$4.5M investment will support training of more PSWs and Practical Nurses
M’CHIGEENG FIRST NATION (April 4, 2022) – Kenjgewin Teg is pleased to be supported in Ontario’s initiative to support the workforce demands of the healthcare sector for more Personal Support Workers and Registered Practical Nurses and will be receiving over $4.5M in funding support over the next three years. These supports include tuition and supplies for students and dedicated faculty and instructional support in Kenjgewin Teg’s community-based delivery of the Personal Support Worker (PSW) and Registered Practical Nursing (RPN) programs.
The Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care have partnered with Indigenous Institutes in Ontario to support the culturally-responsive training of personal support workers (PSWs), registered practical nurses (RPNs), and registered nurses (RNs). By doing so, the goal of Ontario is to meet the complex and diverse needs of individuals in communities and long-term care homes, including Indigenous peoples across Ontario.
“We know we can embed Anishinabek values, language, customs, and traditions as part of our holistic well-being model to the education and training of our PSW students”, said Whitney McGraw, a Registered Nurse working with Kenjgewin Teg for the past four years in numerous capacities.
Whitney currently supports the coordination and delivery of health programs at Kenjgewin Teg part-time and works full-time at a local Manitoulin Long Term Care Facility, highlighting this critical need for more healthcare workers.
A currently enrolled student in the Practical Nursing program, in a small cohort already underway, which started May 2021, expresses, ‘having attended college twice before with classes of over 70 students, I felt like just another number on the list. My experience was very impersonal. You receive more individual feedback at Kenjgewin Teg, so you know which areas you excel at and which areas you need to enhance. As a result of the support offered by Kenjgewin Teg, I am very confident about my education.”
Kenjgewin Teg’s valued community-based delivery partners are Canadore College for the PSW program and Fleming College for the RPN program. Inquiries and applications are now open for both the Personal Support Worker and Registered Practical Nursing programs.
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
Beverley Roy, A/President, Director of Quality Assurance
beverleyroy@kenjgewinteg.ca
For more information on how to apply to the PSW or RN programs, please contact:
Whitney McGraw, Health and Wellness Programs Coordinator
whitneymcgraw@kenjgewinteg.ca
Kenjgewin Teg is located on Mnidoo Mnising (Manitoulin Island, ON) and is a recognized Indigenous Institute in Ontario’s Indigenous Institute Act (2017) providing Indigenous culturally relevant community-based access and lifelong learning for adult post-secondary students. With its new credential granting authority, Kenjgewin Teg is expanding its higher education learning and partnership delivery opportunities.