College of the North Atlantic (CNA) and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, have a solution in place which will ensure students enrolled in CNA’s Respiratory Therapy program are able to continue their studies at the Prince Philip Drive campus in St. John’s.
CNA and SAIT have finalized a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines the best, cost effective option for students with no disruption to their studies. Starting this week, SAIT will implement its Respiratory Therapy curriculum which will be delivered by SAIT faculty members.
SAIT is regarded as one of Canada’s premier Respiratory Therapy schools. The institution’s well-established Respiratory Therapy program is fully accredited.
“We are pleased to be able to provide our experience and programming expertise to assist CNA. We are confident this collaboration will enable CNA Respiratory Therapy students to successfully complete their studies,” said Howard Waldner, Dean, School of Health and Public Safety at SAIT.
Dr. Bill Radford, CNA’s Senior Vice-President of Academics and Chief Learning Officer, says the partnership will enable students to complete their studies and graduate as SAIT students without any academic or financial impact.
“We are delighted to partner with SAIT as we provide a solution for our students,” said Dr. Radford. “With this agreement, students who graduate from the Respiratory Therapy program will be able to write the national certification exam and take on key roles within Newfoundland and Labrador’s health system, and beyond.”
The MOU outlines a plan for CNA’s current Respiratory Therapy students to be accepted by SAIT and to study SAIT’s curriculum as a pathway to completion of the program.
Respiratory Therapy students plan for careers in hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units, assisting in diagnosing and managing cardio-pulmonary disorders. Students from SAIT’s Respiratory Therapy program historically have a 97 per cent employment rate.
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About SAIT
Established in 1916, SAIT was the first publicly funded technical school of its kind in North America. Today, SAIT is a global leader in applied education and offers more than 100 career programs and more than 1,400 part-time courses. Action-based learning, solution-focused research and enterprising collaborations with industry partners ensure SAIT students are career-ready when they graduate. SAIT is honoured to be selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc. as one of Alberta’s Top Employers for 2017 and to be awarded Best Workplace for Volunteerism and Community Involvement for 2016 by Alberta Venture Magazine.
Media Contacts:
Roger Hulan
Manager of Marketing and Communications
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca
Chris Gerritsen
Senior Stakeholder & Public Relations Specialist
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
(403) 284-8473
chris.gerritsen@sait.ca