Provincial funding doubles seats for specialty nursing program at BCIT

BURNABY (NEWS 1130) — Funding from the provincial government has been boosted to train 1,000  specialty nurses at BCIT every year.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the unique, comprehensive program at the Burnaby campus previously had fewer than 400 seats available.

“Those are real spaces, and real instructors, and an enormous challenge the institution is taking on to help us meet the demands of health care into the future,” he says.

New graduates are expected to fill vacancies in high-skill areas including emergency rooms, intensive care units and delivering babies.

“They help us at each stage in life. They help us when we need emergency care, which I’ve seen in the last couple of weeks with members of my family,” Dix says. “They help us in deliver our babies. They care for us when we are seriously ill. This funding will help get more nurses and help more nurses get the specialty training they need to accelerate their careers in leadership, teaching, and community health positions.”

A growing and aging population made nursing one of the fastest-growing job sectors in B.C. The number of nurses working in complex or acute settings has increased 44 per cent in the last four years.

“This funding will give more nurses the professional development they need to accelerate their careers and to apply for leadership, teaching and community health positions,” says Jacqollyne Keath, board chair, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia. “Specialty nursing is a rewarding and in-demand career with positions available around the province.”

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