Supporting Nursing Students

Ensuring the quality and availability of nursing education is of keen importance to all Ontarians. From being at the frontline of urgent care in hospitals, to offering support to patients and their families – nurses play a vital and irreplaceable role in our healthcare system, and in our health and well-being. Their work requires intelligence and advanced training, as well as compassion and care. Additionally, we want to ensure Ontario’s nursing education model is keeping pace with students’ current needs so they can pursue these valuable careers in communities across the province – including in rural and northern Ontario.

This past summer, our government met with key stakeholders to hear their views on Ontario’s existing nursing model. Their message was clear: since the collaborative nursing model – which requires nursing degrees to be offered through partnerships between a college and a university  — was first implemented in 2000, postsecondary education and health systems have grown and evolved. Some of these partnerships continue to see strong benefits on both the college and university campuses, giving students the unique opportunity to attend both institutions. Other partnerships have evolved to a point where both the college and university are willing and able to provide degrees independent of a partner institution.

That is why recently, Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano announced changes to Ontario’s nursing degree system, allowing post-secondary institutions to offer nursing degrees without having to partner with a second institution. This new pathway for nursing education will offer greater choice for students, and make it easier for them to access the education they need to find a rewarding career in nursing. Meanwhile, colleges and universities will have greater autonomy and flexibility over their programming while maintaining excellence in nursing education.

Under our modernized nursing education system, colleges and universities will be able to choose whether to deliver their programs collaboratively or on a stand-alone basis. Many colleges already have experience in delivering and managing degree programs. Now, for the first time, they will be able to offer the nursing degree independently of a university partner.

To safeguard our province’s competitiveness and build our economy we need to ensure colleges and universities are training students for the jobs of today and the future. Our government will continue to work with the sector to successfully implement this policy, while maintaining the high standard of education the people of Ontario expect from our health care professionals. As such, new programs will need to be approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario, ensuring we maintain excellence in nursing education.

We have some of the best educational institutions in the world, and some of the brightest students to fill them. As a government, we need to ensure that we are creating a learning environment that works to the strengths of our institutions, and allows them to be flexible and adapt to their needs and the needs of students.

To learn more about our government’s changes to nursing education or about how we are modernizing the post-secondary education sector, visit sylviajonesmpp.ca or call my office at 1-800-265-1603.

-30-