College launches free accelerated practical nursing program

Thunder Bay - Confederation College has announced that it will launch a provincially funded accelerated practical nursing program at its Thunder Bay and regional campuses.

For students who want to become practical nurses, the Ministry of Health will pay tuition, fees, uniforms, and textbook costs for eligible students who are willing to enroll in the fast-track program at any campus.

Carol Cline, dean of the School of Workforce Development, said there are 50 seats available at all campuses.

However, prospective students will still need to pay the application fee.

The application deadline is March 7, and the program will begin on March 10.

Typically, the practical nursing program is a two-year program, but the accelerated program will allow students to graduate in 16 months.

The program offers hands-on training both in and out of the classroom.

"We want to train people and keep them in these regions. Because we want to build capacity in these regions. We are bringing training to these regions so that people can stay at home and get trained, and then find jobs where they live," Cline said.

Although the college's Thunder Bay campus will implement the accelerated program, Cline said their main focus is on the areas most affected by the nursing shortage.

"It will be more focused on the regions. Thunder Bay will have a cohort, but they will be more focused on Dryden, Kenora, Fort Frances, Marathon, and Longlac. The shortages in these areas are currently more severe," Cline said.

"This is a very exciting time, and we are able to expand the work we do within the college to other campuses in the region and address a fairly significant need."

Cline said the Ministry of Health approached the college to help alleviate the nursing shortage in the region and allowed them to access over $1.2 million in funding.

The college noted that by focusing on regional campuses, they can remove barriers for students who would otherwise have to leave their own cities to train in Thunder Bay.

"Remote areas need to find people to work in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Given our aging population here, long-term care is becoming increasingly important. So we are really trying to meet the needs outside of Thunder Bay, and recognizing that there is also a need here, but we are looking at how to meet the needs in some of the smaller areas of northwestern Ontario," Cline said.

Source: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/free-fast-track-nursing-program-launching-at-college-10109293