new nursing student spaces in canada reveal deeper problems
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there are many recommendations from experts to improve the experience for nursing students in canada, from hybrid learning for in-person and virtual classes as well as mentorships with working professionals in the field.
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nursing programs in canada are struggling to fill student spaces at a time when canada has a growing shortage of nurses, and increasing the number of student spaces has only amplified the issue.
the new nursing student spaces have exposed issues of data standards and transparency, poor student experiences and a lack of resources to support students, schools and clinical placements.
cloudy enrolment and attendance data in nursing schools
provincial governments across canada have invested in more than 4,000 new nursing school spaces since 2022, with most committed to those studying to become registered nurses. in british columbia, more than 600 new spaces were created for nursing students. in ontario, $128 million was earmarked in the 2024 budget to increase enrolment of 2,000 registered nurses and 1,000 registered practical nurses at universities and colleges.
however, information about these commitments and how well they’ve worked is limited and exact numbers are hard to come by.
the canadian association of schools of nursing collects admission, enrolment and graduation data from provinces and territories. but numbers for specific schools are not available because of privacy requirements. the canadian health workforce education, training and distribution study, a study conducted to evaluate the state of the healthcare workforce, doesn’t include information about applications to nursing programs because the data collected isn’t consistent.
the study says there are 176 institutions across canada that offer programs for licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners, however program capacities are not recorded.
“it would certainly be nice to know how many empty seats we have in canada,” says dr. kim leblanc, president of the canadian nurses association. with little to no reporting on enrolment and attendance, leblanc faces an uphill battle in addressing barriers to attracting more nursing students.
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“no one is going to give you the answers,” leblanc continued.
poor student experiences in nursing schools
rani srivastava, dean of nursing at thompson rivers university in kamloops, b.c., doesn’t see a direct correlation between more student spaces and higher enrolment. instead, she believes there needs to be more “partnership and effort” to attract nursing students and see them through to graduation.
“we need to recognize that nursing education is a partnership between the academic institution and the practice world and we need to figure out how we can do it in a way that supports both sides of the coin, right?,” she says. “(we need to) think about how we continue to support them, and i think the healthcare system and health authorities are just not structured that way.”
“there is not a lot of incentive to enter nursing,” says erin ariss, president of the ontario nurses association, the largest nurses’ union in canada with more than 68,000 members.
ariss has heard complaints from nursing students about “chaotic” placements that lack clinical supervision at times, or they are handed from supervisor to supervisor without any consistency, and assignments to understaffed wards where patients are very ill.
students “are not receiving the best entry [placement] and not a lot complete it,” she says.
leblanc adds that workplace issues that deter enrolment include violence from patients and nurses being blamed for problems with the healthcare system. she says nurses fear that in confrontations with patients, even if there is no harm, they might be blamed and not get support from management.
negative perceptions of nursing as a career need to change to attract and keep nursing students, adds keirsten smith, vice-president and director of safety and wellness for the canadian nursing students association, who suggests students be mentored. she suggests two types of mentorship—academic mentors to offer informal guidance and support and mentors as positive role models who share students’ interests in a specific field of nursing. this mentorship may also continue after graduation.
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“it is both formal and informal mentorship and can be anyone with lived experience providing opportunities for nursing students to succeed where interested,” smith says. “they (mentors) helped guide me through and i honestly think without them i probably wouldn’t have gotten through.”
resources needed to support increase in nursing student spaces
miyansh jhamb, director of recruitment for the nursing students association, says new spaces are needed but resources have to be expanded to meet their needs. he says more clinical instructors and more clinical spots are needed for students, who now face bigger clinical group sizes and a diminished quality of the learning experience as a result. he also proposes a hybrid model for in-class education with the addition of virtual learning when possible.
“there are still a lot of schools who are looking at nursing as just going to school eight hours a day for five days and not everyone is able to do that. especially like moms with infants or moms with young children who are not able to do that,” he says. “so having more hybrid or excellent options open to nursing students can make a difference.”
srivastava highlights government funding as a necessity to support new ideas that support nurses to enter, succeed and thrive in programs across the country. she offers the example of a project funded with the help of the b.c. ministry of education to hire an educator, situated in-hospital, whose job was to support clinical instructors, faculty and students with direct help. the position was successful but time limited and will not continue without ongoing funding.
in ontario, the learn and stay program offers incentives to nursing students learning and working in underserved communities. it provides funding for education costs such as tuition, fees and books in return for service after graduation.
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in the national nursing student survey summary january 2025, 82 per cent of students were concerned about finances and 28 per cent have considered quitting nursing because of financial issues. the canadian nursing students association has asked politicians to support nursing education financially and to support paying students while doing their clinical placements with funding such as stipends, as they do with medical students.
jhamb suggests simple improvements such as more bursaries and free meals at work and free parking for students, which could be done now.
“i had to exhaust all my savings during those five months when i was in preceptorship and when i was waiting for a job offer,” he says. “providing free meal tickets from the hospital as a cheapest alternative or providing free parking for them (students) does take some of the workload from them. … it’s a tiny amount but can make a big difference when students are working and not being paid.”
all hands needed to solve complex problems for nursing students
empty desks, attrition and human resource challenges impact student nurse numbers and outcomes, and accurate information about nursing students and evaluation of the impact of additional student spaces are needed for decision making. money, faculty, clinical instructors and placement experiences are all part of the complex issue and possible solutions.
srivastava says she hopes efforts will move from single-focus initiatives and funding to thoughtful context-based efforts that involve the participation of schools, employers and communities working together as partners to look for solutions.
leblanc wants governments to invest in making sure schools and students have all the tools and resources they need. and nursing student leaders, including smith, welcome additional spaces for students but also want students to have a voice with partners in order for nursing students to succeed in their chosen career.
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“it has to be every single group and it can’t just be the leaders on top representing people.” she says. “having a collective voice, creating more opportunities and ensuring that everyone is at that table, at multiple opportunities, will help that.”
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