A journey tailored to your next chapter

• Practical Nurse: PSW Pathway Program stream begins September 2023. 
• LPN Bridge Program stream begins September 2023 
• Participants will divide their time between work and study for the duration of the initiative. 

The Step Up to Nursing initiative is a workplace-based, wage-supported learning model that provides education to New Brunswickers who are interested in becoming either a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Registered Nurse (RN) but have been held back because of life circumstances. This new education pathway offers LPNs and Personal Support Workers (PSWs) the opportunity to complete their nursing education and achieve their goals.  

The initiative offers participants the opportunity to work in the healthcare system on a part-time basis always within an appropriate scope of practice and meeting all employment requirements and standards, while completing one of two nursing education programs: the Practical Nurse: PSW Pathway program or the Licensed Practical Nurse Bridge (LPNBR) program leading to the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program. 

Participants are paid a full-time wage commensurate with their level of experience and certification level. The provincial government will cover tuition and maintain wages during periods of learning, including all classroom and clinical experiences. 

Participants eligible for the Practical Nurse: PSW Pathway program stream are New Brunswickers who have graduated with a PSW Acute Care certificate from NBCC within the last five years who meet the criteria and are passionate about healthcare. They are people who want to become Licensed Practical Nurses, continue to live in New Brunswick and contribute to building and maintaining a sustainable healthcare system. 

The LPN Bridge program stream is intended for Licensed Practical Nurses who want to become RNs, are members of the Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses (ANBLPN) in good standing and meet all the eligibility requirements. 

The Practical Nurse: PSW Pathway program stream will have 28 participants broken out into two cohorts working and studying part-time on a 2-day/3-day weekly rotation. 

At the LPN Bridge program level, participants will work 3 days/week and study as one cohort.  

In year 3 of the BN program, participants will move from 60% work/40% study to 40% work/60% study once clinical placements start*. The final semester prior to graduation will be a clinical placement where participants will not work for an employer at all. 

Anyone who meets the Step Up to Nursing initiative admissions requirements, and can attend in-person training when required, can apply. 

• Must be a resident of New Brunswick and a permanent resident or Canadian Citizen
• Cover letter
• Resumé
• Essay that speaks to passion for healthcare and commitment to New Brunswick
• Interview
• Official academic transcripts sent to post-secondary institutions (after initial selection)
• Criminal record and vulnerable sector checks provided to employers
• Proof of immunizations provided to employers