here.
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