LAC LA BICHE – For Hailey Shukaliak, studying nursing at Portage College for the past two years has been a rewarding experience.
The Lac La Biche resident was part of the group of 42 students from the college’s practical nursing program who marked their graduation on June 6 with a pinning ceremony.
The event, which was held inside of the McGrane Theatre in Lac La Biche, involved the graduates coming onto the stage to receive pins and nursing caps from instructors. Students were from the Lac La Biche, St. Paul, and Cold Lake campuses.
Shukaliak is now taking the summer off, but plans to start working in the fall, hopefully in a hospital either in the Lac La Biche region, or somewhere nearby.
Her fellow graduates include Natasha Charley and Heather Fillion.
“It’s a little bit overwhelming . . . [There are] a lot of emotions right now, but all the hard work has finally paid off and it’s time to celebrate,” said Charley.
Being a student in the course over the past two years was intensive, time-consuming, and involved a considerable amount of classroom and lab work, according to Cherly. But having the opportunity to work with her classmates on projects such as group clinicals was something she very much enjoyed.
“It went well . . . it went by really fast,” she said.
In addition to being a full-time nursing student, Charley also spent two seasons playing for the Portage College Voyageurs women’s soccer team. While juggling nursing and playing soccer was a challenge for her, she was able to manage.
“It’s very demanding, because both are so . . . needy,” she said. “It’s doable. I like doing both. It challenges you.”
Now that she has completed her program, Charley will be moving back home to Leduc. The practical nursing graduate plans to work in the unit where she did her final placement - or perhaps to find employment in the Lac La Biche area.
Fillion came from Meadow Lake, Sask., to study nursing at Portage College’s Cold Lake campus. Fillion had been working in home care when a colleague who had applied to the nursing program convinced her to sign up too.
“She put me onto it, and I applied too,” Fillion stated, explaining that she had an excellent experience.
It was “very difficult, challenging, but absolutely worthwhile.”
