Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter
The Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre (CVCEC) held a small graduation ceremony for the 2025 cohort of students who completed the Health, Assistance and Nursing program on February 7.
Decked out in the traditional caps and gowns, the group of twelve students received their attestations and posed for photos before enjoying a final lunch together with their teachers and then leaving the classroom for a final time. The ceremony represented both a huge achievement for students and a milestone for the career centre.
As little as five months ago, it was unclear whether these students would be the last to graduate from the program. The New Frontiers School Board program was granted permanent status just days before the start of the school year in late August, after years of being required to obtain government authorization before opening the course.
Danielle Boak, the health programs department head at CVCEC, spoke candidly at the time about the significance of the nursing program for students. “Taking programs away would have taken away a lot of education opportunity for people to better their lives,” she explained, noting how happy the teachers were to be welcoming a new cohort.
Now that the uncertainty surrounding the program has disappeared, Boak said she is looking forward to planning for next year. “I remember always putting my binder away after finishing a competency and going, ‘I may never open this again’,” she admitted. Now she acknowledges that the added stability allows the teachers more freedom to move the program forward and become more innovative.
Centre director Kara Woods said the success of the program stems from the teachers’ dedication, which is matched by the students’ commitment to their studies. “Our adult learners are sacrificing so much to take part in these programs,” she explained, noting many are juggling young families, long commutes, evening stages, and work commitments. “They keep waking up and showing up every day,” she said, adding she is not sure whether the students realize the extent to which the teachers, staff, and administrators recognize their sacrifices.
Boak says this cohort was especially cohesive, noting their ability to work together will serve them well, as being part of a multidisciplinary team will play a big part in their lives from now on. The teachers have also worked to ensure their students understand the important role they will play on these teams. “They should take tremendous pride in [being practical nurses]. They will need to strive to make their place as professionals,” she added.
Boak credits Carole Grant, the current president of the Ordre des Infirmiers et Infirmières Auxiliaires du Quebec (OIIAQ), with elevating the profession. “It shows, it really does show,” she noted, while explaining that the environment has shifted towards valuing practical nurses as part of the medical team.
Grant was in fact a special guest at the ceremony. She addressed the graduates as being part of a new generation of practical nurses who share the age-old values of thoroughness, commitment, humanity, respect, integrity, and collaboration with those who have been practicing for decades.
“The primary mission of a professional order is to protect the public. The very essence of the practical nursing profession is to provide quality care. Thanks to your perseverance and commitment, I see a promising future for our beautiful profession, which I’ve been practicing for over 45 years,” she said.
The earliest the graduating cohort will be able to write the OIIAQ exam is in June. Upon passing this, they will be eligible to join the order as licensed practical nurses.