Health & Wellness

The program, developed collaboratively between Nunavut Arctic College and Dalhousie University, is a four year program that focuses on nursing in Nunavut. It is a response to a need for professional nursing education that is accessible to Inuit and relevant to health care in Nunavut. The BScN (Arctic Nursing) is granted by Dalhousie University and provides nurses with necessary skills to provide nursing care in a variety of settings including community health centres.

Throughout the four years of the program, students learn about contemporary nursing and related theories and have opportunities to examine their relevance and appropriateness in Inuit culture.

The first three years of the program are weighted towards preparation for nursing in an acute care hospital setting and the fourth year focuses on community health, and primary health care, including knowledge and skills required to work in remote communities in Nunavut. Clinical practicums occur in a wide variety of settings.

*This program requires an understanding of Academic Math, which can differ from the General Math taught in courses rated below the 30-1 threshold. If you have not completed Math 30-1 with a grade higher than 70%, it will be recommended that applicants take NAC’s Pre-Health Program.  Graduates of the Pre-Health program require a grade of 60%  before being admitted to the Nursing Program.

The first degree Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Nunavut Cohort, offered through a partnership between the Nunavut Arctic College Social Service Worker Program (NAC-SSWP) and the Memorial University School of Social Work (MUN-SSW), is a full-time program, comprised of course work and two field practica (the first of which is completed prior to admission to the BSW, Nunavut Cohort).

This program, designed for students who have completed the NAC Social Services Worker Diploma, is strongly connected to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Principles.

Students receive an education that prepares them to work in urban centres and rural settings, in particular remote and northern settings, with a focus on Nunavut and the experience of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.

The BSW, Nunavut Cohort has a program residency requirement that requires students to take courses at the NAC campus where the program is offered The majority of courses are taught in-person at the NAC Campus with the exception of SCWK 3311, taught remotely and synchronously, which is completed concurrently with SCWK 4302, the field placement, which will be completed in-person in a field agency.

The one-year (3 semester), Pre-Health Sciences program is designed to provide several pathways to students interested in pursuing a diploma (Standard stream) or, degree (Advanced stream), in the field of heath sciences. The intent is to prepare students for entry into a variety of health sciences post-education programs by allowing them to earn academic credits that may be transferable to other institutions and programs of study.  The curriculum equips students for more advanced studies by giving them the required knowledge for successful entrance into post-secondary health care studies and by providing them with post-secondary credits in communications, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and research skills.

It is expected that the students will be able to transfer credits from this program into other institutions for first-year heath care studies.  

The Pre-Health Sciences program provides a solid academic base for a successful transition to a variety of health sciences programs. Graduates of this program will be able to move forward with confidence in their pursuit of further post-secondary education. 

The Social Service Worker Program provides a two-year orientation to community social service work from a professional perspective. Graduates develop skills for entry level generalist social services positions in a range of practice areas including family services, mental health, addictions, justice, and various community programs. The program provides a pathway to the Bachelor of Social Work degree and beyond. Students from the program will be trained to be advocates for social change who help others to help themselves in order to create sustainable healthy Nunavut communities.

The courses in this program are strongly connected to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Principles. Each course highlights one or more principles that are emphasized within the course content values and principles and Social Service Worker values, professional practice is enhanced and grounded in cultural values and beliefs.

The Social Service Worker program is offered at the Kitikmeot campus in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.