Douglas College received a more than half a million-dollar grant from the Ministry of Post-Secondary and Future Skills (PSFS) aimed at supporting nursing faculty and uplifting a new generation of nursing graduates in the province.
Nursing education is fundamental to the success of health-care services in B.C. and across Canada, and that starts with supporting the educators themselves, said Tess Kroeker, Director of Nursing at Douglas College.
“This grant allows Douglas College to provide advanced resources to our nursing instructors so they can provide the most up-to-date training to our students,” said Kroeker. “Health-care is continuously changing and with the province’s nursing shortage, it’s important to be providing the most relevant and responsive education to both instructors and students.”
The grant will help establish a faculty mentorship program to support new Nursing faculty members in their transition from clinical practice to academia.
Funding will also be used to strengthen learning modules, including enhancing clinical teaching strategies to bridge theory and practice, improving conflict resolution in classrooms, as well as integrating Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum.
Additional funding will focus on establishing resources such as a library of industry experts, annual professional development resources, and health and wellness supports for faculty.
“One of the College’s goals is to create a nursing faculty resource hub, rich with resources and partnership opportunities that will position Douglas as a sustainable centre of excellence for nursing educators within the province,” said Kroeker.
"We are investing in our province’s future by ensuring that nurses in British Columbia have access to world-class education," said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. "Douglas College’s Nursing Program will not only expand nursing capacity in the province during a global shortage of health-care workers, it will also create pathways to a family-supporting career that makes a real difference in people’s lives every single day.”
Meeting the need for more working nurses fulfills a greater goal of improving the health of communities across the province.
"Nursing faculty are a vital pillar of health-care training, and investing in our instructors means training a strong nursing workforce that will support the well-being of British Columbians for generations to come," said Anne Kang, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. "Since 2017, we have tripled the number of nurse practitioner seats, increased practical nursing seats by 46 percent, and expanded Bachelor of Nursing seats by 24 percent. We are proud to invest in the advancement of nursing education and remain committed to supporting both students and educators as they continue to shape the future of health-care in B.C."
Featuring state-of-the-art experiential learning facilities and an innovative team of educators, Douglas College’s Nursing department offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing (BSPN) and the Licensed Practical Nurse Access to Psychiatric Nursing (Bachelor of Science) pathway program.
Contact
Katherine Gillard
Manager, Communications
gillardk@douglascollege.ca