In a bustling corridor of Vernon Jubilee Hospital, nursing student Maya Reeves adjusts her stethoscope while preparing for another training shift. The 24-year-old is among the first cohort of students in Vernon’s innovative nurse training program, launched this spring to address critical healthcare staffing shortages in the North Okanagan.
“I grew up in Vernon and always wanted to serve my community,” Reeves tells me as we walk past the hospital’s east wing expansion. “But I never thought I’d be able to complete my nursing education without relocating to Kelowna or Kamloops.”
The new program, a collaboration between Interior Health, Okanagan College, and the Ministry of Health, allows nursing students to complete their entire training in Vernon while gaining hands-on experience at local healthcare facilities. It represents a significant shift in how rural communities are addressing healthcare workforce challenges across British Columbia.
For Dr. Amrit Singh, Chief of Staff at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, the program couldn’t have come at a better time. “We’ve been operating at about 85% of our optimal nursing staff levels for nearly three years,” he explains during our meeting in the hospital’s administrative wing. “This program allows us to grow our own talent pool while ensuring new graduates understand the unique healthcare needs of our community.”
The shortage of healthcare workers has been particularly acute in smaller B.C. communities. According to Statistics Canada, rural areas of British Columbia have 40% fewer healthcare professionals per capita compared to urban centers. For communities like Vernon, with its growing population of seniors, this gap has real consequences for patient care.
Stephanie Voysey, a long-time Vernon resident who recently waited nine hours in the emergency department for treatment of a severe allergic reaction, shares her perspective: “The nurses were amazing, but there simply weren’t enough of them. You could see the exhaustion in their eyes.”
What makes Vernon’s program unique is its community-embedded approach. Students like Reeves spend significant time not just at the hospital but also at local long-term care facilities, Indigenous health centers, and even participating in home care visits throughout the North Okanagan.
When I visited the program’s skills lab at the Vernon campus, I found students practicing procedures on high-fidelity mannequins in simulated environments that mimic real healthcare settings. The lab, funded through a $2.8 million provincial investment, features the same equipment students will use in their professional careers.
Program director Emily Takahashi explains that the curriculum was developed with input from local healthcare providers and community members. “We’ve incorporated specific training on caring for aging populations, managing chronic diseases common in our region, and culturally-safe approaches when working with Indigenous patients,” she says while showing me the simulation rooms.
The program also addresses a critical financial barrier that has prevented many local students from pursuing nursing careers. Previously, many potential nursing students couldn’t afford to relocate to larger centers for training. With living expenses in the Okanagan continuing to rise, the ability to study while living at home makes nursing education newly accessible.
“I’m working part-time at my parents’ restaurant while completing the program,” says Jared Mitchell, a second-year nursing student. “There’s no way I could afford Kelowna rents on top of tuition. This program made my career possible.”
The economic impact extends beyond individual students. According to a report from the B.C. Nurses’ Union, each locally trained nurse who remains in a community represents approximately $85,000 in avoided recruitment and orientation costs. For smaller communities with limited healthcare budgets, these savings are significant.
But perhaps most promising is the program’s retention rate. Early data suggests that nurses who train in smaller communities are three times more likely to accept positions in those same communities after graduation. For Vernon, which has historically struggled to attract healthcare professionals away from larger centers, this represents a potential long-term solution.
Chief Nursing Officer Patricia Morrow has already offered conditional employment to several students in the program’s first cohort. “These students understand our community’s needs because they’re part of the community,” she tells me during our interview at the hospital’s staff lounge. “They’ve built relationships with our teams and patients during their training. That connection is invaluable.”
The program isn’t without challenges. Clinical placement opportunities in a smaller center require careful coordination, and some specialized training still necessitates travel to larger facilities. Additionally, the program can currently accommodate only 24 students per year—a fraction of what’s needed to address projected shortages.
Dr. Singh acknowledges these limitations but remains optimistic. “We’re already exploring ways to expand the program and potentially include other healthcare disciplines. The model works—now we need to scale it.”
As I prepare to leave the hospital, I notice Reeves again, this time helping an elderly patient navigate the corridor with gentle guidance. The patient, clearly appreciative, mentions she remembers Reeves’ mother from the local farmers’ market.
It’s a small moment that illuminates the program’s greatest strength: nurses who understand their community because they belong to it. For Vernon’s healthcare system, that connection might prove to be the most powerful medicine of all.
