A pathway to practice close to home: Bloomberg Nursing brings program to UTM

Abeeha Shuja realized she belonged in healthcare while working at a group home supporting children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, dual diagnosis, and traumatic brain injuries.

At first, she had been scared, having never had that kind of responsibility before, but she quickly grew into the role. Shuja enjoyed spending time with the kids in the home, and always found herself thinking about how she could better support them and improve their care.

She also realized how few community resources were available to children with disabilities, which motivated her to stay on in the role even on days when it was challenging.

“That experience shaped me as a human being. It changed how I see the world and how I see the people who are on the front line of healthcare,” says Shuja. “It made me wonder how I can serve better and be a better person.”

Shuja is an incoming first-year nursing student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) program at Bloomberg Nursing, and part of the faculty’s inaugural cohort located at the University of Toronto Mississauga. 

This program expansion, which starts this fall, creates a pathway to become a nurse for students from diverse communities in Peel and regions west of Toronto. By completing their placements at leading healthcare organizations in the western GTA, closer to where they call home, students are more likely to stay after graduation and practice nursing in the region.

The expansion is the second for Bloomberg Nursing, which has also launched an inaugural cohort of Nurse Practitioner students at U of T Scarborough as part of the Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health. Both cohorts are focused on providing better access to care in these communities.

“The expansion of our academic programs is one of the ways in which Bloomberg Nursing is leading in the advancement of nursing education and responding to the evolving needs of health care across the western GTA. We are committed to supporting equitable and accessible health where it is most needed,” says Robyn Stremler, dean of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.

(Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

For Shuja, she chose to be part of the BScN cohort at UTM because she understands there is a genuine need for health care in this area. Having lived in the surrounding region she and her family have had first-hand experience with limited primary care access, and feeling like their problems were sometimes dismissed.

Trillium Health Partners is one of the clinical placement partners providing hands-on learning experiences for students in this expanded cohort. Terri Irwin (MN2005) a Bloomberg Nursing alumna and executive vice-president, patient care services, and chief nursing executive at Trillium Health Partners, says that this expansion is essential to shaping a healthier community.

“At Trillium Health Partners, students gain hands-on experience across the full continuum of care, learn from exceptional preceptors, and become part of a strong academic and interdisciplinary culture that prepares them to thrive as the next generation of nurses,” says Irwin.

For Jacelynn Su, choosing to apply to the nursing program at UTM meant she could continue to be a part of the community she built during her first degree.

Su is already a UTM graduate and residence don. Originally from Calgary, she says it took her a few years to settle in and find a sense of community on campus but once she did, it made life a lot easier.

“I’m excited to be a part of this new cohort because it means that I get to keep the community I’ve found in Mississauga while being a Bloomberg Nursing student. It means a lot to me,” says Su.

Both Su and Shuja are looking forward to learning more about the opportunities available to them as nurses and beginning their clinical placements in and around the community. While they are still exploring where nursing will take them, they are eager to learn and apply the knowledge they gain into real-life settings.

“I want to be working where I am the best nurse possible, wherever in the region that ends up being,” says Shuja.