College Nursing Programs Expand to Train Registered Nurses

First, a quick lesson on Canadian nurses: a registered practical nurse, or RPN (sometimes called a licensed practical nurse or LPN) is someone with a two-year diploma who performs basic health care, like monitoring vital signs and administering medication, for patients with straightforward needs. A registered nurse, or RN, is a person with a four-year bachelor’s degree who is trained to care for sick people in ERs, intensive care units or critical care. Both  types are highly needed but, historically, RNs graduated from universities while RPNs typically came from colleges. More and more, colleges are taking on the training of registered nurses: in February of 2020, the Ontario government announced changes to nursing education that allowed colleges to offer bachelor of nursing degrees. Several colleges in British Columbia offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing, and bridging programs exist across the country that allow students to start their programs at a college and finish them at a university. 

Canada faces an urgent and growing need for nurses

Even before the pandemic, nurses were in high demand. The Canadian population is aging rapidly, new hospitals and long-term care homes desperately need staff and experts predict a global shortage of 13 million nurses in the next decade. The pandemic shone a spotlight on the importance of health-care workers and how much they contribute to our communities. “You might think the pandemic would have deterred people from wanting to become nurses, but it didn’t,” says Courtney Evers, associate dean at Niagara College’s school of nursing. 

College nursing programs to consider

Thanks to Ontario’s new legislation, Niagara College, located in Welland, Ontario, is launching an honours bachelor of science in nursing (BScN) degree program this September, adding 60 spots to their usual annual cohort of about 300 RPNs. Students get more than 300 hours of hands-on learning in simulation labs and clinical placements in a variety of settings. Conestoga College, in Kitchener, Ontario, will also be launching a four-year bachelor of nursing program this September. 

At Camosun College in Victoria, B.C., students studying to become licensed practical nurses can top up five academic semesters and two spring practicum terms with two years at the University of Victoria to graduate with a baccalaureate of science in nursing (BSN). As a bonus, B.C. recently announced that all nursing students will receive an annual tuition credit of $2,000.

Nursing curricula at colleges are keeping pace with societal changes, and now emphasize mental health, prioritize inclusivity and Indigenous health, consider differences between rural and urban communities and examine the impact of climate change on health, says Sylvain Brousseau, former president of the Canadian Nursing Association. Moreover, the addition of new college programs means a greater capacity to offer more specialized courses in areas like pediatrics, neonatology and oncology, which will appeal to students who want to focus on a particular interest. Enabling nurses to specialize also helps lower the industry’s already high turnover rate, driven even higher by the pandemic. Quebec noted a 10 per cent rise in their usual turnover in 2022, with rates between 14 per cent and 27 per cent depending on the region. 

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College programs offer cheaper, more flexible learning options

For prospective four-year students choosing a school to study, why pick a college rather than university? Here are a few reasons: tuition that is usually far less at a college, smaller class sizes, more hands-on applied learning and, sometimes, a more flexible schedule than those offered by traditional programs. At Niagara College, for example, the practical nursing diploma offers alternative delivery models to work around a student’s work and home life. The Canadian government knows it will have to do more to attract and retain the nurses we desperately need and, with any luck, nurses will soon be paid for work placements the way doctors are paid for completing their residencies. In April of 2023, the federal government pledged $2.4 million to build a national nurse residency program to help new RNs transition into the workplace. 

This story appeared in the 2025 edition of the Ultimate Guide to Canadian Colleges. Order your copy here.