Licensed Practical Nurse Training to Come to Neepawa

The Government of Manitoba announced in February that they would be investing $2.1 million in a practical nursing program in Neepawa, and after a lot of logistics planning and coordination between the college, the regional health authority, and the Town of Neepawa, they jointly held an information session for any interested parties. This program has been long-awaited by the community and will finally launch in January of 2024 in a new facility renovated specifically for the program.

About 100 people attended the information session, which was a partnership between the Town of Neepawa, Assiniboine Community College, Prairie Mountain Health, Neepawa and Area Immigrant Settlement Services, and Westlake Employment. The goal was to bring all of the stakeholders together to offer the public information on all aspects of the upcoming program, from enrollment to facilities to impact on the community.

Representatives from Assiniboine Community College detailed the actual program that will be delivered, including admissions requirements and procedures and an overview of the courses that will be delivered including the practicums in a variety of clinic settings. The facility that is currently under construction at the old RCMP headquarters will be outfitted with the same equipment and supplies as one would find in a working clinical setting.

Unlike courses available on the main ACC campus, the course in Neepawa will prioritise applications from rural Westman communities. Practicum placements will take place throughout the Prairie Mountain Health region, which is geographically large but still closer to home than having to travel to other areas of the province. There are only 25 seats available in the Neepawa program and a lot of local interest from potential students, so while for the time being it is still considered a one-time course, it is very possible the college will run it again.

The majority of attendees at the session were from Neepawa and area’s newcomer community and so several key pieces of information, as well as the attendance of a representative from Neepawa’s settlement services office, were tailored to that group. Enrollment in the program is limited to Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents, and there are English-language testing requirements for anyone not from an English-speaking country. As well, while the program admissions cite Manitoba secondary courses as requirements, there are several equivalencies that are available to students who received their education outside of Canada.

Many questions from the public were clarifications around application requirements, especially as they pertained to qualifications from outside of Canada, but others were about the status of the new facility currently under renovation and costs related to the program. Westlake Employment was able to share some information about several funding options available to assist with costs.

There is a need for healthcare workers throughout the RHA, and throughout the province, with LPNs, in particular, in high demand. Graduates of the program are credentialed to work across the country, but by holding the course in the local community it allows people who have already established their lives in the area to further their education and find jobs in their chosen field close to home.