More than 100 new nursing seats will be available at Kwantlen Polytechnic University from 2023, the Government of British Columbia has announced.
The 40 Bachelor of Science in Nursing Advanced Entry seats, 40 Bachelor of Psychiatric Nursing seats and 35 Graduate Nurse Internationally Educated Re-Entry seats represents a significant expansion of KPU’s existing nursing seat provision. The university currently offers 249 seats annually across four nursing programs.
“We’re thankful to the B.C. Government for providing more than 100 new nursing seats at Kwantlen Polytechnic University,” said Sharmen Lee, dean of the Faculty of Health at KPU. “Not only is this wonderful news of more opportunities for students who want a career in nursing, but it will also ultimately provide much needed nurses for our communities as well.”
Work has begun to prepare for the first intake of students into these new seats in 2023. The Faculty of Health will start many of the new seats at different times of the academic year to existing seats to provide more start times in the academic year for nursing students in their chosen pathway and to effectively distribute physical resources to maintain the same high quality learning experience on campus for them.
The 115 new nursing seats added at KPU were part of 602 new nursing seats added by the government across the province.
“Nurses are integral to health care,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training. “Apart from providing life-saving care, nurses monitor and assess patients’ conditions, act as patient advocates, educate and inspire. Expanding the number of nursing seats means more students can pursue their dreams and launch a career that makes a difference in people’s lives every day.”