Premier hints budget will help LPNs upgrade education

Some licensed practical nurses who want to become registered nurses are waiting on the NDP government to fulfil its 2023 election promise to create a “fast track” online bridging program.

Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday the proposed program is “definitely a need,” while revealing that “additional supports” for LPNs will be in the 2026-27 budget when it is introduced March 24.

“Having a pathway for a licensed practical nurse to bridge to an RN designation is really important in many rural communities where people are already working as an LPN, can’t afford the time on the road or away from family or away from work,” he said at an unrelated event.

“As a result, being able to deliver this through organizations like Assiniboine College, I think, is going to be an important part of how we get this done.”

During the campaign that led to a majority NDP government in October 2023, Kinew pledged a “fast track” program for LPNs to become RNs in partnership with post-secondary institutions.

Training would be completed virtually to allow LPNs in rural communities to stay there and continue to work while they advance their credentials, he told reporters at the time.

Brandon-based Assiniboine College submitted a program proposal to the province in June 2024, spokeswoman Anya McNabb said.

“The bridging program for LPNs to become RNs has not been implemented as we’re awaiting program approval and funding from the province,” McNabb wrote in an email to the Free Press.

She said the college has continued to communicate with the government, including answering any questions it has had, since submitting the proposal.

Assiniboine College has worked with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, the regulatory body that will approve the curriculum for the program, McNabb said.

In October 2024, the college invited former practical nursing graduates to join a list to receive more information about the program once there was information to share. McNabb said 1,233 people have signed up.

When the NDP was sworn in, Kinew’s mandate letter for Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable tasked her with creating a pathway for LPNs to become RNs in collaboration with Assiniboine College, formerly Assiniboine Community College.

Bridging training is currently offered through Red River College Polytechnic.

Cable said work is underway to expand pathways for LPNs to become RNs, which remains a mandate commitment.

“Our goal is to create a model that recognizes LPNs’ existing skills and experience while offering flexible options, including online or hybrid learning, so nurses in rural, northern and remote communities can pursue RN training without leaving their communities,” Cable said in a statement.

The province introduced an $8,000 LPN-to-RN/RPN bridging grant to support nurses who pursue further education, she said.

An LPN who contacted the Free Press said a lot of LPNs in Manitoba are wondering what happened to the promise and whether the government will implement the program during the nursing shortage.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson wants the NDP to follow through on the promise. The union has advocated for a virtual program that would allow LPNs to continue to work and not have to leave their home communities.

“I have heard nothing from the government with regards to this. I certainly have heard lots from nurses about this,” Jackson said.

“I was just at a long-term care facility (Monday), talking with nurses, and that was the first question they asked is, ‘When is this going to happen?’”

She believes there would be a lot of uptake from LPNs. The union represents more than 3,200 active LPNs.

“We have a lot of LPNs in Manitoba who would like to upgrade to an RN,” Jackson said. “However, for most individuals, quitting work and going to school for two full years to get your degree just does not work. We all need an income, we all have bills to pay.”

She said many LPNs were educated in pilot programs in their home communities.

“Manitoba needs to be about grow your own. Educate those individuals where they are and they will stay where they are,” Jackson said.

She completed her nursing training in northern Manitoba.

“I would not be a nurse at this point if I had not had the opportunity to (be educated) where I was. I was a mom, I was married,” Jackson said.

“I wouldn’t have been able to leave to do education. I am incredibly fortunate that that was offered where I was, and I think that needs to continue.”

— With files from Gabrielle Piché

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca