Skeena MLA Claire Rattée called on the provincial government to bring back the Nursing Tuition Grant that provides funding amounting to $2,000 per year to nursing students and said that its cancellation was adding more stress to nursing students’ lives, especially those studying in northern B.C.
Rattée requested in a Sep. 8 letter to Health Minister Ravi Kahlon, writing on behalf of nursing students in Skeena and across British Columbia.
“When the Province announced this grant, it recognized the importance of reducing financial barriers for students entering nursing at a time when British Columbia was struggling to recruit and retain enough health-care professionals,” Rattée wrote.
She said ending the grant sent “precisely the wrong message” to students entering a profession the health-care system needed.
According to Rattée, the financial impact was especially significant for students who are registered in the Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program at the University of Northern British Columbia and its collaborating schools.
In addition to their tuition fees, books, and personal expenses, northern nursing students faced additional costs when they had to travel away from their home communities for mandatory clinical placements.
Students could be responsible for transportation, fuel, temporary accommodation and meals, while still paying for housing and other expenses at home.
“These are not optional expenses,” Rattée wrote. “Clinical placements are a mandatory part of their education and must be completed for students to graduate and enter the nursing workforce.”
Milla Ivens, a northern B.C. nursing student who contacted Rattée’s office, said the funding cut disproportionately affected students who had to travel for their clinical requirements.
“The funding cut definitely affects northern students more, since we have to travel in order to complete our clinical placement requirements. We have to pay for food, housing and gas out of pocket on top of tuition and textbooks,” Ivens said.
Rattée also raised concerns about the amount of notice students received about where their clinical placements would take place.
According to her letter, some students reported receiving only approximately one week’s notice about their placement location.
“Students have also reported receiving very little advance notice of where their placements will occur,” Rattée wrote. “In some cases, they may receive only approximately one week’s notice, forcing them to arrange accommodation and transportation at the last minute, when costs are often considerably higher.”
She said the financial and logistical pressures associated with nursing school were causing some students to question whether pursuing the profession was financially possible or worthwhile.
Rattée argued that the province should have been reducing barriers to nursing education, particularly as health-care facilities in northern B.C. continued to deal with staffing pressures.
“At a time when hospitals and health-care facilities throughout northern British Columbia are struggling with persistent staffing shortages, service interruptions and immense pressure on existing nurses, the Province should be removing barriers to nursing education, not adding to them,” she wrote.
Rattée asked the province to reinstate the $2,000 annual Nursing Tuition Grant to nursing students attending eligible nursing programs at B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions.
She also asked the provincial government to clarify whether this grant will be available in 2026-2027 and also to provide information on its criteria and payment schedule.
The MLA requested financial aid for those nursing students who required travelling or relocation due to their clinical placements, including transportation costs, accommodation, and meals.
Finally, Rattée asked the province to collaborate with nursing programs and health authorities to give the students more time to find out where they will go for their clinical placement wherever possible.
Rattée acknowledged that the $2,000 Nursing Tuition Grant did not completely solve the problem of the cost of nursing education, but it helped students a lot.
“However, it provided meaningful assistance and demonstrated that the Province understood the value of helping students complete their training,” Rattée wrote.
