The Redistribution of Nursing Seats
The distribution of USask nursing seats in the province will be changing come fall 2022.
As the needs in Saskatchewan change, the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing remains committed to ensuring it evolves to meet the needs of the people of this province. Through consultation in the communities we serve, it has become clear that access to nursing education needs to be more broadly available in the province, particularly in the north and other rural communities.
To accommodate this need, USask nursing will be redistributing seats from the Regina region into other parts of Saskatchewan and the USask nursing campus in Regina will begin winding down its operations once every current nursing student graduates.
This change is not about eliminating or reducing nursing seats in the province, as we recognize we are facing an impending national nursing shortage, but rather enabling USask to expand program delivery and access to nursing education for students in other Saskatchewan communities.
“This decision was not an easy one, as we have been offering our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in Regina since 2012 and previously had a strong presence in Regina since 1996 through the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan,” said College of Nursing dean Dr. Solina Richter (DCur).
The redistribution of seats throughout Saskatchewan will meet the growing demand for USask nursing grads throughout the province. “We are continuing to focus on the Learn Where You Live principle and these changes will enable us to deliver the same high quality nursing education to more communities, and even more students,” adds Richter.
The shift in distribution of seats will have no impact on current students at the Regina Campus. All USask nursing students currently studying in Regina will continue with their program of study at that campus.
“We are fully committed to seeing all current Regina Campus BSN students through completion of their program, including those students who have fallen out of cohort and are planning to return to studies this fall,” said Richter.
The College of Nursing will continue to offer services like academic advising and clinical coordination to students at the Regina Campus for the duration of their programs.
“Faculty and instructors have done an outstanding job building relationships in Regina and southern Saskatchewan for our student clinical experiences,” said Richter. “We value these partnerships and are hopeful we can keep our clinical placements with these organizations and in these communities in the future.”
“Making a decision of this magnitude has a significant impact on faculty and staff in Regina,” adds Richter. “We value these nurse educators and the staff who support the Regina Campus and the decision was not taken lightly. We are committed to working with each faculty and staff member to discuss their future with the College of Nursing.”
For those prospective students who have already submitted an application for nursing in Regina in fall, the USask admissions office is contacting students to discuss other learning options in the province.
Residents in Regina and southern Saskatchewan who are interested in pursuing nursing in the southern part of the province still have access to nursing education through the collaborative University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic nursing program.