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Pierre Godbout
Recognizing the need to recruit faculty
The Nursing
School, a proven
model of network
cooperation
The Université de Moncton’s School of
Nursing began its operations in 1965 when
the first program was created to offer
university training to nurses in an effort
to more fully integrate the sciences and
the humanities.
Later, in 1993, when the bachelor’s degree
became the minimum requirement for admission
to the profession, the Université de Moncton
was mandated to offer this education to the
French-speaking population from its three
components – the Moncton, the Edmundston
and the Shippagan campuses. The latter offers
its program at its Bathurst site. The School of
Nursing operates as a network and has the
mandate of delivering the complete program
at each of the campuses.
In 2009, the School proceeded to restructure
the program integrating a competency-based
approach. New infrastructure and modern
laboratories were installed for teaching and
simulation. And the mission of the École
réseau was renewed.
Currently a professor at the Université de Moncton School
of Nursing in Moncton, Pierre Godbout has seen the nursing
profession evolve over the past decades and the School of
Nursing grow and adjust to the needs of the profession.
Traditionally, nurses received their training in a hospital
environment. When Pierre completed his bachelor’s
degree, the training was still offered in the province’s
colleges. It was in 1993 further to a recommendation
by the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB)
that the bachelor’s degree become the minimum
requirement for admission to the profession that the
Université de Moncton was mandated to train nurses
at its three campuses.
“Faculty recruitment is always one of the challenges of
the School,” he said. “With the number of anticipated
retirements over the next few years, we could be
faced with a shortage of professors with doctorate
degrees,” he added.
“Another of our challenges is program restructuring
which is in its third year of implementation. This
initiative was a reaction to recommendations from the
NANB and also takes into account recommendations
from the Université de Moncton regarding curriculum
redesign,” he explained. “We have developed a
new program which integrates a competency-based
approach. This approach, also termed clinical nursing
situation approach, brings together small groups of
eight to ten students who assume responsibility for
their own learning through discussion, research and
case assessment. The situations resemble closely the
clinical situations that nurses deal with in the hospital.
Professors structure the learning, offer theoretical
capsules and work closely with their counterparts
on the other campuses to ensure consistency in the
program and provide the best training possible. This
approach develops independence in the students, their
communications skills and the ability to work in teams.
Professor Godbout points out that the new program
has prompted professors from all campuses to enhance
their communication with each other. Developing
curriculum and exams are a collaborative effort which
truly reflects the School’s network structure. “The
network principle had always been part of the mindset
of the team, but the restructuring has increased the
exchange of knowledge and led to the development
of methods for working together. The increased
knowledge exchange has brought more structure
and the quality of the teaching has improved.”
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Annual Report Highlights 2011-2012 – Université de Moncton