Enrolment up at St. Francis Xavier's 2-year nursing program

A nursing professor hopes an increase in enrolment at the two-year nursing program at St. Francis Xavier University will help Nova Scotia combat a shortage of nurses in rural areas. 

Amy Hallaran, associate dean at the university's school of nursing, said 48 new students entered the program in January, up from 31 last year. 

She said the program is popular with mature students because it makes it easier for those with previous work and academic experience to obtain a nursing degree faster.

"This route with the six continuous semesters really helps them to get into the workforce sooner than they would if they had to enter into a four-year program," said Hallaran.

In 2023, 18 units at regional hospitals in Nova Scotia had a nurse vacancy rate of 50 per cent or higher, according to numbers from the province's health authority. Some hospitals even had 80 per cent nurse vacancy rates. 

The two-year nursing program experienced higher growth than other nursing options at St. FX.

There were 188 students enrolled in all three nursing programs for the 2024-25 academic year, a seven per cent increase from last year. Those programs include the four-year option, the LPN program, and the two-year option.

'A start,' says union president

Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, said the increase at St. FX won't offset the province's nursing shortage, but it is a good start. 

She said the solution to the shortage lies in increasing seats in multiple programs around the province, recruiting international and out-of-province nurses, and improving retention of young nurses. 

Hazelton, who has been president since 2002, said the union has been warning about shortages for over 20 years. She said many nurses leave their jobs due to work conditions, including burnout, benefits, salaries and safety concerns.

She said the two-year program is geared toward people who already have experience or an academic background, which she says creates graduates who are more committed to the profession and likely to stay in it. 

"They're mature, they've been in university, so they really do know what they want to be and they want to practise nursing," she said.

Hallaran said the program allows students to practise in rural hospitals, which she said might help them make up their minds about practising in rural areas. 

"When you have experience working and living rurally, we know from the evidence that that increases the likelihood of individuals wanting to live and work rurally in the future," she said.

Eva Boyd just began the two-year program in January and hopes to stay in rural Nova Scotia when she graduates. She decided to move with her young family to Antigonish from B.C. because her husband has family in the area.

She said the accelerated program made more sense for her, as she already had a bachelor's and master's degree, as well as a career. 

"I was working for about eight years before so just trying to get back into the workforce a little faster," she said. "I also felt just being able to go back faster allows me a little bit more time and space with my family."

So far, she said she has practised in the university's laboratory and hopes to get real-life experience in a hospital soon.