Upskilling Program at Trent University to Expand Registered Nurse Capacity in Primary Care

Trent University is launching a new Primary Care Nursing Upskilling Program to build primary care expertise among registered nurses working in or preparing to transition into primary care.

photo courtesy of trent university.

The professional online program includes emphasis on Indigenous, rural and community health to strengthen nursing practice in primary care.

“This upskilling program reflects Trent’s long-standing commitment to community-focused health education and addressing system-level challenges,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, President and Vice-Chancellor of Trent University. “By creating accessible advanced primary care education for registered nurses, we are helping strengthen care teams and improve access to healthcare services for people and communities across Ontario.” 

Trent University is leading one of four initiatives selected by the province to advance primary care nursing education and workforce capacity. Developed in collaboration between the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing and Queen's University, the program features online modules to equip RNs with interprofessional care expertise for working in team-based primary care models.  

The Trent program, starting at the end of March 2026, is supported with $1.1 million from the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Health as part of its Primary Care Action Plan.  

Over three years, funding awarded to Trent University will support the delivery of a 12-week, fully online postgraduate program. Faculty from the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing will contribute expertise in primary care, rural health, and Indigenous health, to deliver interprofessional learning experiences that bring together experts from across the health-care system. The funding will also cover tuition costs for Ontario registered nurses enrolled in the program. Up to 350 nurses are expected to complete the program over the initial three years, with the first cohort of 30 nurses beginning classes at the end of March. 

Graduates of this program will be equipped to provide care for patients across the lifespan, including well-child visits, chronic disease management, pre- and post-natal care and care for older adults. 

“Registered nurses are well positioned to provide care for patients and families within the primary care sector,” said Dr. Suzanne Braithwaite, assistant professor in the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing and past president of the Canadian Family Practice Nurses Association. “Primary care registered nurses provide a wide range of services, including well-child care, chronic disease management, health promotion and episodic care. Strengthening primary care nursing expertise through targeted upskilling education supports nurses in working to their full capacity, eases pressure on interprofessional care teams and improves access to care for patients across the province.” 

Registered nurses who complete the 12-week online program will be eligible for priority admission to the RN-prescribing program through the University of Windsor. Up to 70 per cent of those nurses will have their tuition fees covered, further advancing nursing capacity among the interprofessional primary care team.

As Trent works to implement the upskilling program, faculty in the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing are also developing plans to embed these topics and primary care competencies more deeply into their undergraduate nursing curriculum to build workforce capacity in primary care for the long-term.  

Registration for Trent’s new Primary Care Upskilling Program is now open.

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Fleming College Nursing Student Receives $5,000 Through Cash for College Contest

Fleming College awarded practical nursing student Kelly Cairns $5,000 through their Cash for College contest given on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

Cash for College was open to any full-time domestic student who enrolled for the fall 2022 semester.

It is one of many financial support initiatives for students. Students in financial need can access up to $2 million in bursaries and scholarships through the college each year. 

Cairns was surprised mid-class by President Maureen Adamson with the news.

“This was such a great surprise. I am grateful to have won,” said Cairns.

The next contest is open to students who have already confirmed their attendance at Fleming College for the fall of next year. 

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Fleming College Partners With Kenjgewin Teg To Offer Practical Nursing Program On Manitoulin Island

Fleming College is partnering with Kenjgewin Teg to offer Practical Nursing training to Indigenous learners on Manitoulin Island, Ont. (Mnidoo Mnising). The two institutions recently signed a five-year agreement to offer Fleming’s Practical Nursing program through Kenjgewin Teg, an educational institute on Mnidoo Mnising that provides Indigenous culturally relevant learning.

“Fleming College is committed to Truth and Reconciliation and as a post-secondary institution, we have an opportunity and an obligation to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into our curriculum,” says Maureen Adamson, Fleming College President. “Fleming College is honoured to partner with Kenjgewin Teg and support the principles of Truth and Reconciliation that will create positive change in healthcare.”

Kenjgewin Teg will act as the service provider to offer Fleming’s Practical Nursing program, tentatively scheduled to start in Spring 2021. Theory curriculum will be delivered virtually, while clinical learning will be on-site at other key local partner locations including the Manitoulin Health Centre, St. Joseph's General Hospital Elliot Lake, Mnaamodzawin Health Services Inc. and Noojmowin Teg Health Centre. 

Maureen Adamson, Fleming College President

“Going forward, our local Mnidoo Mnising and surrounding communities will continue to see more opportunities in health and wellness programs at Kenjgewin Teg as we continue working together with valued partners like Fleming College and other Indigenous institutes who support culturally relevant training and education hosted closer to home,” says Stephanie Roy, President of Kenjgewin Teg.

“Manitoulin Health Centre is excited to support a locally grown Practical Nursing program,” adds Paula Fields, Vice President Clinical Services & Chief Nursing Officer at the Manitoulin Health Centre.

“Recently, due to COVID-19 and additional opportunities for nurses, we have found a shortage of local nursing staff,” Fields says. “It is beneficial to offer a program locally as graduates will have ties to the Island and be aware of the unique diversity of the patients that we serve, resulting in positive outcomes for patients. It is really a win-win for the students and our Manitoulin Island communities.”

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Trent U's Nursing Program To Introduce Virtual Reality Course Lessons Created By Peterborough Startup

Trent University’s School of Nursing and eCampusOntario has partnered with local tech company AVROD to develop virtual reality (VR) lessons for nursing students that will educate on incivility and how to deal with it in the workplace.

The project began when professors including Kim English at Trent University’s School of Nursing connected with eCampusOntario to consider creating a VR project. They were in contact with Jeremy Brooks, Founder of AVROD (Archaeological Virtual Reality Online Database) and Trent University  alumni. 

Photo courtesy Innovation Cluster

Brooks started with the help of the Innovation Cluster while an archaeology student at Trent University. Brooks and AVROD’s Lead Developer, Manan Patel, have been working alongside Professor English to bring the nursing simulation to life.

“We are excited to be working with Trent Nursing to deliver state of the art training simulations for nurses which go beyond traditional screen-based online teaching technologies,” says Brooks. “We believe that fully immersive VR online learning will become the new normal for Canadian educational institutions, and we are excited to help bring Canada into this next era of online education through AVROD."

Photo courtesy Innovation Cluster

Training tools via simulations are common in nursing education, but virtual reality has not been used as frequently.

“We thought, what if we created VR scenarios to allow students to walk through situations in a safe way, meaning they have the opportunity to leave when they need to, and provide debriefing afterwards,” says English. “Our initial goal is for students to one, experience it safely and two, learn how to deal with it.”

Jeremy Brooks, Founder of AVROD, using the platform

The team originally planned to have students use the project starting throughout May and June, but Covid-19 has prevented this as students will need to enter the university and share equipment. The project launch remains on hold until it can be safely implemented.

Now that the pandemic is pushing all forms of education, work and entertainment to go virtual, English says they are brainstorming ways to innovate their teachings.

“I think that the pandemic right now is making us consider some of these technologies in our approach to teaching,” she says. “Not everything can be virtual [while teaching nursing], but there are opportunities to look at VR to be a tool whether it be conversations or practicing medication administration with distractions around you and resolving. I absolutely think it is something we need to consider as we move forward.”

“We are expecting a global demand for our platform as people look to travel, explore, learn, and collaborate remotely and safely using more affordable VR headsets like the Oculus Quest,” adds Brooks. “We plan to launch AVROD globally in the Fall of 2020 and are working with young talent to develop cutting-edge skills to create new Canadian jobs, starting here in Peterborough.”

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