Interview with a StFX Nursing Graduate

Interview with a 2025 StFX Nursing Grad 

To start with, what made you want to apply to the nursing program at StFX? 

I was debating picking between Dalhousie or StFX, but I heard StFX had a more hands-on program; it was more clinically oriented... I liked that it was in a small town. I always liked Wolfville and I wanted to go somewhere similar, I actually wanted to go to Acadia but they didn’t have a nursing program.  

What was the program like? What did you expect, not expect? 

It was very challenging, I had to do a lot of bookwork and writing papers. In general, the first year was solely focused on typical Bachelor of Science stuff, I was expecting to do more nursing stuff first year and I didn’t have a single nursing course... Once you start second year it’s crazy how much they give you- it's not an easy way that they put you into it. You’re doing your head-to-toe assessment within your first month. Everything is just very fast paced when you start second year... Third and fourth years are also really stressful but it’s easier to manage.  

The types of courses they focused on I didn’t really like. Our 308, 208 courses, we’re kind of useless. A lot of the theory courses were not as important , I wish we did more clinical case studies than the theory ones.  

Now that you’re working as a Registered Nurse, what that you learned at StFX have you been able to apply most directly to your employment? 

I find what helped me the most would be when I was doing my labs they would do pass or fail assessments. At Dal, they show you how to do a technique or a skill and then they let you do it as many times until you get it right, but StFX only gives two chances to pass it, and you only have 40 minutes while they record you. I remember I hated it second year I was like, ‘Why do we have to do this and then Dal they don’t have to do any pass or fail assessments?’’ but it actually makes you learn it so much better because you’re not just memorizing it it’s instilled in your brain... you don’t have to do a full head to toe on every patient but if they have a chest tube you know how to  a lung assessment or if they have GI issue you know exactly how to do that assessment. Where at Dal I heard they only have to do it for like a week, we did a whole term of just head to toe assessment, which was a lot. But it was good.  

I also liked how our groups were very small. When we were doing our classroom work, it was a lot easier to talk to the profs. It was more 1 on 1 vs a whole lecture. If you didn’t understand something, they would stop and explain it. We couldn’t do that if we had 150 people in a room.  

What have you had to learn on the job? 

A lot of documentation, I think that’s the biggest thing. Any time a nurse switches hospitals, even if you’ve been there 20 years, you still need to orientate to that hospital. It’s different at every spot... [StFX] taught us a little bit of documentation, generalized, but it’s a really big thing in nursing, being able to chart.  

Has working directly in Nova Scotia’s health care system changed how you view or understand it? 

Yeah, I would say Nova Scotia is a little more chaotic when it comes to the healthcare system, we don't have very good policies and rules on things. In some places in the States they have rule that limits nurse’s to 4 patients, you’re not allowed more. Whereas here they don’t have that in the system, you can have 8 or 9 patients and lose your license for these reasons. If i have a bunch of patients and i need to do something for all of them all at the same time, the system doesn’t care, their like you didn’t do it, it could be neglect.  

Follow up: Is staff to patient ratios an issue at work? 

I think it’s biggestt issue in our healthcare system right now, staffing. Because we aren't able to do our care to the best of our abilities. Just the other day I only had 3 patients because I was charge nurse, and it was so easy to do my full assessment on each one, really look into their chart, what behind the scenes is going on, what could happen the next day, whereas if i have 7 patients I can’t check on them as often as I’d want to, I can’t go through their chart as much... [over-burdening nurses] could lead to neglect and potential risks for the patient... . If one person calls in sick it can screw up the whole floor. My unit has a full staff maybe 1 in every 5 times I’m there.  

What advice would you give current and future StFX nursing students?  

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. A lot of times where I’ve seen people fail is they get confident or think it’s stupid that they’re asking a question. If you don’t ask the question, you’ll never know. Also, you got to find the happy medium between doing your work and taking a break for yourself and relaxing.