Conestoga College welcomes nursing degree program
Posted Mar 17, 2021 03:00:00 PM.
The Ontario government is now allowing colleges to offer a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Conestoga College currently offers a joint program with McMaster University for nursing degrees, and the news is welcomed by the college.
President of Conestoga College, John Tibbits, says the partnership will continue with McMaster, however, this new four-year degree will become a standalone program.
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program is basically ready to go now, says Tibbits, but it first needs to be approved by the province.
He says optimistically, the program would become available to students in September of 2022.
Tibbits tells 570 NEWS the industry is in need, especially with everything happening in today's day and age.
“The field is changing as we speak. In other words, there's more need for gerontological, community-based nursing, home nursing, et cetera.”
Tibbits says there's been a lot of pressure coming from the college system to have the college offer the degree, saying it's been about a 7 to 10-year journey for colleges.
He says there has been a lot of pressure from the college system to forego these plans.
“It's now easier to create pathways from RPN, the two-year program. It's so much easier to create those pathways if the college offers the degree.”
