Interest Groups
Nursing Students
Nursing students are the future of our profession and our union. Affiliate membership empowers students to speak out about their biggest challenges, such as clinical placements, with the strength of a united grassroots movement of nurses and health-care professionals behind them.
As an affiliate member, you have the right to participate in the activities of your union, including education and membership meetings. You can use this opportunity to build connections, learn from members and leaders with decades of experience on the job and help shape the future of ONA.
As a nursing student affiliate member, you can participate in free education offered through ONA and apply for scholarships to support your post-secondary education.
Our interactive workshops are designed to deliver key learning points through group discussions and exercises. They are open to all members, including nursing student affiliate members, unless indicated as private for a specific Local or Bargaining Unit.
Check out ONA’s Workshop Calendar to find out what’s being offered and when you need to register. If you are interested in registering for a workshop, contact our Membership Education Team at gro.a1736894511no@ek1736894511atnIT1736894511EM1736894511.
The Ontario Nurses’ Association Scholarship Fund assists students in nursing and regulated health professional programs in Ontario. Up to nine scholarships at $1,000 each are available each year. ONA will also select one nursing student to receive a $2,000 scholarship, known as the “Reese Fallon Memorial Scholarship.”
The CFNU Scholarship Fund is intended to assist students in accredited nursing education programs throughout Canada. It is hoped that students who avail themselves of these scholarships will show leadership within the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association and ONA. ONA is entitled to one of the ten $1,000 student scholarships awarded each year. Subject to the ongoing availability of CFNU support, ONA will select one student per year to receive the CFNU scholarship.
Your issues are our issues.
The ONA Board of Directors regularly meets with nursing students to stay informed on the issues that matter to you. They connect with Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA) delegates for each campus at least twice during the school year and speak with students from across Ontario at the CNSA’s annual Ontario-Quebec regional and national conferences, which we proudly sponsor. Connecting directly with students means we can use our collective power to fight for your concerns. We advocate for student issues with the government and other decision-makers who know we are the voice of grassroots nurses in Ontario.
ONA staff are available to support nursing students who are interested in meeting with their Members of Provincial Parliament to push for action and build greater awareness of the challenges facing nursing students’ clinical education, and the implications for workforce preparedness and the future of the nursing profession.
Nursing students and recent graduates face pressing challenges. These include difficult learning conditions, lack of mentorship, the financial strain of postsecondary education, inadequate mental health support, rising living costs, mandatory unpaid placements, and mounting debt. Students also feel the impact of a struggling economy and inflation.
We fight for students and the urgent need for change. Recommendations we’ve presented to the provincial government include:
The following is a selection of recent government submissions and news relevant to nursing students.
Our 2024 Pre-Budget submission includes a section highlighting recommendations that would support nursing students as part of a holistic approach to addressing the province’s nursing shortage.
ONA released a submission supporting a proposed regulatory change from the College of Nurses of Ontario authorizing approved colleges to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) degree independently of a university partner. We also recommended that approved colleges be required to have a robust plan to safely meet the demand for in-person clinical placements.
Please share your thoughts and suggestions about what ONA can do for you by emailing us at gro.a1736894511no@li1736894511amano1736894511.
To contact the Ontario Regional Director for the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association, email ac.as1736894511nc@oi1736894511ratno1736894511.
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