Assiniboine Community College (ACC) in Brandon is adding two more Manitoba sites to its rural rotating practical nursing program.

ACC on Wednesday announced another rural rotating site for its Practical Nursing diploma, in Otterburne, southeast of Winnipeg. This program, in partnership with Southern Health-Santé Sud located at Providence University College, will begin in September 2022. An additional rural rotating site will be held in Morden, starting in January 2023. Both sites will have the capacity for 25 students.

ACC President Mark Frison is pleased the college can offer more courses to help meet the demand for more nurses. “This is a great opportunity to continue to expand our training to this part of the province. Rural rotating nursing sites are essential to ensure there are enough trained nurses to keep up with demand in all regions of the province. The partnership with Providence offers a great opportunity to bring training to this region and to work with Providence College to meet the needs of the region.”

The addition of these rural rotating sites at Providence University College in Otterburne and in Morden follows the February announcement of Arborg as a rural rotating site, and the announced expansion of the college’s Portage la Prairie nursing site to welcome 35 students each year. A significant provincial investment in nursing allowed for three new rotating sites as well as the Portage La Prairie expansion.

“Our Skills, Talent and Knowledge Strategy calls for programs to ensure people have more access to post-secondary education in Manitoba in sectors with high labour demand, such as health care. Assiniboine’s rural rotating nursing sites are an important contributor to the province’s goal of increasing nursing seats in the coming year, and I am confident these programs in Otterburne and Morden will help address the need for nurses in Manitoba” said Jon Reyes Manitoba’s Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration.

Applications to both sites are open until May 23, 2022. All qualified applications received by the deadline will be assessed for admission. For rural rotating sites, admission priority will be given to those who live in a rural community within 100 km of the site.

The Otterburne rural rotating site will use existing Providence University College campus facilities. Morden’s site will make use of a currently vacant facility in the community.

"We're hoping to add another rural rotating site somewhere in the Prairie Mountain Health region but it's too early to say where or when that will happen," said Mark Frison.