Thompson Rivers University will soon begin offering a nurse practitioner’s master’s degree, adding to its complement of nursing programs, which include a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, practical nursing diploma and health-care assistant certificate.
The master of nursing-nurse practitioner (MN-NP) program is the first of its kind offered in Interior Health.
"Nurse practitioners are leaders in health-care deliver and I’m confident that this new offering will equip students with the critical skills needed to support B.C.’s people,” TRU president Brett Fairbairn said.
The full-time, two-year program will allow graduates to work as independent nurse practitioners who can assess a patient’s health, prescribe medications, order and interpret tests and refer patients to specialists.
TRU dean of nursing Rani Srivastava said the program has been a long time coming.
“It will be the only program in the Interior and will help address the need in our region,” Srivastava said.
Prospective students can apply as of March 1. TRU said the program is flexible, accessible and hands-on, with options to specialize in areas of interest such as mental health, Indigenous health or seniors’ care.
The program will make use of the university’s Chappell Family Building for Nursing and Population Health, a $32.6-million addition to the school that opened in 2020. That building includes a leading-edge simulation lab, which MN-NP students will use in their studies.
The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives is reviewing the program and students will be accepted pending that regulatory body’s approval.
For more information about the MN-NP program, visit tru.ca/nursing.
