THUNDER BAY - With the Northwest seeing an aging population continue to grow, there is, and will continue to be a high demand for health care workers. Post-secondary institutions across the province are hoping to make pursuing a career in nursing easier by offering stand-alone bachelor nursing degree programs.
Last week, the Ontario government announced a new education policy that will allow colleges and universities the opportunity to offer stand-alone nursing degree programs.
Minister Greg Rickford was at Confederation College on Friday to echo the announcement, which he said will be a fundamental shift in how students pursue a career in nursing.
“Whereas colleges have done it jointly with universities, before that it was universities doing it alone, we think this is a better way to ensure high quality nursing education from the point of entry in the case of registered practical nurse and give them an opportunity for more accessible pathway to a bachelor prepared nursing degree,” he said.
Previously, colleges were required to partner with universities to offer a bachelor degree program in nursing. This meant students would complete a two-year college program and be required to complete another four years at university.
“We feel that is a little long and we want to see what we can do to address that,” said Confederation College president, Kathleen Lynch.
“We are really interested in the opportunity for practical nurses to ladder into a degree program and get recognition for the education they received here and through other institutions across Ontario. We think that’s a great opportunity for the northwest.”
It’s still not clear what the new programs will look like as it is up to each college to determine where they are positioned. The new programs will need to receive the Minister’s consent under the Post-Secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act and be approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario.
“Some have great partnerships,” Lynch said. “Others are serving communities where they can’t access degree nursing. It really does demand on the community. We know in the region there is a big need across the north.”
That need is something Rickford has experienced firsthand as a former registered nurse in Northwestern Ontario.
“In addition to skilled trades in other sectors, there has almost always been a critical need for prepared nurses in the RPN or registered nurse genre, now bachelor prepared,” he said. “I know in the isolated northern communities they continue to fill open staff positions. We know there is still a high demand.”
“The bottom line is making sure we have access to quality education,” Rickford added. “It can start with RPN but creates an incredible opportunity to move beyond that.”
