Loyalist College hopes to train more nurses locally with new degree program, says president

By Olivia Waldriff

BELLEVILLE – Loyalist College will be able to train more nurses locally than ever before thanks to a decision by the Ontario government announced Tuesday.

Until now, the college was only able to offer a nursing degree through a partnership with Brock University in St. Catharines. This meant students would need to travel about 300 kilometres to finish their education.

The decision by the government was made to solve the shortage of health workers in many communities, including Bay of Quinte, Loyalist College said in a press release.

This new policy will allow Loyalist to graduate more qualified nurses to fill local workplace needs.

Loyalist College president Ann Marie Vaughan said in a press release Tuesday that fewer than five percent of nursing students at Loyalist come back to work in Bay of Quinte.

“As an international leader in nursing education, Loyalist has the faculty expertise, academic excellence, and innovative experiential learning environments to deliver the full program on our own,” she added.

This policy change will also create opportunities to develop laddering pathways for personal support workers and registered practical nurses to stay in their local communities.

Loyalist College also offers a diploma in practical nursing.