The Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre (FDCHC) provides unique experiences for UNB nursing students that can’t be recreated in a classroom or laboratory setting.
Founded in 2014, the FDCHC partnered with the UNB Health Clinic and Horizon Health to create a teaching facility that delivers primary healthcare services to the community and provides experiential learning opportunities for UNB nursing students and advances research and innovation in community-based care.
Using a population health promotion approach, the FDCHC provides services to the community, including illness and injury prevention, chronic disease management, community development and outreach services. In fact, it’s the only teaching facility of its kind in the country.
It’s also the only health clinic in Canada with a community access room, an accessible, low-barrier space offering laundry services, a shower and a full kitchen for patient use. The FDCHC serves our most vulnerable citizens — the homeless, immigrants and refugees and those with substance use disorders and mental health challenges.
Students at the FDCHC collaborate with registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, social workers, therapists, dieticians and embedded researchers.
The FDCHC is a dynamic learning environment that allows experiential learning in a clinical setting. UNB nursing students who work at the FDCHC develop a richer understanding of community development and social justice issues while working with vulnerable populations. They become leaders in the workplace and make a difference in their communities. Experiences like these allow students to develop creative solutions to reach their full potential.
