The Province of BC announced on February 20, that 602 new nursing seats are being added to public post-secondary institutes throughout the province to help address the BC’s nursing shortage. 96 of these seats have been allocated to the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
This investment is part of the StrongerBC Economic Plan, which aims to close the skills gap with a generational commitment to accelerate talent development and skills training for British Columbians.
BCIT offers one of the largest nursing programs in BC.
The 602 nursing seats will be added to approximately 2,000 seats that are currently in nursing programs in BC’s post-secondary institutes. This funding will create 362 registered nursing (RN) seats, 40 registered psychiatric nursing (RPN) seats, 20 nurse practitioner (NP) seats, and 180 licensed practical nurse (LPN) seats across 17 public post-secondary institutes including BCIT.
Some of the seats will also support health care assistants who want to train as LPN and for LPNs looking to move into a career as an RN.
“Nurses are integral to health care,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training in the news release by the Province of BC. “Apart from providing life-saving care, nurses monitor and assess patients’ conditions, act as patient advocates, educate and inspire. Expanding the number of nursing seats means more students can pursue their dreams and launch a career that makes a difference in people’s lives every day.”
Read the full news release for more information.
Learn about the BCIT School of Health Sciences program offerings.