Expect an increase in the number of nursing students graduating from Williams Lake in coming years as Thompson Rivers University – Williams Lake Campus announced Thursday that they would be offering a Practical Nursing program in fall 2015.
The long-rumoured announcement comes as welcome news to the community and a number of local future nurses.
“We are very excited to announce an added intake for the Practical Nursing program in the fall of 2015,” said Rhonda McCreight, nursing programs coordinator at TRU Williams Lake.
“This is a very exciting time for TRU – Williams Lake,” said Dr. Ray Sanders, executive director, Thompson Rivers University, Williams Lake Campus. “We are committed to bringing courses and programs to our region that will benefit our community and this program does exactly that. By offering an additional intake of the practical nursing program in our community, we are increasing the potential for more health care professionals to stay and work in our community and region.”
Practical nurses are an integral part of any health care facility. The high demand for nurses was one of many reasons why the additional intake is being offered this year.
“LPNs work in almost all health care sectors,” McCreight said. “People are living longer and require more care as they age. Our community partners are excited and supportive of our programs and look forward to hiring our future graduates.”
Similar to last fall, this new program will have a mix of both domestic and international students.
McCreight said the international students are a welcome addition to the campus and add an exciting mix to the nursing program.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed having students from international countries as a way of increasing our intercultural understanding and helping to globalize our campus and community,” she said. “We are excited to welcome even more international students to our program in the fall.”
Sanders agreed with McCreight.
“Our community has been very welcoming to our first group of international students that arrived last fall and we are excited to welcome even more newcomers to our region," Sanders said.
The practical nursing program will begin on Sept.8, along with the rest of the academic courses at TRU.
Applications for the program will continue to be accepted until May 31, 2015. Applications for all other TRU programs will continue to be accepted throughout the summer.
For more information on how to apply, please visit tru.ca/williamslake or call 250-392-8020.