Lambton College is now accepting applications for its brand new stand-alone nursing degree which will launch in September 2023.
Students will be able to attend Lambton during the entire four-year Bachelor of Science – Nursing program instead of having to complete their final two years at a university outside of the community.
Dean for the School of Health, Community Services and Creative Design Silvana MacDonald said 55 to 60 students are being accepted for the first intake.
She said the goal is to grow the program in the coming years.
"We're going to need to make sure that we can continue to provide excellent clinical experiences for our students," said MacDonald. "It will also really depend on how many students Bluewater Health is able to take and any other hospitals within a close area. Our goal, of course, is to grow nursing because our community is so desperate for them."
MacDonald said the students will get great hands-on experience, and local healthcare providers will benefit by having additional placement opportunities.
"We've been working very closely with Bluewater Health. The hope is that when students are doing their clinical experiences at Bluewater Health, or really any of the agencies or community partners in Sarnia-Lambton, that they're going to stay here. They're going to see how amazing our community is and won't want to go anywhere else."
MacDonald said a lack of nurses is a province-wide issue.
"People are following what's happening in hospitals and seeing emergency rooms closing because there aren't enough nurses out there. Lambton College has picked up the charge here, and we're going to do what we can to support the community. Provincially, this is really going to help."
The program's implementation has been in the works for the past few years, but the college recently received accreditation through College of Nurses of Ontario.
For further information visit Lambton College's website.