Canada’s healthcare system is grappling with a significant nursing shortage, a challenge exacerbated by the aging population. Looking specifically at long-term care (LTC), the impact of the nursing shortage is even more pronounced. By 2031, an estimated 606,000 Canadians will require LTC, marking a nearly 60 per cent increase over 2019 levels.

Despite this rising demand, staffing levels are declining. In 2022 alone, the number of direct care nurses in LTC fell by approximately by 2,500, a 5.1 per cent decrease from the year before. Meanwhile, LTC homes across the country reported over 38,000 open positions – more than double what was recorded just three years earlier.

The urgency is clear: Canada must train, graduate, and integrate new nurses more effectively. What if part of the solution lies in how we manage nursing education itself?

Rethinking nursing education management: A strategic imperative

With more than 130 nursing schools across the country graduating over 12,000 learners annually, education is a key lever in addressing workforce shortages. But to improve their impact, nursing programs need to operate at maximum efficiency. What if optimizing the management of nursing education – through better systems and smarter processes – could accelerate the transition of qualified nurses into practice?

By removing administrative bottlenecks, supervisors and staff can refocus on teaching and mentorship. Learners can progress through their programs without unnecessary delays. And schools could increase their capacity to graduate more work-ready nurses. 

In the context of a national staffing crisis, these improvements are not just operational – they’re essential to sustaining healthcare delivery for Canadians.

Leveraging digital platforms to elevate nursing schools 

Managing a nursing program involves a complex web of tasks: handling admissions, tracking registrations, managing clinical placements, and delivering assessments – each involving different stakeholders and volumes of data. Yet many schools still rely on fragmented systems or manual processes that create inefficiencies and increase the risk of error.

To address this, an increasing number of institutions are adopting digital learner management platforms. These integrated systems streamline administrative workflows, support real-time scheduling, simplify compliance tracking, and improve communication between students, supervisors, and clinical partners. Crucially, they also offer the infrastructure to support Competency-Based Education (CBE), which is expected to become more prominent in nursing education in the years ahead. 

Why partnership matters in Canadian nursing education 

Technology isn’t enough on its own. Real transformation requires having the right partner behind the platform. Because what works today may need to adapt tomorrow: curricula shift, accreditation standards change, and new educational models like CBE emerge.

And so, nursing schools need more than just a vendor; they need a partner who understands Canadian healthcare education and is committed to growing with them. 

Spotlight on LGI Education: Supporting Nursing Education Transformation

One platform – and partner – leading this shift is LGI Healthcare Solutions with its learner management platform. LGI Education offers nursing schools a comprehensive, future-ready tools to enhance operational efficiency and better prepare nursing students for modern clinical practice.

At a time when healthcare systems urgently need new nurses, rethinking how we support their education is more important than ever. For those interested in exploring what’s possible, more information is available here: LGI Education for Nursing Programs | Learner Management Platform.