Nursing students at B.C. college oppose early transfer to more expensive university program

First-year nursing students at Okanagan College have expressed concern about the provincial government's decision to transfer them to the nursing program at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) this fall.  

Last Tuesday, the Kelowna, B.C.-based college announced the government wants it to shutter its two-year nursing program and shift its 24 first-year nursing students to UBCO's four-year bachelor of science in nursing program. 

According to the college, the province's intention is "to allow the college to expand its health-care programming in other areas," such as the access to practical nursing and pharmacy technician programs. 

Under a provincially-funded agreement that started in 2015, students could choose to complete the first two years of their nursing studies at Okanagan College, and get admitted to the final two years of UBCO's nursing program if they received a cumulative grade of 65 per cent or higher at the college.

Okanagan College and UBCO are two of the four post-secondary institutions in B.C.'s southern Interior that offer nursing programs accredited by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, the regulatory body for the province's nursing profession. 

Extra cost and longer commute for students

In a letter to Okanagan College students and staff, first-year nursing students said transferring the program to UBCO would negatively affects their finances and lifestyle.

"We will be responsible for unexpected tuition, textbook, uniform, commuting, and other costs that will run into the thousands of dollars for many students," the letter reads. "Heading into the final  exam period, these unforeseen stressors feel untimely and unnecessary."

Domestic students enrolled in Okanagan College this academic year pay $11,532 in tuition for the entire two-year nursing program, compared to $12,604 paid by students for the first two years of UBCO's four-year bachelor of science in nursing program.

Brydie Todd lives in Peachland, B.C., about 21 kilometres southwest of Okanagan College's Kelowna campus. The UBCO campus, located at the city's northern tip, is 10 kilometres farther from her hometown.

Todd said her drive to school will increase from around 25 minutes to 45 minutes each way to an hour. She says many of her classmates who don't drive will have to move closer to the university.

"There's a lot of problems with finding adequate housing in the Okanagan and Kelowna in particular, and from what I know it's even tighter around the university there," she said. 

Todd was accepted to the nursing programs of both Okanagan College and UBCO. Her reasons for choosing the former were not only cost and location, but also class size.

"I'm really getting a lot more out of my education being in that small classroom setting," she said.

Plea to postpone the move

In their letter, the nursing students urge the province to allow them to complete the second year of their studies at Okanagan College before fully consolidating the nursing programs of the two post-secondary institutions.

"This will allow time for the schools, students, faculty, and staff to adequately plan and prepare for this transition," they wrote.

In an emailed statement to CBC, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills said transferring the program to UBCO would allow Okanagan College to expand its other health-care trade programs.

The ministry adds that it guarantees all Okanagan College nursing students a seat at UBCO. It did not address concerns about the higher cost of studying at the university, and students' call for completing their second year at the college.