Northern Lights College Opens New Health Lab in Fort St. John to Boost Local Training

Northern Lights College has opened a new health training lab at its Fort St. John campus, aiming to expand access to education and help meet the region’s growing demand for health-care workers.

The new facility features a six-bed training classroom designed for nursing and other health-care students, allowing them to complete hands-on lab work closer to home.

College officials say the addition is part of a broader effort to train and retain health-care professionals in northern B.C., where recruitment and access to education have long been challenges.

Reducing barriers for students

Previously, students at the Fort St. John campus had to travel regularly to Dawson Creek to complete lab requirements — a commute that proved difficult for many.

Tara Hyland-Russell, vice-president of academics and research at the college, said eliminating that barrier was a key priority.

“We didn’t want to lose a single student — a single future health-care professional — because of the challenges of travel,” she said.

Expanding local health programs

The college says the new lab will support existing programs while enabling expansion into new areas of training.

Plans are already underway to introduce additional programs, including:

• A pharmacy technician program expected to launch in August

• A mental health and substance use program scheduled for November

Nicole Dahlen, dean of health sciences and human services, said expanding local programming is essential to improving access for students across northern communities.

“It’s really important to have programs that are accessible from people’s home communities, including lab-based courses,” she said.

Serving a wide northern region

Northern Lights College serves a large geographic area, including communities as far as the Northern Rockies.

Officials say there are also plans to expand training capacity further by adding additional lab beds at campuses in Chetwynd and Fort Nelson.

The Fort St. John campus is also home to a collaborative nursing degree program run in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia and Northern Health.

Addressing workforce shortages

The expansion comes amid ongoing shortages of health-care workers in northern B.C., where rural and remote communities often face difficulty attracting and retaining staff.

College leaders say offering education locally increases the likelihood that graduates will remain in the region to work.

They also hope the programs will appeal not only to recent high school graduates, but also to adult learners looking to transition into health-care careers.

“Health care offers a wide range of rewarding career paths,” Dahlen said. “We want people to see those opportunities and consider them.”