From left: Tina Shaw (USask College of Nursing, provincial lab manager), Colleen Young (MLA Lloydminster), Maddex Neufeld (2nd year USask nursing student), Jackie Bender (Lakeland College, dean of University Transfer and Foundational Learning), Mark Tomtene (USask College of Nursing, director of Operations and Strategic Planning), Dr. Alice Wainwright-Stewart (Lakeland College, president and CEO), Dr. Solina Richter (USask College of Nursing, dean), Louisa Burry (second year USask nursing student), Dr. Lynn Jansen (USask College of Nursing, associate professor), and Dr. Mary Ellen Labrecque (USask College of Nursing, associate dean academic make the partnership official with a signing ceremony on November 21. (Submitted Photo/Cecelia Foster)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

School Partnership

New USask-Lakeland partnership offers Lloydminster nursing students to study locally

Nov 28, 2023 | 11:51 AM

Nursing students wishing to stay close to home now have the opportunity to do so in Lloydminster thanks to a new partnership between the University of Saskatchewan and Lakeland College.

“We believe that every student should have access to quality nursing education no matter where they live,” said Dr. Solina Richter, University of Saskatchewan college of nursing dean.

The partnership will see the two educational institutions join for a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN) program.

Richter explained the college is well respected and has the infrastructure needed to support the program like classrooms and a nursing lab.

“They also have the support systems that our students need,” she said.

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“It also gives the opportunity for our current students that would normally do their nursing education in Saskatoon to move to Lakeland and do their nursing education at a smaller institution that some students prefer to do.”

“It’s just a win-win on both sides, I would say,” said Richter.

According to Jackie Bender, dean of University Transfer and Foundational Learning with Lakeland College, the program will give students the opportunity to take their pre-professional year with the college before applying to the university’s BSN program.

“We offer the first 30-credit units and they’re university transfer classes,” she said, noting they take their second, third and fourth year with the university.

“We’ve had that agreement for many years but what we’re celebrating more formally now is that the U of S has created Lloydminster as a “Learn Where You Live” site,” she said.

This means that once students apply to the university’s bachelor program, they don’t have to pick up and move to another community.

“We have currently 16 third-year students and 20 second-year students who are in progress,” said Bender, noting all their course work, their lab and clinical placement is done in the region.

The Lloydminster location is the latest community offer this method as other communities like North Battleford and Yorkton have also developed the programming.

“The community, of course is extremely excited. We believe if students study in the community close to their house that they will stay there,” Richter said.

Speaking to the health care shortage, the doctor said the north and rural area in particular are in critical need.

“We believe this will contribute to address some of those issues,” she said.

“This is one part of the plan of the government the education but there is also a piece of retention that we need to address.”

Meanwhile, Bender said the first year is all taught by college instructors and the higher levels are taught by university staff.

“We’ve got nurses who work in the region who are employed on contract with the U of S,” she said noting they have plenty of local expertise to draw from.

The partnership is just one piece of a much larger solution as Bender said working together will help to solve some of the challenges the North faces. Ultimately, they’re hoping by having the full program in one location and not requiring students leaving to larger centres will help.

“Not everybody wants to go back home to work and conversely not everybody’s able to leave their region. They have family, they’ve got financial restraints, everybody has a different story so to be able to offer people the opportunity, if they want to stay, is really big. It breaks down barriers,” said Bender.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @jls194864