Algonquin launches new nursing degree program
Algonquin College is expanding its nursing program in Ottawa and Pembroke.
When Algonquin’s Bachelor of Science program begins next fall, it will be the second new or expanded nursing program in the city in the past year alone.
opened a new nursing school in September.
The University of Ottawa also has a long-standing nursing school. Until this year, Algonquin has run a collaborative nursing program with uOttawa so that students could earn a four-year honours degree allowing them to become Registered Nurses. That joint program ends when Algonquin begins its new program, in September 2026, which will include an accelerated option that can be completed in three years.
Algonquin’s expansion comes during a period of
and as the college celebrates 50 years of nursing programs. It has long had a practical nursing program.
Erin Stitt-Cavanagh, who is dean of health studies at Algonquin, said the accelerated option will allow nurses to graduate sooner to fill “critical needs”.
Stitt-Cavanagh said Algonquin is expecting to have 160 students when its new program launches in Ottawa and an additional 66-70 students in Pembroke. Its honours program through uOttawa typically had 140 students, she said.
Graduates of the program will be eligible to apply for registration as RNs and will be prepared to work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, community health organizations and with home and community care providers.
“For communities in Ottawa, Pembroke and surrounding areas, the program represents a meaningful investment in accessible, locally delivered nursing education that will help address current labour shortages and support healthier communities for years to come,” said Julie Beauchamp, Algonquin’s senior vice-president, academic.
Sabine Mersmann, CEO of the Pembroke Regional Hospital, said Algonquin’s program is key to the hospital being able to staff many of its units.
Stiff-Cavanagh said the college began receiving applications for both the Ottawa and Pembroke programs almost as soon as the program was announced.
In 2024, the Canadian Institute of Health Information reported that Ontario needed 26,000 additional registered nurses to catch up to the RN-to-population ratio in the rest of Canada.
Ontario has long had the
in the country, and that gap is growing, according to the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario.
“There is tremendous demand,” said Stitt-Cavanagh.
