CKPG News

By Randi-Marie Adams

More nursing training seats coming to the north

Feb 23, 2022 | 10:36 AM

PRINCE GEORGE – The B.C. government announced they would be adding 602 new nursing seats to public post-secondary schools across the province. Here in the north those seats and more nurses are desperately needed.

“We have been asking for more nursing seats for some time.,” explains Danette Thomsen, BC Nurses Union, Regional representative for Northeast BC “We have really eligible young students out there with incredible grade averages that can’t get a seat, some of them have applied you know [for] three years and they’re still waiting. So, this is a great announcement for our province.”

The new seats will add to about 2,000 existing ones in nursing programs across the province. Something the BC Nurses Union is happy to hear and thinks is a move in the right direction.

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The new seats include 362 registered nursing seats, 40 registered psychiatric nursing seats, 20 nurse practitioner seats, and 180 licensed practical nurse seats at 17 public post-secondary institutions.

Here in Northern BC, there are a few different schools that will be opening up a few more seats in the next two to three years.

University of Northern BC

New seats: 24 registered nursing First intake: September 2023

Northern Lights College New seats: (Dawson Creek)

16 licensed practical nurses, pathway for HCAs

First intake: September 2022 or 2023

College of New Caledonia (Quesnel) in partnership with UNBC New seats:

8 registered nursing

First intake: September 2022

” We do have a ton of job openings, across the province but the north has definitely been in this crisis for much longer than other places,” said Thomsen “The Governments own data states, that we will be short 24-thousand nurses by 2029 and, so we need to get moving on this and it can’t be fast enough. So, today is a great start but, we need to keep our foot on the gas.”

Here is the full list of Public post-secondary institutions receiving seats

BC Institute of Technology
New seats: 96 registered nursing
First intake: September 2022

Camosun College, in partnership with University of Victoria (UVic)
New seats: 16 registered nursing, pathway for license practical nurses (LPNs)
First intake: September 2023

Coast Mountain College
New seats: 24 licensed practical nursing
First intake: every two years beginning September 2023

Coast Mountain College, in partnership with UNBC
New seats: 8 registered nursing
First intake: September 2022

College of New Caledonia (Quesnel) in partnership with UNBC
New seats: 8 registered nursing
First intake: September 2022

College of the Rockies, in partnership with UVic:
New seats: 8 registered nursing
First intake: September 2022

Kwantlen Polytechnic University
New seats: 75 including internationally educated nursing refresher
First intake: January 2023

Kwantlen Polytechnic University
New seats: 40 registered psychiatric nursing
First intake: September 2023

Nicola Valley Institute of Technology
New seats: 18 HCA-to-LPN laddering
First intake: fall 2022

Northern Lights College
New seats: 16 licensed practical nurse, pathway for HCAs
First intake: September 2022 or 2023

North Island College in partnership with VIU
New seats: 24 LPN-to-RN laddering
First intake: September 2023

North Island College
New seats: 8 and 24 HCA-to-LPN laddering
First intake: January 2023

Okanagan College
New seats: 48 HCA-to-LPN laddering
First intake: January 2023

Selkirk College
New seats: 18 licensed practical nursing
First intake: January 2023

Thompson Rivers University
New seats: 10 registered nursing, pathway for LPNs
First intake: September 2021

Thompson Rivers University
New seats: 15 nurse practitioners
First intake: January 2023

University of British Columbia (UBC)
New seats: 30 registered nursing
First intake: September 2021

UBC Okanagan
New seats: 15 registered nursing
First intake: September 2021

University of the Fraser Valley
New seats: 16 LPN-to-RN laddering
First intake: September 2023

University of Northern BC
New seats: 24 registered nursing
First intake: September 2023

UVic
New seats: five nurse practitioners, pathway for Masters-trained nurses
First intake: September 2022

Vancouver Island University
New seats: eight seats and 24 LPN-to-RN laddering
First intake for LPN-to-RN laddering: May 2022
First intake for registered nursing: Fall 2022

Vancouver Island University
New seats: 24 HCA-to-LPN laddering
First intake: May 2023