Province supports expansion of Assiniboine’s nursing program in Portage la Prairie

Ten additional seats for practical nursing will be available starting in September 2022, when Assiniboine Community College will transition its Practical Nursing program site in Portage la Prairie to a permanent site. The college will now have space for 35 new students in each intake into the program every two years.

“We appreciate the government’s support, allowing us to make a permanent home for our nursing program in Portage while expanding capacity to educate more students on their paths to careers in healthcare,” said Mark Frison, President of Assiniboine Community College.

As part of ongoing program review processes, Assiniboine sought government approval to reallocate funding for expanded nursing seats and make the Portage La Prairie site permanent. Assiniboine has offered practical nursing in that location through contracts and rotating programs consistently since 2002.

“Aligning education to the needs of Manitoba is a key feature of our Skills, Talent and Knowledge Strategy. We are pleased to see Assiniboine Community College taking initiative to better serve communities,” said Wayne Ewasko, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration. “ACC has been a leader in practical nurse education in our province, and this program expansion helps to meet future health care workforce needs in the Southern Health-Santé Sud region.”

The existing Portage la Prairie rural rotating site has previously always been an in-demand location for Practical Nursing education. Here, the college remains focused on rural applicants, rural practicum placements, and graduates’ pathways to employment in rural Manitoba.

Establishing Portage la Prairie as a permanent location for the college’s nursing program will help meet current and upcoming labour market demand for licensed practical nurses in the Southern Health-Santé Sud health region while simultaneously increasing graduates in a rural region.

“On behalf of Southern Health-Santé Sud I am very pleased with the upcoming announcement from Assiniboine Community College. The LPN training has been a huge success for our organization in recruitment for LPNs in the Portage and surrounding area.” said René Ouellette Vice President Human Resources at Southern Health - Sante Sud. “We know that the majority of the students are from the area and we believe having the permanent site will be beneficial for both of our organizations. We are really pleased to continue working with ACC on student placements and hopefully continued success recruiting upon graduation.”

Graduates of Assiniboine’s Practical Nursing program have a very high success rate; 100 per cent of recent graduates have jobs in their field within nine months of completing their studies, according to the college’s 2019-20 employment and satisfaction survey.

Assiniboine currently delivers its Practical Nursing diploma program at three permanent locations (Winnipeg, Brandon, and Dauphin) and through various rotating and contract programs.

For those interested in learning more about the admission requirements and when applications for this program will be accepted by the college, details are available at assiniboine.net/nursing