The waiting list for nurses who want to upgrade their skills at Manitoba's Red River College has become so long that the school is no longer accepting new applications from them.
Andrea Gordon Cameron, a licensed practical nurse who wants to upgrade to become a registered nurse, recently received a letter from the college indicating it had suspended accepting applications from LPNs to the accelerated RN program, which takes about two years.
"I think I have a lot to offer our health-care system, but I feel like I'm not valued," she said.
Twenty-five licensed practical nurses are on the waiting list for the college's accelerated RN program, so no more will be allowed to apply, at least for now, said Louise Gordon, spokeswoman for nursing programs at the college.
"[It's] simply because we don't believe it's fair to have people wait for that long," she said, noting the waiting list is about five years long.
Government to create 100 more spaces
Advisers at the school suggested Gordon Cameron apply to the bachelor of nursing program at the University of Manitoba that runs three to four years.
But given Manitoba's shortage of registered nurses, Gordon Cameron says it's a waste of human resources to ask practising LPNs to go back and start again from Square 1.
"Although we're very well trained now, we can't work at a lot of places," she said of her LPN status.
"I can't work at St. Boniface Hospital. I can't work at the Vic [Victoria Hospital]. I can't work at Riverview. We're underused in this province."
As CBC News reported Monday, some Manitoba LPNs, frustrated by the wait, are opting to upgrade at Northland College in Minnesota, despite obstacles including higher cost, certification exams and a requirement to attend classes in the U.S. about two days a week.
Health Minister Theresa Oswald said the NDP has committed to opening 100 new spaces for students of nursing.
"We're, on one level, quite delighted that there are lots of people that want to be nurses in Manitoba. It's, on one level, a good problem to have, rather than clamouring for human resources," she said.
"But certainly we know that for every particular program that we created quite recently at Red River, for LPNs to upgrade to RNs, that there is a waiting list that is not satisfactory to people."
However, where those spots will open and for which nursing programs has yet to be determined.
Any changes may come too late for Cameron, who says she is now considering other career options.
"I'm going to go into something else. I'm going to become a lawyer, or become a physiotherapist, or a teacher or something different," she said. "But at my core, I love being a nurse."
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