The Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing is bringing its accelerated two-year BScN degree program to the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) with the first cohort of students set to begin in the fall of 2026.
Alongside this expansion of the undergraduate program, Bloomberg Nursing will simultaneously welcome its first cohort of Nurse Practitioner students as part of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) also in fall 2026.
“The tri-campus expansion of our nursing degree programs to the eastern and western GTA, is one of the many ways in which Bloomberg Nursing is not only leading in the advancement of nursing education but is also supporting equitable and accessible health care where it is needed most,” says Robyn Stremler, Dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.
Future nurses who live and work in the western GTA – “would make a world of difference”
For BScN student and Brampton resident Manna Hailu, having the BScN program available at the UTM campus is something she believes would be significant for students who live in the region. Hailu was lucky to be able to complete her three of her placements close to home at Trillium Health Partners. She says this not only eased the stress of commuting but also showed her the impact that nurses can have when they live and work in the community they serve.
She explains that while completing her consolidation on the nephrology unit at Credit Valley Hospital, part of her learning was focused on the rehabilitation of patients in the community. Being a life-long resident of Peel – her mother gave birth to her and her brother at Credit Valley hospital – her knowledge of the community allowed her to provide a different level of care to her patients.
“Sometimes, it was as simple as understanding how the location of a nursing home or rehab clinic might impact your patient and their transportation needs. If you were to take a nurse who had no knowledge of the neighbourhoods or community and drop them into that setting it wouldn’t be the same,” says Hailu. “The relationship between the nurses and their patients is so intertwined with their knowledge of the community and having future nurses who live in Peel able to learn and practice here, would make a world of difference.”
The new UTM-based cohort will create a pathway for students from diverse and communities in Peel and regions west of Toronto, to join the accelerated two-year BScN program at Bloomberg Nursing. It also provides an opportunity for students to complete their placements at leading healthcare organizations in the western GTA, while enjoying the benefits of learning on the UTM campus, reducing commute times for students, and increasing the likelihood that students will stay and practice in the areas in which they are living and learning.
With shortages in the nursing work force posing a continued challenge for the health care system, Hailu believes that having nursing spots dedicated to students at UTM might encourage more people to consider nursing as viable career option.
“It’s not just convenient, it’s necessary,” says Hailu. “It means so much more to the patients when their care providers represent their communities and understand their unique needs.”
That sentiment is shared by Nirusha Jebanesan, (BScN 2018, MN-Clinical 2022, PMNP 2024) a nurse practitioner and palliative coach in Scarborough, who is a champion of the expansion of the Nurse Practitioner program as part of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health (SAMIH) at UTSC.
In high-needs areas like Scarborough NPs have a day-to-day impact on care
Jebanesan says that having grown up in Scarborough, and being a person of colour, has helped her connect with her patients, understand the challenges they might face, and provide them with additional support she knows they need.
“It takes nothing out of me to spend a few extra minutes helping clients access resources or care they didn’t know they could access. You can see how it changes their trajectory of care because they are able to make decisions with information they previously didn’t have,” says Jebanesan.
NP students who are part of the SAMIH cohort will get an experience that is unique and focused on community health, something Jebanesan says will enrich their learning and expose them to facets of care that go beyond just clinical needs.
“This is such a high needs area, there are lot of gaps that aren’t being filled, and as an NP you feel the impact right away in your day-to-day care,” says Jebanesan. “You see people light-up from doing something as simple as taking the time to explain their medications to them or help them navigate a language barrier. You’re playing a huge role in making health care accessible.”
For Jebanesan, the impact of her care, is what made her decision to stay in Scarborough as an NP an obvious choice, and one she hopes more students will make as a result of their learning through SAMIH. Learn more about the BScN UTM-based cohort and the Nurse Practitioner program at SAMIH