Charity Bettenson: Scholarship Supports LPN Success

“Life takes a whole bunch of turns.”

In Charity Bettenson’s case, life has come full circle. After working as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in the early 1990s, Charity’s path took her away from nursing for many years. Today, she’s a proud graduate of Northwestern Polytechnic’s two-year Practical Nurse diploma program, and the recipient of NWP’s Paul and Coreen Evaskevich Health Education Scholarship, valued at $5000 and awarded based on both academics and leadership.

“It was a complete surprise,” says Charity. “It’s recognition that hard work does pay off.”

Charity took her first steps into health care at age 13 in Hines Creek, where she worked as a candy striper (the nickname for teenage hospital volunteers who wore red and white striped aprons.) “That was the root of my love for seniors,” she says. After Charity became a young mom, she completed the ten-month practical nurse program offered at the time. More life changes followed, including a second child and relocation to a remote community for her then-husband’s work. These circumstances made nursing impractical for many years, though work as a health care aide kept Charity active as a health professional.

Several curves along the road later, remarried, settled in Brownvale and approaching her 50th birthday, Charity found herself contemplating going back to nursing. This would require a return to post-secondary schooling, so when she saw that NWP was now offering the LPN program in Fairview, she decided to apply, bolstered by encouragement from her husband and family. She was accepted for the fall of 2023.

Going back to school is always a big step, and it’s made bigger when the student has had more birthdays than her instructors, not to mention her fellow students. Charity found nothing but support.

“The faculty had a true open-door policy. If at any time you were struggling, you could knock and get assistance and advice,” she recalls. “They’re really invested in seeing all of us succeed. Whatever it took, they took the time.”

Charity’s main worry going in was tackling the technology. “The biggest challenge was navigating the computer world,” she reflects. “It actually wasn’t so bad. The fear of it was the biggest hurdle!”

The program opened Charity’s eyes to the many areas of contemporary LPN practice. The second year of the program included stints in long-term care, acute care, the emergency room and the operating room. She discovered an interest in serving Indigenous communities after taking a course on Indigenous health in Canada, and also chose an elective in human resources. “Honestly, I thought I’d be in geriatrics, but my mind is open to other things,” she notes. With 27 years of health care experience along with her practical nursing credentials, Charity would love to move into management one day. “The options are endless with the LPN program.”

It's also worth a mention that the Paul and Coreen Evaskevich Health Education Scholarship was one of several scholarships earned by Charity while she continued to work as a health care aide throughout her nursing studies. “It was a reminder that my hard work was paying off,” she says.

Charity’s advice to anyone considering the LPN program is to just do it. “Being an LPN offers so many options.” And if those prospective students are closer to middle age than middle school?

“Take the first step. If you’re determined and have a good mindset, it’s never too late to start,” Charity urges. “It’s such a cliché, but I feel that if I can do it, anyone can. You can teach an old dog new tricks.”