new200 nursing seats to be created by province

Dalhousie University will get an additional 26 bachelor of science nursing seats and NSCC will add 120 practical nursing seats

CITYnews halifax \ Meghan Groff

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The province is making room for more nursing students at post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia.

Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson announced funding for 200 new nursing seats Tuesday.

Nova Scotia Community College will add 120 practical nursing seats and Dalhousie University will get an additional 26 bachelor of science nursing seats.

St. Francis Xavier University will get 26 and Cape Breton University will get 28.

Some of those will be in place by this fall. The rest are expected to be ready by May 2023.

“There has always been strong interest in the nursing profession and our nursing programs,” said Minister Thompson in a news release. “Now there will be more capacity to educate and train the nurses we need in communities across the province.”

The province will pay $3.2 million for the new seats this year, and when they are in place, the plan is to grow that investment to $6.8 million annually.

Currently, around 700 registered and licensed practical nurses graduate in the province every year. This will bump that up to about 530 registered nurses and 370 licensed practical nurses.

“There are so many opportunities for nurses today and an equally high demand,” stated Noah Robinson, nursing student and co-president of Dalhousie University’s Nursing Society.

“Extending nursing program seats helps to get more nurses in practice. With the broad scope of nursing – which is only becoming more diverse – these seats are an important contribution in supporting our healthcare system.”

There are over 1,000 nursing vacancies in the province.

Last fall, the provincial government guaranteed jobs for all nurses graduating from universities and community colleges in Nova Scotia.

As of early June, about half had taken advantage of that offer.

The president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union said today’s announcement will provide future relief for the province’s nursing workforce.

“Many young students are eager to be nurses but are waitlisted at various schools,” Janet Hazelton said.

“However, we must take an immediate multi-pronged approach to resolve the nursing shortage, including a national health human resources strategy and incentives to ensure our more experienced nurses stick around to mentor new grads.”