University College Of The North held their grand opening for the new diploma in practical nursing in Flin Flon yesterday at their brand new location at  68 Main street.

Doug Lauvstad who is the President of UCN explains why this is so important for the North and this region.  " A number of years ago UCN was challenged by the government to create a response to address the severe shortage of health care professionals in Northern Manitoba. Our team sat down and said what do we need to do. We talked to the Health Authority and other people involved in health care,  and the number one issue was the shortage of practical nurses in the North. As a result we spent over 5 million dollars creating sites in Thompson, Flin Flon and Swan River. That will be 57 new nursing seats that will be available in the North."

These facilities will provide students with the tools and environment they need to succeed as the region will be able to develop highly skilled healthcare professionals.

If you would like to find out more about the nursing programs that UCN offers you can visit the website at ucn.ca.