By Brent Bosker

Partnership brings nurse training to the north

Feb 18, 2011 | 5:32 AM

Access to education in Northern Saskatchewan is improving thanks to a partnership formed between the University of Saskatchewan and Northlands College.

The schools will deliver a four-year nursing degree program to students in the north.

“Nurse training in this province has never been decentralized before, not to this extent,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Northlands, who calls the program the first of its kind.

It will open a new avenue for northerners to earn a career in an occupation that there is a critical need for in Northern Saskatchewan without having to relocate, McLaughlin said.

The Northern Health Human Resource Strategy identified nursing as one of the greatest needs to deliver health care in the north.

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Dean for the College of Nursing at the U of S, Lorna Butler, said that by partnering with Northlands College the university can respond to that need.

“(We’re) offering nursing education to individuals who may not have been able to move to Saskatoon, Regina or Prince Albert to take our program.”

At the same time we’re helping health regions recruit and retain nurses to that area, she said.

“It provides us an opportunity to make a difference in terms of the quality of health care delivery … particularly in Northern Saskatchewan.”

The first year of programming will be offered at Northland’s La Ronge and Ile-a-la-Crosse campuses initially.

Once we get into the second, third and fourth year were going to have to determine the best possible location to run the program, McLaughlin said. “We won’t be able to determine that until we see where those students are coming from and how many complete the first year.”

The College of Nursing requires one year of arts and science before gaining entry into the full nursing program. Northlands College will have space for 15 nursing students each year.

The partnership was made possible because of an investment from the provincial government which has been working with post-secondary institutions to expand training programs province wide.

bbosker@panow.com